@diehardbrownsfan said:

Safer then what? Mexico?

@mjp28 said:

Safer then what? Mexico?

@mjp28 said:

I disagree. Look it up.

@diehardbrownsfan said:

Think I'll pass on that condo in Belize:

https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=21487

In 2010, an American citizen and a Belizean were killed by jaguars in separate incidents.....

You have to watch out for those jags.

Actually Belize is no more dangerous and maybe much safer than most foreign destinations.

@diehardbrownsfan said:

That seems to reference one particular city: Belmpan. But Belize may be like Mexico....go to the wrong place and it may be bad news. But go to the right place, like Cancun or Puerto Vallarta and its all good, catering to tourists. I have been to PV and it was fine. Would never want to cross the border into Ciudad Juarez though.

https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=21487

@the-gipper said:

Took a cruise with a stop in Belize where we took a river trip up to the Mayan ruins at Lamanai. Excellent trip with tons of howler monkeys, parrots and other wildlife along the way.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g291967-d2160015-Reviews-Lamanai_Mayan_Site_and_New_River_Tour-Belize_District.html

Never been to Puerto Rico but I am interested in going to Dominican Republic since I spent two summers as a dorm counselor for Dominican students studying agriculture at A&M. They have some pretty nice beachfront developments there like in Punta Cana

@the-gipper said:

Took a cruise with a stop in Belize where we took a river trip up to the Mayan ruins at Lamanai. Excellent trip with tons of howler monkeys, parrots and other wildlife along the way.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g291967-d2160015-Reviews-Lamanai_Mayan_Site_and_New_River_Tour-Belize_District.html

Never been to Puerto Rico but I am interested in going to Dominican Republic since I spent two summers as a dorm counselor for Dominican students studying agriculture at A&M. They have some pretty nice beachfront developments there like in Punta Cana

@the-gipper said:

That was not much help. For specific hotels, resorts, attractions, etc., TripAdvisor is best. But to give issues on big matters like crime, unrest etc. I guess you have to go to the state department.

No Puerto Rico.

Central and South America sure are a mess.

@mjp28 said:

That was not much help. For specific hotels, resorts, attractions, etc., TripAdvisor is best. But to give issues on big matters like crime, unrest etc. I guess you have to go to the state department.

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings.html

Alert April 25, 2017

Peru Travel Alert Warning April 12, 2017

Pakistan Travel Warning Warning April 11, 2017

Israel, The West Bank and Gaza Travel Warning Warning April 11, 2017

Niger Travel Warning Alert April 6, 2017

Kenya Travel Alert Warning April 5, 2017

Nigeria Travel Warning Warning March 30, 2017

Sudan Travel Warning Warning March 29, 2017

Democratic Republic of the Congo Travel Warning Warning March 29, 2017

Saudi Arabia Travel Warning Warning March 28, 2017

Turkey Travel Warning Alert March 24, 2017

French Guiana Travel Alert Warning March 22, 2017

Mauritania Travel Warning Warning March 22, 2017

Cameroon Travel Warning Warning March 22, 2017

Syria Travel Warning Warning March 21, 2017

Afghanistan Travel Warning Warning February 22, 2017

Eritrea Travel Warning Warning February 15, 2017

Lebanon Travel Warning Warning February 14, 2017

El Salvador Travel Warning Warning February 7, 2017

North Korea Travel Warning Warning January 31, 2017

Iraq Travel Warning Warning January 27, 2017

Libya Travel Warning Warning January 23, 2017

Honduras Travel Warning Warning January 13, 2017

Kenya Travel Warning Warning January 11, 2017

Somalia Travel Warning Warning January 5, 2017

Bangladesh Travel Warning Warning January 4, 2017

Republic of South Sudan Travel Warning Warning December 23, 2016

Egypt Travel Warning Warning December 23, 2016 J

ordan Travel Warning Warning December 23, 2016

Mali Travel Warning Warning December 20, 2016

Philippines Travel Warning Warning December 15, 2016

Venezuela Travel Warning Warning December 14, 2016

Ukraine Travel Warning Warning December 13, 2016

Algeria Travel Warning Warning December 8, 2016

Mexico Travel Warning Warning December 6, 2016

Ethiopia Travel Warning Warning November 15, 2016

Burundi Travel Warning Warning November 4, 2016

Haiti Travel Warning Warning November 4, 2016

Chad Travel Warning Warning October 19, 2016

Central African Republic Travel Warning Warning October 6, 2016

Yemen Travel Warning Alert October 6, 2016

South Pacific Tropical Cyclone Season - Travel Alert Warning September 29, 2016

Tunisia Travel Warning Warning August 22, 2016

Iran Travel Warning Alert June 3, 2016

Hurricane and Typhoon Season 2016 Travel Alert Warning April 5, 2016

Colombia Travel Warning Warning January 20, 2016

Burkina Faso Travel Warning

No Puerto Rico.

@the-gipper said:

Sounds like a cruise either from San Juan, or stopping there for a day is about all you need of it, eh?

I'd check around for the latest news on locations before traveling plus online forums, etc. Personal references are good but I'd weigh them out.

For another source of information: https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country.html

@the-gipper said:

My neighbor here in my office building owns a condo in Belize. I will have to ask him about it.

Or how about this: have any of you all spent time in Puerto Rico. Its on my bucket list, sort of. My choices for going there are that I could spend an entire week in a timeshare.......or I could accede to my wife's desire to take a cruise sometime and schedule that makes a stop there in San Juan for a day. (or....one that departs from there).

Is Puerto Rico worth an entire week's stay...or just a day or so?

One fellow patient was visiting here from PR and had a heart attack here....he often said thank God because he said the medical care is so bad there. He retired from a steel mill here, relocated back to PR to be closer to family but might not return.

As far as travel now I don't know but my in laws visited Old San Juan about 30 years ago it was OK but preferred Hawaii, been there 26 times, my father in law was in WWII in some real hell holes in the Pacific and did R&R on Waikiki and loved it there.

I've been to the Bahamas in the 1970s and 1980s never PR but prefer Hawaii too. Never been to Jamaica (considered it for our honeymoon but passed) have heard some bad stories there unless you stick to the hotel grounds....I've always been the adventurous type, give me a map and a car.

Wherever you go it's always nice to return to the good ol' USA! OH when in Mexico City in a 17 story hotel I watched them putting wet rags on the elevator motors because they were overheating and would shut down.....being a maintenance foreman at USSTEEL I was horrified at the site of that.

@diehardbrownsfan said:

My neighbor here in my office building owns a condo in Belize. I will have to ask him about it.

Or how about this: have any of you all spent time in Puerto Rico. Its on my bucket list, sort of. My choices for going there are that I could spend an entire week in a timeshare.......or I could accede to my wife's desire to take a cruise sometime and schedule that makes a stop there in San Juan for a day. (or....one that departs from there).

Is Puerto Rico worth an entire week's stay...or just a day or so?

@diehardbrownsfan said:

How about Belize? I heard it's crime ridden, although they have a lot of ads spouting about how great it is to retire there.

From Belize.com, they think it's nice.

https://www.belize.com/top-ten-reasons-to-live-or-retire-in-belize

But not the border areas. Not Tijuana/Nogales/Juarez etc. You don't want to go there, but PV, Cancun you would be OK.

@the-gipper said:

......

Edit: note, I have just been on my travel chat room in the last few days and the subject of Acapulco came up. Everyone warned against going there, as it is now a major city that has turned into a basic shithole. It is apparently very dirty now, and overrun with drug violence. Too bad.....when I was young Acapulco was considered the cool place in Mexico to visit. No longer. Lucky you got there before things turned to shit.

Puerto Vallarta was cool though. But I have no plans to ever re-visit Mexico.

We went to Mexico in 1981, 36 years ago, the "old" peso/$USD exchange rate was 25:1 I only wish I had an empty suitcase for the great deals I passed up in particular some sweaters and a hand tooled leather attache case way better than my Ohio leather case. I had two memorable meals at French restaurants of all places in the "Zona Rosa" in Mexico City. There was a lot to do in Mexico City but stay in the "Americanized" hotels where you can drink the water, I hoped to return but never did.

Then on to Acapulco the flight over on Mexicana airlines was memorable because my seat wasn't completely bolted to the floor but Alcapulco was nice, just finished redoing the main road through town. My rental car was a piece of junk but it was a memorable trip. When we drove over to the cliff divers and Love Boat dock someone stole my sandals out of my car -but- that was the only thing that was bad on the whole trip. Still I'd prefer Waikiki to Acapulco.

My wife took a cruise with fellow nursing 50ers about 10 years ago went on the Western route Ft. Lauderdale/ Key West / Cozumel/ Belize / Ft. Lauderdale. Great deal, she found it in a Walmart ad, took it to our travel agent and she matched it! About $450 for the whole trip, I booked land excursions and air, $858 total. (I was always good at that stuff.) I was on Caribbean cruises years back, I'd prefer the Western routes now.

Would I ever go to Mexico now, never.

@mjp28 said:

I am 65. I think you can say that I have been traveling as a "serious hobby" since about 1997., but I would travel quite a bit before that. When we were kids in the 50s and 60s my Dad would take us on summer vacations to the Smoky Mtns, Shenandoah, New England. Camping trips. In college I would do spring break to Florida a few years. I also did some "guy" trips back then....went to Maine, Colorado and few other spots. I then started going to Kiwanis Conventions in 1985...Toronto, St. Louis, Montreal, DC, Anaheim, Denver, Miami, Nashville. I bought my timeshare while at a Kiwanis Convention in Las Vegas. That is when I started really keeping track. I had a goal to have been in all 50 states by the time I was 50, and I did that. Hit the last two: Hawaii in 2001 and Alaska in 2002...when I was 50. I have been on a National Park kick since. At one time I had been to every designated National Park in Continental US....but then they added one out in Calif. that I have not been to yet (Pinnacles). There are now 59 national parks. I have been to 52. The one newest one in Cal., one in American Samoa...and 5 in Alaska, which are unreachable by auto. You must take a float plane to get to them.

There are a total of 417 National Park units (inclusive of the 59 national parks). I have now been to 326 of them. (They have actually added 5 to the total just this year.).

I have concentrated mostly on the USA....but I have actually also been to all of these Canadian Provinces:: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland and The Yukon. The only ones I have not been to are Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

I have only been to Europe twice and visited England, France and Ireland. (but I do have 5-6 places I do want to see in the future) A few times, before it was super crazy, I took a couple of trips just over the border into Mexico...at Tijuana and Nogales. Plus I did spend a week in Puerto Vallarta. Would not do the border thing now. I have been to the Caribbean only a couple of times, to the Cayman Islands and to St. John/St. Thomas USVI. I do have St. Croix and Puerto Rico on my bucket list as the only remaining Carrib. spots I have much interest in.

I have never been on a cruise. (though, my wife would love to do that)

Would I go? Maybe..if one made a stop in PR of St. Cx for a couple of days, but they don't do that.

Never been to S. America, Asia or Australia.

Edit: note, I have just been on my travel chat room in the last few days and the subject of Acapulco came up. Everyone warned against going there, as it is now a major city that has turned into a basic shithole. It is apparently very dirty now, and overrun with drug violence. Too bad.....when I was young Acapulco was considered the cool place in Mexico to visit. No longer. Lucky you got there before things turned to shit.

Puerto Vallarta was cool though. But I have no plans to ever re-visit Mexico.

I used to travel every year until I was in an auto accident which has slowed me way down. I'll be 67 in September mentally I sure don't act or feel 67 more like 27.

Did a fair amount of traveling for work seminars, plant visits and troubleshooting in my 20s and 30s. We also went on vacation every year even before we were married only repeat visit was Oahu, Hawai'i. Our honeymoon was to Mexico City and Acapulco, great trip!

@texasag1969 said:

I do it both ways. Two weeks ago I did a "road trip" through Kansas and parts of Missouri/Nebraska/Colorado. I also use timeshares. In June I am staying in Rhode Island, in August in French Lick, Indiana.

Assuming I do the Houston game for my fall trip, which is what I am now thinking, that will be a "road trip" like you describe...I will follow the Natchez Trace beginning in Nashville, then a couple of days in New Orleans, a couple in Lafayette La., three nights in Houston before heading home.

My wife likes a trip where we have a few "down days"....where she can just relax at the resort a bit in addition to a few days of sightseeing.