About having second thoughts about Rio?

@Thepeopleversuswork

I wouldn’t say hostile, more shocked; can’t understand people being so irresponsible with young children.

Why, when there are plenty of safer and more accessible places available, can’t people hold off until their children are old enough to
a) be able to cope better with illness they may encounter
b) have some common sense and more street awareness
c) have stronger memories of the experience

As I said if family are present and it is a necessary trip that is one thing…

But otherwise why would you be putting a child reception age and younger through it all?!

Why on earth would you be so hostile?

I have taken me child to Rio (we have family there).

It can be very dangerous but it doesn’t have to be. As others have said the main thing is to not look like a tourist. Resist temptation to have a phone/iPad/watch on you. Just not worth it.

Don’t go into or near the favelas and don’t go into the beaches at night. You have to have your wits about you but it’s perfectly possible to avoid crime.

One last thing, a friend was telling me that they are having a dengue outbreak atm so it would be worth OP checking out the latest info on that.

My BIL travels there with work and his company use armoured vehicles to transport their employees to be in the safe side.

That’s because you have to travel right past some of the most dangerous favelas, our company did the same.

As I said upthread, I lived in Ipanema for several years with young children and we all had an amazing time. Dress down, no jewellery and be aware of your surroundings. We did paddle and swim in the sea, there are life guards in summer but Op will be there in winter which we (as Northern Europeans) found chilly

My BIL travels there with work and his company use armoured vehicles to transport their employees to be in the safe side.

Be cautious.

This is the case in many countries, I think OP wants to give her children some unforgettable experiences which they won't have staying in boring old England. I went to India when I was 7 and it was fabulous, I still remember it as an adult now and am so appreciative to have experienced that

Beaches: City centre ones are a bit skanky; they improve as you move outwards. Copacabana was nice when I lived there (in Copacabana) and very, very busy. Following the rule of urban expansion, I expect it's gone downhill now. You can walk to Ipanema, the next one out, which will be more urban now than in my time.

Any Carioca will tell you which beaches are best for swimming (they'll think you're mad for wanting to in winter!) and the most scenic or unspoilt, etc. Frequent buses run all along the coast, and taxis are cheap by British standards. As anywhere, check that the driver's started his meter unless you're going a long way and have negotiated a fare.

If you have the time and opportunity, it's worth taking a trip into the coastal forest. It is absolutely stunning - reminded me of old fairy-tale illustrations, with tangled vines and tumbling brooks. You should see lots of flowers, even in winter, as native plants tend to ignore the seasons.

I lived there, on my own, in the 90s. It's my second favourite city after London - though Rio wins on beaches 😄

It's about as dangerous as any major city; the difference is the type of danger, I guess. There are a lot of robberies. Although there's plenty of major, gang-type crime in Rio, street crime's almost all poverty related (this is the same throughout Brazil, and in many other places with severe inequality). I used to keep a tenner's worth of cash in a front pocket, so I wasn't rummaging around in my bag for drink or snack money, and I'd keep it topped up. When I was robbed, I'd hand over this money. I viewed it a direct form of taxation!

The only visitors I've ever heard of having problems with actual violence are those - usually men - who 'have a go' if accosted.

Normal tourist advice applies. Sure you can wear watches and jewellery - cheap ones! Keep your wits about you and a firm grasp on your bag. Take your time, be open to experience, don't treat the place like a theme park. Avoid things like dark alleys.

Your experience will improve in direct correlation with the amount of Portuguese you can muster, not least because scammers target English speakers (they'll assume you're American, btw).

July & August are mid-winter. It'll be cool, overcast and a bit wet. There probably won't be any beach events at that time, but I wanted to stress it's okay to go to night-time events on beaches and to beach bars. It is unwise to wander on the beach after dark, though. You're absolutely fine out in the streets at night: if you stayed in all the time, you'd miss loads of local colour! Of course, Brazilians love kids.

If anything scary does happen, yell at the top of your lungs. If you should need the police, push for the Tourist Police who are used to our forrin' ways and much less likely to rip you off.

The food's fabulous. Fruit juices and vitaminas - fresh fruit milkshakes - from street stalls are wonderful; the same stalls sell green coconuts (coco verde) with the top lopped off and a straw to drink the juice 😊

I LOVE the Copacabana Palace! I could never afford a room there, but used to hang out at the pool and bar.

Go! Boa viagem! Divirtam-se bem!

I've been long haul cabin crew for over 30 years and the only place I've ever felt unsafe is south London.

Do your research. Make smart choices, don't wear obvious signs of wealth and be respectful- you'll have a ball. I love Rio

@Tatonka

The pathogens that people have immune experience of are local in nature.

Whenever we go out of our local area we are exposed to different viral variants, bacteria etc and many are entirely different to what you’d have at home.

Which is why when a Brazilian child bites into the local beef they don’t get a stomach upset, but the British child may have severe gastroenteritis, the Brazilian child has a sniffle, the British child has flu… It’s all about exposure.

Looking at the current list of things you’d need to be wary of: tuberculosis; arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika; malaria; bacterial diarrhea; hepatitis; and neglected tropical diseases, such as Chagas, leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis… pretty different to your exposure risk in the U.K.

That is before you get to thinking about the people wanting to rob and attack you and your children having no maturity level to understand any of it to protect themselves independently of you. Local children will not be the target and some may be the perpetrators.

Has Rio got less safe over the years? I went 20 years ago and it was absolutely fine. I travelled solo and defo looked like a tourist.

Venezuela, now that is a scary place

You know they have children in Brazil, right?

Oh please, so lame. London is scarier. I've been to a favela and it was a non event

Agree with @Heather37231

You won't go to the favelas but there's nothing to stop the favelas coming to you.

I wouldn't bring young children there.

If you're looking for somewhere warm and relatively safe and more family oriented, go to Costa Rica.

life is for living

not dying

Yea, loved Mexico too. Again with my son, we stayed in Playa del Carmen and did organised trips to Tulum, Chichen Itza and Coba. Did a day trip to Cozumel on the ferry where my son went scuba diving and I hung out in a beach club.

Love Mexican food and drinks! Margharita!

He's an adult now and was in Mexico City for New Year's and flew down to Oaxaca and a beach town nearby.

Another vote for Mexico.

Honestly - you can get by with spanish very well indeed in Brazil. But, this may be latin american spanish, come to think of it. Spanish from spain is a different indeed a bit different but you should be more than able to ask for directions and work out a menu.

that said, agree - Mexico is probably a nicer choice. I thought the same when I went to Mexico - and I’m Brazilian, and got into some weird shit in Mexico.

...Also, I can't really overstate the extent to which most people in Brazil can't speak English (this may sound obvious, but even in a group where most of us spoke basic (or fluent!) Spanish, making ourselves understood in many situations was difficult!). It got us by in the rest of South America, and people say Portugese is similar...But may as well have been speaking Mandarin.

Smart phones/ Wifi were far less prevalent back then and we only got out of one sticky situation as someone randomly spoke French (!) as did my friend. Even picking food off of menus and having a clue what might arrive became a game. But it might not be a very fun one, depending on your kids...

I'm pretty well travelled, and did a stint all around Brazil about 12 years ago. Rio was one of the places I've ever felt the most nervous walking down the main streets in the middle of the day - which surprised me at the time. The vibe is just a bit threatening. Far more than even Sao Paulo which I'd envisaged being far worse. I'm not sure it would be my top choice to take kids if I'm honest. Also the beach, while iconic, is known as being a hotbed of crime as soon as it get dark. It's also subject to massive waves and riptides during the day - I probably wouldn't ever consider letting kids paddle - probably as dangerous as anything in Rio!!

If you do go to Brazil, it's worth forking out for an internal flight to go to Igazu Falls (on the border with Argentina - take your passports and do an overnight both sides.) Still one of my favourite places I have ever been and kids would love it.

However Mexico, if you've not been, I would say is a much better choice. While on the surface not less 'dangerous' per se than Brazil, I never felt unsafe, there was always an armed police presence in the tourist bits, and I felt safer walking around generally. Historical sites, culture, nature, losds of stuff to do for kids, best beaches I've ever been to and best Mojitos too. Food a bit dodgy was my down side, vommed up every other meal...But it was worth it!

@Twilightstarbright sorry for delayed reply. We stayed in the Mercure Rio Boutique Hotel Copacabana. It was mid range with quite small rooms. Ok if you just want a base. Not luxurious though. Felt safe.

@Twilightstarbright

Naturally, I’m just not a fan of putting young children at risk.

Each to their own.

@Justkeeepswimming life is for living IMO.