my daughter is 16, she wants to go on a school trip to costa rica, what is everyones opinion of this?

Yes I would let my kids go, provided they were mature and fairly good at making decisions. I would make sure they had adequate chaperones, and volunteer if they didn't. And I would absolutely make sure they she understood that she was under no circumstances to go off by herself!! (think Natalie Holloway)

YES! It is an important growth opportunity. My daughter is going to Peru this year on a school trip and in 2 years she is going to England and Italy with her school. What an adventure! I loved going and living in other countries my jr yr of college. I lived in Mexico a year and in Africa 6 months. It was amazing and something I will never forget.

My Sister did and had a blast. There were parents and Teachers that went along. I would just make sure everything's safe, and there are plenty of adults along. Maybe if you can go along that would make you feel better??

Sounds fine...as long as I can come too.

I went on a student ambassador trip to Australia and New Zealand for 3 weeks a few days after I turned 16. It was an awesome experience that I'll never forget. But we had about a year's worth of monthly meetings prior to the trip so my mom was very well informed of everything we'd be doing, where we'd be stayed, how to get in touch, etc. I think as long as you trust the people she's going with (in this case the school) and they've done enough to make the parents feel comfortable she should definitely go.

Depends on her responsibility levels, who is going along with as chaperone, how long they will be gone. personally, that is young and I would rather have myself or my husband there.

I went in college and it was wonderful. I'm assuming they'll be well chaperoned so I'd be tempted to let her go for it.

For me it would depend on the child. I'm sure the school has all the travel, security & chaperone details worked out and in this age of modern technology, there are many ways to keep in touch internationally. But is your child ready for this? Is she responsible enough to respect & obey the rules? Or is she the type to try and ditch the chaperones and go "exploring" on her own? If you feel your child is mature enough to handle a trip of this scope, I think it would be a wonderful opportunity.

Personally, I wouldn't let my daughter go....even at 16.. Not to somewhere as far as Costa Rica, anyway. For far trips, I think it would be a family type thing.

I went to Spain on a school trip when I was 16. I would say it would depend on your daughter and what you feel about it. My trip had several informative meetings beforehand for the parents to ask questions and get to know the trip leader. See if they have one coming up or if you could talk to the leader to get a better feel for it.