Vacation in South America with kids?
 

Hi all,
I am considering taking my kids (ages 13, 10 and 6) to South America for a week at Spring Break, but I don't speak any Spanish and am concerned about some things I am seeing about safety. I have looked at Rio, Quito Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. I just have that urge to go see something totally different.

But, I'm a single mom and don't want to spend our holiday stressing about safety. Any thoughts or experiences or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

My kids are all very good travelers so length of flights or new experiences are not a concern.

Thanks

I remember going all over South America (we lived in Peru) with my parents and two sisters at exactly those ages. Never a problem.

However (and I am not being biased even though I lived most of my life in Peru), out of the countries/cities you mentioned:

Rio - Is know for having a high crime rate
Bolivia - Has recently had a lot of civil unrest.
Quito - Has also had some civil unrest

Peru is going through a very good period with a good economy, no civil unrest, and low crime. If you use common sense, you should not have a problem.

Have you considered Argentina? Buenos Aires is very safe, lots to do, great restaurants, shopping and the dollar is still very strong making it a good deal. If your kids are outdoor types going further south into Patagonia and The Glaciers National Park would really be fun for them and you. Or to the west in the foothills of the high Andes is the wine country and Mendoza. Fantastic area to sample. To the north is Iguazu Falls, a truly spectacular natural wonder.

This link to a web site will give you a good idea of just how much there is to see and do here. http://www.welcomeargentina.com/

Hope this helps :D
SAM

A week sounds pretty short for a trip to deep south america. I'd consider north/central america: mexico, panama or costa rica. If you want something out of the ordinary consider Suriname. Great natural beauty and very safe.

Thank you for these suggestions, I am looking into all of them, and appreciate the experiences here.

With only one week I would consider Costa Rica for many reasons: good medical health care, many people speak english, really safe in comparison to nearly every other Central American country and it is so small that it is easy to see quite a bit of the country in a short period of time and - depending on your children´s favoured activities- easily accessible beaches and great national parks.
I travelled there alone as a 20-year-old and never felt even the slightest bit endangered.

Have fun planning the trip.

I too am biased toward Peru, having lived there for several years. It's a wonderful country with a lot to see. An earlier post mentioned "low crime". I suppose you can ask, relative to where? but anyway in Peru there is a lot more "snatch & grab" type crime than most places in NA where I assume the OP is from. You have to be careful at all times and in Lima for example you need to take care where you venture out, especially after dark, as robberies in the street are common, and the "good" parts of the city are often very close to the "bad" parts, and sometimes it's difficult to distinguish between the two.

That said, I think Lima is on par with places like BA, and probably overall safer than Rio, Caracas, Quito/Guayaquil, etc.

If you're interested in seeing archeological and historical sites, and experiencing a cuisine that is unique in the world and one of the best, then Peru is the place to go. If you're interested in a rain forest adventure, you can do that in Peru too but you'll find it easier in a place like Costa Rica.

I would agree that the US version of low crime is not the same as the Latin American version. I would suggest removing any diamond engagement rings or obvious jewelry if you plan on walking anywhere. Either lock it up, or don't take it with you. Especially in large cities like Lima, Santiago, Rio, etc....

I agree. Consider going someplace cool in Mexico, like Merida.

Bumping an old thread to see if the conventional wisdom on the subject has changed.

I've never been to South America and I'd like to go, but with two young kids who would likely be around 6 and 8, I'm not sure which countries would be well-suited to our needs.

For the most part when we travel we tend to focus on city attractions with the odd excursion out of town to parks or historic sites or what have you. In other words, we aren't adventure travellers or anything like that.

Being as ignorant regarding SA as I am, I wonder if there are any destinations that might be logical places for first-timers to start on a roughly 2 week trip? I was thinking Argentina, perhaps Buenos Aires with a little side trip out of the city. Or is there someplace else we should consider?

We went to Chile last year with kids a bit older, but based in Santiago there's a ton of stuff to keep you busy for a week. Then maybe move on. Here's a link to my TR.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...een-girls.html

With smaller kids I'd probably add a bit more park time and sub the Human Rights museum for the children's museum.

Thank you! I'll take a look.

Both the Santiago Marriott and the Renaissance are located across from a nice large park where the kids museum is located. The Ritz Carlton is also in a good neighborhood and is located directly next to the subway station.

Vacation in South America with kids?
 

I'd look at GAP Adventures as they have family tour options so you can meet others and have less to worry about. There are also other family tour groups if you don't want to DIY it all - a good travel agent who has experience or connections in where you want to go can help sort things thru also - they can plan for airport transfers, private guides/tours, experiences, etc

I took my two year old to Costa Rica last year for her 2nd birthday. We basically hung out with friends and enjoyed the beach/pool. But for older kids, there is a ton to do and very safe and friendly