S/O Would you go to Mexico this spring? Do you think it will be safe?
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Anonymous
| Given the recent events in our administration, what do you all think is going to happen with Americans traveling to Mexico? Will it be business as usual -- hospitality is their main industry, after all, right? Or should Americans expect retribution either directly from locals or in the form of tariffs/taxes? We had been planning to go to Cancun or Riviera Maya in May but getting a little worried now. |
Anonymous
Good question. I pray it's business as usual. We already paid for a trip in August. So tariffs isn't my issue as much as safety as an American. I'm perfecting my Canadian sayings as we speak. |
Anonymous
| My in-laws are Americans who live in Mexico in the winter (snow birds). They say it depends on if you are white or non-white. If you're non-white (black, Asian, etc...) they say the Mexican people will feel sorry for you and you will be fine. If you're white, I'm not sure. My in-laws are white and all is well now but say the anti-American sentiment is growing with regards to Trump because most Mexicans aren't even immigrating to the USA, so it's an affront to them to suggest otherwise. The influx of immigrants are South Americans who come through Mexico. The Mexican government had been working with the USA to try to curb that, but now the Mexican people are calling on the Govt. to stop and let the USA deal with it on their own since they've been so disrespectful to Mexico. |
Anonymous
| Lol! We were just in Cancun in October. I think that few people bite the hand that feeds them- stay at a resort and use common sense. |
Anonymous
| Just got back from Playa del Carmen. Had no concerns about safety at any point during our trip. Met some.people who ventured off resort and they had no issues as well. Everyone involved is white. |
Anonymous
OP here. This is interesting. We are an interracial family -- husband is black, I'm white but somewhat racially ambiguous (frequently asked what I'm "mixed with") and of course our daughter is biracial. Wonder what that would mean for us. Maybe if I wear my Star of David necklace I'll get lumped in with the other two? 
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Anonymous
Trump wasn't President. They still liked Americans. |
Anonymous
| My parents were there in December and everyone was still as friendly and lovely as they have always been. Maybe in small towns or in DF you might get some people who are pushed at Americans and take it out on tourists, but I think the people who work in the resorts towns have many decades of interacting with Americans--they know that some of us are nice and some of us are jerks and the Trump's policies aren't going to change that. Maybe their tolerance for the jerks will be decreased, but I can't imagine they will take their frustration out on the Americans who are friendly and treat them with respect. |
Anonymous
Trump wasn't President. They still were fine with Americans. OP - talk to people who have been since Trump introduced his wall idea as President, threatened to tax imports and essentially start a trade war with Mexico, and insult them. "From an early age, every Mexican is taught that Mexico lost half its territory to its imperialist northern neighbor. Ask any Mexican child and they will name all six “Niños Heroes,” young cadets who died defending Chapultepec castle from the invading U.S. forces in 1847. One of them is said to have wrapped himself in the Mexican flag and jumped to his death rather than be captured by the Americans. His story might be as apocryphal as George Washington's cherry tree, but it nonetheless remains a powerful symbol of Mexican nationalism: We will just as soon suffer hardship, or even death, than be submitted to humiliation from the U.S. . . . When Trump attacks Mexico, when he blithely says that Mexico will pay for the wall, he is not pre-conditioning a negotiating counterpart. Instead, he is undoing years of patient diplomacy and riling up a long-dormant Mexican nationalism. He is telling us that our old suspicions were right and that the U.S. is a foe, a bully not to be trusted . . . Mexico would just as soon suffer economic hardship than pay for something so stupid, so offensive, and so useless. If you don’t believe me, go to Mexico and see the monuments we erect to the Niños Heroes for giving up their lives resisting the U.S. invasion." - https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/01/america-is-already-paying-for-the-wall-with-mexico/514658/ |
Anonymous
Mm hmmm. I'm sure the maids and servers would cut you with a knife now. Or, not. |
Anonymous
Oh for goodness sake. The Mexican people have the intelligence to separate out the actions of a leader elected by a minority of American voters, and the average American tourist. While it's an overstatement to say that the principal "industry" of Mexico is "hospitality," tourism is indeed an important part of the Mexican economy and areas like Cancun/Riviera Maya are generally quite safe. |
Anonymous
| Mexican living in the US here (US citizen). My dad called me yesterday to check on me and tell me they worried about me. I asked him how Mexico felt about everything happening here and he said that it was "very complicated". I think right now they are waiting to see what happens but it could easily go either way. |
Anonymous
It just takes a few to do something bad. I posted on a different thread earlier today but I don't think I'll be traveling to Mexico soon. Even before this there were express kidnappings in Cancun and police who would take bribes from tourists (happened to us). I think most Mexicans would be OK but the anti- American sentiment could motivate some trouble. |
Anonymous
Just tip $20 a day and you will get amazing service. |
Anonymous
You had an express kidnapping in Cancun??? |