Is it safe for US teenagers to travel alone to Venezuela with study groups? Anzoátegui, Estado Mérida?

Question

I'm almost 17 and I've been told that I should not study in any part of Venezuela, but I really want to. I'm planning to go with an organization; how safe is it for a teenager who knows a lot of Spanish to be in Venezuela? I'm most concerned maybe about the airport or safety. I'm not sure where I'm going to travel, but I've been recommended to go to Mérida State or Anzoátegu i near the coast in Barcelona or Zulia. Is it safe there? PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Answer 1

If you've been told not to study certain parts of the world, then don't. It doesn't matter if you can speak their language or not.

Answer 2

It's not really safe to go alone. A couple of Italian tourists where killed in los roques last year and a pair of students got lost in Mérida and were never found.

If you travel with an organization it's safer, but I recommend you stay in the capital.

Answer 3

It depends on where in you are going. I live in Caracas so I can't tell you about those states.

About the murder of the italian tourists in Los Roques, the guy was killed by someone who followed him there from Itlay.

Its up to you to make the decison :P

Good Luck

Answer 4

While it sounds great, my advice would be to wait until you're in college.

When you're in college, you won't travel alone. You'll go with a group of your peers.

While you would be fine, traveling alone if you've never been out of country before is not safe. If you're a woman, it's even less safe. I hate to say it, but I would seriously wait until college. Venezuela isn't a very safe place right now for anyone, though it's a beautiful place to visit.