Lonely Planet travel writer Robert Reid recently shared his thoughts about travel safety in Mexico asking the question, “Are Americans Safer in Mexico than at Home?” In the article he quotes a number of crime statistics, makes comparisons between major U.S. cities and popular tourist destinations in Mexico and notes that,
“What you don’t get from most reports in the US is statistical evidence that Americans are less likely to face violence on average in Mexico than at home, particularly when you zero in on Mexico’s most popular travel destinations.”
What are your thoughts about safety in Mexico? Do you agree with the author?
Photo credit: via flickr
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Even though I spend a good chunk of my time in the border town Mexicali, I can understand how most Americans want to avoid some of the more troublesome border towns of Mexico. I’m not naive to the extreme problems that Mexico is experiencing in places like Chihuahua or Sinaloa but the American media has done a good job of painting the entire country as an unstable war zone. In the past few years, Mexico’s drug cartel problem has escalated dramatically and some high traffic areas may be best to stay away from until things are under control. However, fear of visiting tourist destinations like Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cabo, and many other safe locations in Mexico is ridiculous. What the media doesn’t tell you is that most of Mexico is pretty safe and in fact the Mexico economy has been booming in the last few years.
Just wanted to add to my previous comment. My views of Mexico travel have not changed and I still believe most areas of the country are safe and fun places to travel but I recently went on a business trip to Chihuahua and have concluded that areas of the state are dangerous and may not be suitable for the average traveler. Check out my post Chihuahua Mexico where you can read about it. Travel safely.
Thanks for sharing this Dallas, interesting and frightening to read about your experiences in Chihuahua. Since I haven’t spent any time in the northern regions of the country, I often wonder what the situation is really like there — you hear so many different things.
Not too long ago I posted this article about Dave Hensleigh and his “Walk Across Juarez” which you might also find interesting, there’s a link to his blog at the end of the post.
http://www.gomexicoguide.com/2011/08/walk-across-juarez-everyday-life-border-city/
I enjoyed your article and found it interesting. Thanks for that addition. I hope I don’t come off trying to scare everyone from visiting Chihuahua but I want people to be aware that some areas can be dangerous. I went to Chihuahua hoping to debunk some of the stories I’ve heard but I saw some things that made my visit pretty edgy at times. The drug cartel activity out in the countryside is what made me more nervous than anything. My wife doesn’t want me to go into details but anyone who wants to visit Chihuahua and Copper Canyon, go ahead, have a good time, eat the great food, enjoy the beautiful scenery, don’t wonder around too much, don’t open up a newspaper, and be careful. Thanks for the post
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