Is everyone avoiding Mexico?

[Anonymous]

We always avoid Mexico too. There are so many other options in the Caribbean that are just as nice if not nicer and much safer. Just not worth it.

[Anonymous]

If you loved the Rosewood Mayakoba, you will be very disappointed by the Occidental Xcaret. Food and rooms were below average for AI’s, IMO. Proximity to Xcaret is not as convenient as it sounds as there is still quite a walk to get there. FWIW, we prefer Xel-Ha to Xcaret. Grand Velas was very very nice, but the concrete on the surrounding pool decks is so slippery that my very cautious 12 yo fell 2x, one time requiring a visit to the hospital. Which is a whole other story in itself... but I would worry constantly about a younger child falling down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think its important to remember that just because everyone you know (or yourself) went and "it was fine/great/awesome" doesn't reduce your individual risk. Yes, it will probably be fine. But when there are legit warnings against an area I just go to another area. It seems obvious to me but thats just me.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t go with my kids.

+1. It's sad what is happening in Mexico now. It's a beautiful country with amazing beaches and the people are so nice. Riviera Maya used to be untouchable but the cartel violence and overall corruption has gotten so out of control it's everywhere now. And, all the reports of people getting extorted at local hospitals, poisoned by bootleg alcohol at resorts... I won't go back until they get their crap together.

Those saying it's equally safe as American cities are wrong...it's less safe because they have very little rule of law and the entire system is corrupt. Their police are much lower resourced and less capable of public safety.

Not quite. There are many inner city areas in our country that feel unsafe to the people who live there because the police do not bother to solve murders (or are under resourced to do so, take your pick) and a contained culture of lawlessness is allowed to go on and no one cares, including the police. There is a great book called Ghettoside: a true story of murder in America. An enlightening read. You just don't experience it.

The Mexican government and the business in tourist areas have a lot invested in keeping the tourist areas safe. No it's not completely perfect, as it's not perfect here either.

I'm sure that is true. I don't think the US is perfect and I know for a fact there is a lot of corruption and unsafe areas here too.

But I also don't pay thousands of dollars to frolic on beaches and drink booze and let my guard down in those parts of the US. When I go on vacation I want to be reasonably sure that if something bad happens I won't be trapped or extorted or worse.

Your imagination is getting the better of you. That's fine. You can choose another destination. But, the stories you hear are skewing your expectations. The reality is that hundreds of thousands (millions?) of people are going there every month, having a great time, learning about the culture, and leaving with nothing worse than a sunburn. We were really worried and so very very close to ditching our spring break plans. We went. We were very glad we didn't let our fears take over. It turned out to be a great vacation. Very safe.

It is not safe and those who work in national security, law enforcement etc all know the risk is high but ignorance leads people to believe because they went and were fine that it isn't more dangerous and that simply isn't true.

[Anonymous]

I've traveled extensively to places that many Americans would consider "unsafe" - Egypt, Israel, India, etc.

I would not go to Mexico.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t go with my kids.

+1. It's sad what is happening in Mexico now. It's a beautiful country with amazing beaches and the people are so nice. Riviera Maya used to be untouchable but the cartel violence and overall corruption has gotten so out of control it's everywhere now. And, all the reports of people getting extorted at local hospitals, poisoned by bootleg alcohol at resorts... I won't go back until they get their crap together.

Those saying it's equally safe as American cities are wrong...it's less safe because they have very little rule of law and the entire system is corrupt. Their police are much lower resourced and less capable of public safety.

Not quite. There are many inner city areas in our country that feel unsafe to the people who live there because the police do not bother to solve murders (or are under resourced to do so, take your pick) and a contained culture of lawlessness is allowed to go on and no one cares, including the police. There is a great book called Ghettoside: a true story of murder in America. An enlightening read. You just don't experience it.

The Mexican government and the business in tourist areas have a lot invested in keeping the tourist areas safe. No it's not completely perfect, as it's not perfect here either.

The "there are murders in US cities, too" argument is just so disingenuous. Here's the list of the 50 most violent cities in the world: http://www.businessinsider.com/most-violent-cities-in-the-world-2018-3

A quote from the article:

"Of the 50 cities on the list, 42 are in Latin America, including 17 in Brazil, 12 in Mexico, and five in Venezuela. Colombia had three, Honduras had two, and El Salvador, Guatemala, and Jamaica all had one." The highest ranking US cities on the list are Baltimore, at 21, with 55 homicides per 100,000 people and St. Louis at 13 with 65.83. Acapulco is #3 with 107 murders per 100,000 people, and Los Cabos is #1 with 111 murders per 100,000 people. (1) I'm not going to vacation in inner City Baltimore or St. Louis. That said, the murder rate in the most dangerous Mexican cities is double the rate in our most dangerous cities. (2) Both Mexican cities are resort areas (or at least they used to be). Mazatlan is also on the list. I vacationed in Acapulco in the 1980's and it was lovely. Most of the most dangerous cities are border towns or coastal towns. If you think about the nature of the drug trade, that makes sense. There have been recent incidents of violence in Quintana Roo.

By all means, go, if you want to. But don't justify it by saying that "nowhere is perfect." There are degrees of "perfection."

[Anonymous]

I lived in Mexico for several years and have visited for work and for enjoy at least 20 times and I've been in most parts if the country. The list of places I would not go to or to which I will not return unless there are big improvements keeps growing and I would now use similar precautions in resort areas that I would have applied only to cities. When things go wrong there it can get bad fast in ways you can't outsmart.

[Anonymous]

There are so many safer places to go and if you’re dead set on tropical, even among the islands. It just gets worse and worse down there. I personally never understood the allure. I love seeing different parts of my own country. I’d seriously rather go to Nebraska than Mexico.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are so many safer places to go and if you’re dead set on tropical, even among the islands. It just gets worse and worse down there. I personally never understood the allure. I love seeing different parts of my own country. I’d seriously rather go to Nebraska than Mexico.

+1. Mexico isn’t even that cheap compared to a US beach vacation.

[Anonymous]

I just got back from cancun with dh and the kids. It was great! I would not go to Mexico City however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've traveled extensively to places that many Americans would consider "unsafe" - Egypt, Israel, India, etc.

I would not go to Mexico.

Ditto.
We canceled a Mexico trip.
The thing is - people in law enforcement DO say not to go there.
So why risk it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've traveled extensively to places that many Americans would consider "unsafe" - Egypt, Israel, India, etc.

I would not go to Mexico.

+1 - I've been to the above plus Lebanon and Jordan and would go again to all of them. I've also been to Turkey a few times but would pause at this point and do some more research before going back. I would not go to Mexico right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in Mexico for several years and have visited for work and for enjoy at least 20 times and I've been in most parts if the country. The list of places I would not go to or to which I will not return unless there are big improvements keeps growing and I would now use similar precautions in resort areas that I would have applied only to cities. When things go wrong there it can get bad fast in ways you can't outsmart.

[Anonymous]

Sadly, yes. I know a bunch of people who have gone recently, or are still going. Personally, I just don't think it's a risk worth taking. I love Mexico. The people are amazing, but you can't trust the police and if anything were to happen, that is scary.

[Anonymous]

I travel to Mexico City; I think its great. I take basic precautions. To each his own.