How worried should I be about ayia napa? DD17 just booked to go with 11 friends

You’d probably be better drinking neat methanol than the house wines in Cypus.

Bar owners buy it in 20 litre drums for around £2.

My biggest advice is travel insurance . After that ~ stay together , my eldest got robbed at knifepoint in magaluf because he ended up alone .
Youngest went t magaluf and had no problems because they all stayed together .

They’ll have an epic time. Watch the In Betweeners episode where they’re in Malia (on right now).

Of course it is the same. Your parents were just as worried and the risk of rape was just as high, if not higher as no one talked about it.

Plus if 17 year old has paid for it then it is tricky to stop them- the airports do not regularly ask for proof of parent agreement and the only way to actually stop them is to go to court. Plus they will be 18 soon- you can't stop an 18 year old.

Agree with Travel insurance, and make sure it covers what you need- lots of normal sounding things are classed as extreme sports and have an additional premium. I pay for my teenagers insurance - because I want them to have the best.

For those who don't remember

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Cyprus_rape_allegation_case

Its worth remembering though... this was massive news because it was so unusual and terrible. Fortunately the port girl is exonerated now.

Are you kidding? Do you live under a rock?

Don't drink the tap water
Check your passport dates
Swimming and excessive alcohol don't mix

I was just about to say the same thing. 1996 Malia is not 2026 Ayia Napa.

No chance my daughter will be going age 17. The risk of being raped is bloody high I would imagine.

Insurance will not pay out if excess alcohol or drugs are involved, basically have fun but know your limits. My dd has been away multiple times now but they look out for each other crucially

If you haven’t already then get the phone numbers of her friends just in case.
agree with you DD to check in with you with a message every day.

my DD18 went to Greece last year with friends. She’s normally sensible. They went on an island hopper boat trip and she had a headache so asked the person running the boat if they had any paracetamol. Apparently he gave her a tablet that he put in water that made her feel better. Probably aspirin and harmless but seriously, when asked she said she trusted him blindly because he was running the tour!

Was this in Aiya Napa?

I know at 17/18 me and my friend group would not have been up for that 😆. There’s usually one or 2 less drunk who will take on the role though

Fwiw the tattoo parlours are all pretty reputable and definitely clean so at least they’re won’t be a nasty infection to go along with the regret 😅

Try to get the group to agree that each evening two people are "duty grown up" and don't drink that night. They need to look out for those that have drunk too much.

Thank you for taking the time to explain. I would think that going to anyone’s room whether shared or not is a no no. That would be my advice anyway.

Tell her to stick with her friends and make sure nobody is left on their own, especially drunk. There are predators who look for drunk girls at those kind of places.

Also to try not to fall out with her pals, to take berocca with her and not to get a fucking tattoo.

At 17 are there some in the group who will be 18 ?

just as many sexual risks, more alcohol, no chance of researching locations and events, and much more difficult to be in touch with anyone without mobile phones and trackers.

Different times, not better or worst, just different.

When I went 25 years ago, one of the kebab shops had chilli sauce that was so hot it would probably melt the paving slabs. She needs to steer clear of kebab shops and if she succumbs, don’t get chilli sauce.

I’d like to add that I’m a lot more sophisticated these days.

As well as the previous advice re drinks, sticking together, no hiring quad bikes, also no hiring mopeds . They can be lethal.

My eldest would have probably gone to Greece at that age but for covid - so went to a UK seaside resort instead.
Fundamentally there are potential dangers anywhere, but as long as she is sensible should be fine.

Ayia napa is really very safe. It’s a fab holiday destination and one of the first places I went on holiday just a year or 2 older than your dd. I went on to work summers then live there for over 10 years and both my dc were born and lived in ayia napa. All the usual advice of course stands which has already been given above but in all honesty it’s a damn site safer than most British towns and cities.

How would you stop her?

There's some good advice here. I will add make sure you have a passport just in case. Make sure she knows to call if she needs anything or is concerned about anything and finally you have to trust her, she will more than likely have a great time.

Make sure she has phone numbers written down incase her phone gets nicked?

Not much you can do really, if she makes mistakes hopefully she’ll learn from them.

For what it’s worth I went to Magaluf a few times when it was always in the news for being awful and I had a great time. Drank way too much and had a one night stand. No lasting damage.

Best looking/gift of the gab does the pick up. Once in the room, his mates come in. It happens a lot. There's no way of proving it wasn't consensual.