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Travel Safety in Mexico
How safe is it to travel in mexico? The news is full of information about drug violence and drug gangs and drug wars in Mexico. I've heard that it's a beautiful place to visit, but realistically is it safe to travel to Mexico? Should I rather not go to Mexico because of the safety issues or is it a case of violence being something that affects the locals but tourists are shielded from it? Can anyone reliable tell me what travel safety in Mexico is like?
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You're right about the news being preoccupied with the drug violence in Mexico. But it is still a wonderful place to travel to. The tourist areas tend to remain unaffected by the violence (which seems to be concentrated along the US/Mexico border). A lot of the resorts in Mexico tend to be gated communities which means that they are incredibly secure and safe for people travelling to Mexico. Tourism is a big business in Mexico and the touristy places and resorts have employed private security to ensure the safety of those on holiday in Mexico.
The towns in the northern and western parts of Mexico are unsafe and should be avoided, these include places like Reynosa, Ciudad de Juarez, Baja, Chihuahua, Durango and Tijuana. Resorts and resort areas such as Cancun, the entire Yucatan and Chiapas are safe and great value for money if you're choosing to travel to Mexico.
The violence, while a realistic concern, is between cartels and law enforcement personal, tourists remain unaffected. Take the necessary precautions - don't walk around with flashy jewelry or talk about the multi-million dollar salary you earn, don't attract unnecessary attention to yourself. Don't drive outside of the resort areas at night and try to book your flight so that you arrive during the day as this will be better when travelling from the airport to your destination.
But also go with an open mind, violence happens every day in all parts of the world. Support the Mexicans that are trying to make an honest living, talk to them and find out their opinion on what's going on. And most of all, have fun.
A quick internet search on San Luis Potosi suggests that while it has been affected by the drug violence between mexican Law Enforcement personnel and Drug Trafficking Organisations (DTOs), it is one of the states (and towns) that has been less affected than others. Tourists travelling to Mexico are advised not to drive at night and to remain aware at all times. But on the whole it seems that most of the drug-related violence is between Law enforcement and DTOs and tourists remain relatively unaffected. The LA Times has a helpful visual representation of the number of people killed in different parts of Mexico from 2006 until 2009. Keep in mind that the violence did escalate this year and so this map may be slightly out of date.
The Travel.State.Gov website also has a great outline of the areas most affected by the violence. Hopefully someone who has been to San Luis Potosi recently will be able to give you a personal account of the situation on the ground, but from internet research it seems that it is one of the more unaffected areas in Mexico.
Most reports of the violence state that the resort areas are generally unaffected. Tourism is a big business in Mexico and as such it seems that people with businesses in resort areas have clubbed together and paid private security guards to make sure that the entire resort area, including all smaller accommodation resorts, bars, clubs, restaurants etc, are safe.
As stated in the previous post, most of the violence is centred between Drug traffickers and law enforcement agencies. And geographically this violence takes place along the US-Mexican border and along major drug trafficking routes. Playa del Carmen is not along the US-Mexico border (in fact it's about 1500 miles from the border towns) and it is not along a major drug trafficking route. This makes it pretty much unaffected by the drug violence.
Have a look at the LA Times Map showing the areas where violence has resulted in deaths and you will see that the Cancun and Playa del Carmen areas seem quite clear and least affected.
Take a look at the Travel.State.Gov site for the US government's assessment of the situation.
As for companies transporting passengers to and from the airport, as long as you're using a reputable agency then you ought to be okay. Check with your hotel to see if they do pick up services as sometimes this is cheaper and more reliable. But if the agency you have booked with is reputable then you shouldn't have any problems.
Remember to always be aware of your surroundings and don't take your most prized possessions with you. Also don't flash money around or expensive jewelry. Most of all, have fun. Mexico is a wonderful place and there are a lot of great Mexicans who get a bad rep from the general news when all they're trying to do is make an honest living from tourism.
Also, when you get back from your trip...post on a forum like this one, or on your blog or somewhere on the internet telling people what your trip was like, what the safety situation felt like to you and if you had any hassles.
I think I'll definitely go to Mexico and just keep clear of the border towns etc...
I did some research as well and these sites might be helpful to other people travelling to Mexico:
The British Government's site gives a run down on travel safety in Mexico and how to keep safe while you're there. It's general common sense stuff like dressing down and all that. But there is also an overview of the types of crime that tourists tend to experience - it seems a lot of it is linked to petty theft and scams etc... There is also a useful section about road travel in Mexico and how safe it is/where to travel and where not to drive.
Also there's a page on the Brit site that allows you to register with the embassy in Mexico for the duration of your stay in the country ... So that if there is an emergency of some sort at least the embassy knows you're in the country and has your details. I think the American government has a similar service where you call the embassy once you've arrived.
Right, so I'm off to book my ticket and start getting ready for those Margaritas in the Mexican sun.
avoid mexico, at least for a few years. i have a family member who got his new SUV taken away a few dats ago by cops. they pulled him over because they saw the plates from california. cops are pigs and they do not have any respect at all. i have been going to mexico for the past 6 yrs and last year was the last one. i got robbed in guadalajara. i got my 2009 GMC Yukon taken away by some fake cops. they took my luggage and my families luggage. i love mexico. especially during december, but im not risking my life or my family's life. i know there is a lot of people that will still go regardless of the violence. if you go, go by plane.
The school are in:
Cuernavaca, Playa Del Carmen, Oaxaca, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and Guanajuato.
Can anyone suggest an area that offers culture/arts, history and is also SAFE.
I didn't know what city she was taken from but now hearing that it was Mexico City, it's not surprising to me that it happened there. I have heard for years that Mexico City is not good from many people i know who are from Mexico. Now that the crime rate has increased just about everywhere in Mexico i would hope people are aware that Mexico City IS one of the more dangerous places to go.
I myself want to go to Mexico as well but just as everyone else i am wondering if it will be safe. I want to go with a family i know who has relatives in Guadalajara and we would be staying with them. I used to hear that Guadalajara is a much safer city but now i don't really know which ones are safe and which aren't. Has anyone been to Guadalajara, live there, or know anything about the current safety there? I will be asking the family more about their thoughts on the city's safety, one of them who lives there said its fine and there's nothing to really worry about but u never know because people like to think of their home town as perfectly fine especially if they are already used to the level of crime it may seem normal to them but extreme to us.
Any thoughts on Guadalajara would be appreciated!
I'm Mexican and I recently moved to the States because I just Got my U.S. Permanent Residency...I can tell you that the violence in Mexico is increasing but in certain places. Like:
- Ciudad Juarez (Is not safe, and most of the people that used to live there moved out) I went there for my Interview to get my Residency and it was like a Ghost Town, a lot of police officers, nothing happened to me or my husband.
- Veracruz (North Area), Tamaulipas, even Monterrey...There is a new Gang or Organized crime that is very dangerous, they are not drug dealers, they are just evil people, they are calle "Zetas"...they are ex-mercenaries...My brother in law (he is an american) was a misSionary with his family in a small town 3 hours south of Tampico Tamaulipas in Veracruz, and the "Zetas" stopped them when they were driving North and asked for $120 dollars like a fee to cross a bridge and if they didnt give them that money I dont know what they would done to them..thankfully they had that much cash with them and the "Zetas"gave them a code to give to the next gang area...Yes, Scary...I really dont recommend to drive over that area and more if you are blond and have U.S. plates...My brother in law and his family moved back to the States in their car and nothing happened in their way back to the States but you never know.
- i ALSO heard that in Acapulco and Morelos the violence is increasing due to drug dealers trying to fight for their market in that area...usually drug dealers fight against each other and leave the other civilians alone...But in the other hand the "Zetas" have really cold blood and they just want money from everyone (poor or rich)they are very greedy and their operation area is Monterrey, Tamaulipas and veracruz...
-Cancun, Quintana Roo is a beautiful place to travel, not dangerous... I went there for my honeymoon and it was awesome!
Hope this helps!
- Amber.
Thanks !
I was in Baja (La Paz) in August and it was totally fine. La Paz was a very quiet laid back place, I walk alone on the streets without any hassles.
Have fun!
I am from M