Is Mexico safe??

[Deleted]

I have a friend that is throwing a fit because his ex-wife is taking his daughter (10ish) on a trip to Cancun, Mexico. It even went to court!! The judge pretty much told him to suck it up and sign the passport. The judge also told him to pay for the passport AND court costs AND her lawyer fees!!

Now he is upset because his daughter is going to a "country at war". What??!!

Do you think vacationing in Mexico is safe?



 

[swamp]

It's not Mexico, it's cancun. It's about as touristy as you can get. 

[Deleted]

I think that Cancun is pretty safe. I have taken my family on vacation there for the past two years and had no trouble at all. That being said, I would not go to many parts of Mexico.

[Deleted]

I told them I thought the tourist places were safe. 

I secretly wonder if he is mad/jealous because the ex-wife can afford a vacation.

[milee]

For the vast majority of Americans going to Mexico, they go for a cheap vacation.  They see and do nothing that can't be done in any one of a number of other places, but they do it in Mexico because it's cheap. 

If the mother and daughter were going to do something that could only be done in Mexico (see certain ruins or art, be part of a mission to a certain culture, etc), then I'd worry about their safety but understand that the risk may be worth the reward.

But as a parent, I wouldn't take my kid - and I'd be pretty unhappy with someone else who wanted to take my kid - to a place with growing violence just in order to be able to get drinks for half price. 

And for everybody who says "Oh, it's not the tourist areas, it's not in _______" remember that this is exactly what they said about Acapulco until a couple of years ago, when dozens of heads started showing up in bags and tourists started being gang raped by drug dealers.  Yes, the chance of it happening to you as a tourist is small, but again, it's IMHO a very dumb thing to take such a chance because you can save a few $$$ on a vacation that you could do in many other places. 

[Deleted]

From what I read, statistics show you have a better chance of getting murdered in Philadelphia than you do in Mexico.

Swamp: Why do you think the judge nailed him with court costs and ex-wife's lawyer fees? Was that a waste of time for the court system?

[Deleted]

Personally. I wouldn't go. But I'm a scardey cat.

I've been a number of times but not recently.

[NoNamePerson]

Maybe they could go to Chicago instead?

[whoami]

DH is a pilot and avoids going to Mexico as much as possible especially when it involves layovers. There have been incidents with some of the crews. They have hassled some of them for having too many electronics and want to confiscate them if they feel like it.  There are too many places to go in this world to have to put up with the hassles of Mexico. We havent gone in years. 

[Deleted]

Goose and I too our kids to Cozumel and Progresso Mexico a couple of years ago.  We didn't have any problems at all.  Both places are very touristy since cruises dock there. 

[simser]

I drive to Hermosillo Mexico 2x a year (yes that involves border driving). I have never felt unsafe- even though its not a huge tourist place. I think Mexico is a great place to visit and that the people there are some of the nicest people you will ever find on the planet.

If you look later, every person killed was involved in drugs- or lived in a place and the drug cartels were trying to intimidate the residents. Plus with the presidential elections last year, the tide on drugs should be slowly shifting (part of the problem was that the government had stopped being corrupt so they were holding down the drug cartels).

Cancun would be hugely safe.

[swamp]

Sept 22, 2013 9:26:17 GMT -5 @bluester said:

Swamp: Why do you think the judge nailed him with court costs and ex-wife's lawyer fees? Was that a waste of time for the court system?

Because he was being an,asshat. Yes. 

[Miss Tequila]

We went to Mexico for vacation last year. It was one of our best vacations. I would go back without hesitation. I feel more unsafe in NYC than I did there.

[Gardening Grandma]

We have fruitcakes going into Starbucks carrying weapons; so is it safe to go to a Starbucks?

[Deleted]

Never been although I've been close enough (San Diego) to bicycle there. Typically the advice is to go to an all-inclusive and stay in the compound or go only on excursions the resort provides, and you'll be fine. I prefer to be out in the streets, in the grocery stores, even on public transportation (although I never took buses in India). Avoiding the natives in their own environment, allowing them only to serve you drinks with umbrellas and clean up after you, isn't really experiencing a place.

[zibazinski]

No, but it's safer. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

We went to Mexico this past spring.  Stayed at an all inclusive in Playa del Carmen and ventured into the town a couple evenings.  I never got the feeling of being unsafe.

Mexico still wants to tourist $$.

Avoiding the natives in their own environment, allowing them only to serve you drinks with umbrellas and clean up after you, isn't really experiencing a place.

Very true.  But sometimes one doesn't go to experience the place, merely to get away to relax in the sun when you're not going to see the sun in your area of the country for several more months!

[swamp]

Sept 22, 2013 16:21:13 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Avoiding the natives in their own environment, allowing them only to serve you drinks with umbrellas and clean up after you, isn't really experiencing a place.

Very true.  But sometimes one doesn't go to experience the place, merely to get away to relax in the sun when you're not going to see the sun in your area of the country for several more months!

Sometimes I go on vacation for an "experience."  Sometimes I just want to sit on a beach and drink umbrella drinks. 

[milee]

No arguing the idea of a beachy, drinking vacation.  I just don't get why take the risk of Mexico when good beachy, drinking vacations can be done in lots of other places that are much safer and at similar expense. 

[Deleted]

Sept 22, 2013 17:28:18 GMT -5 milee said:

No arguing the idea of a beachy, drinking vacation.  I just don't get why take the risk of Mexico when good beachy, drinking vacations can be done in lots of other places that are much safer and at similar expense. 

You can't do places cheaper than mexico when you figure in the coat of airfare. It's very easy to get a nonstop to cancun and that's not the case with many places in the Caribbean.

Besides, the risk is nonexistent drastically when you go from airport to resort, which is what most people do.

[milee]

Oh, good.  Guess as long as it's unlikely to be your kids' head in a bag or your body charred too badly to ID, it's definitely worth it to save a couple hundred bucks by being a whole several hundred yards from said carnage.

Drink up!  Cheers!  Ignore those pesky stains on the sidewalk and the smell of roast "pork"; it's probably not going to be us, so we don't need to worry about any of that!  Enjoy the beach, kids... 

[Nazgul Girl]

Sept 22, 2013 17:40:42 GMT -5 milee said:

Oh, good.  Guess as long as it's unlikely to be your kids' head in a bag or your body charred too badly to ID, it's definitely worth it to save a couple hundred bucks by being a whole several hundred yards from said carnage.

Drink up!  Cheers!  Ignore those pesky stains on the sidewalk and the smell of roast "pork"; it's probably not going to be us, so we don't need to worry about any of that!  Enjoy the beach, kids... 

   Good grief.

[Deleted]

Sept 22, 2013 17:40:42 GMT -5 milee said:

Oh, good.  Guess as long as it's unlikely to be your kids' head in a bag or your body charred too badly to ID, it's definitely worth it to save a couple hundred bucks by being a whole several hundred yards from said carnage.

Drink up!  Cheers!  Ignore those pesky stains on the sidewalk and the smell of roast "pork"; it's probably not going to be us, so we don't need to worry about any of that!  Enjoy the beach, kids... 

Drama Queen!

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Sept 22, 2013 17:28:18 GMT -5 milee said:

No arguing the idea of a beachy, drinking vacation.  I just don't get why take the risk of Mexico when good beachy, drinking vacations can be done in lots of other places that are much safer and at similar expense. 

Not really.  10 days at an all inclusive in Mexico last spring ran us about $1000 pp, including airfare, transportation, all alcohol and tips.

[Deleted]

Sept 22, 2013 17:40:42 GMT -5 milee said:

Oh, good.  Guess as long as it's unlikely to be your kids' head in a bag or your body charred too badly to ID, it's definitely worth it to save a couple hundred bucks by being a whole several hundred yards from said carnage.

Drink up!  Cheers!  Ignore those pesky stains on the sidewalk and the smell of roast "pork"; it's probably not going to be us, so we don't need to worry about any of that!  Enjoy the beach, kids... 

Oh geez

[milee]

We need another emoticon, but the one I'm thinking of is not PG 13. 

[NoNamePerson]

Sept 22, 2013 17:40:42 GMT -5 milee said:

Oh, good.  Guess as long as it's unlikely to be your kids' head in a bag or your body charred too badly to ID, it's definitely worth it to save a couple hundred bucks by being a whole several hundred yards from said carnage.

Drink up!  Cheers!  Ignore those pesky stains on the sidewalk and the smell of roast "pork"; it's probably not going to be us, so we don't need to worry about any of that!  Enjoy the beach, kids... 

Damn, I spent almost two weeks between Cancun, Cozumel and Isla Mujeres and I didn't see any of this. I am going to fire off an email to my travel agent who promised me that we would see all the sights. I think she owes me a partial refund

ETA: forgot about side trip to Tulum!!

[bean29]

We got passports for the entire family then never went. I got nervous. No member of or local immediate family is involved in drug dealing. One DN is an addict but I don't think he speaks Spanish. Some of DH's relatives from western states have "mansions" in the rural area DH is from. DH descibes his cousin's husband as doing some kind of international trucking. A trip to Ixtapa at a condo owned by US college friends could easily extend to Mexican relatives visiting us in Ixtapa and or US visiting them in Morelia. I think the husband was absolutely right to object. Once the kids are in mexico there is no limit on where the Mom might take them. Mt DH would not tollerate drug dealing but he thinks my concerns are unfounded. He often glosses over or tells me I mussinderstoid a conversation. He wanted to take his parents and our kids. His Mother who is from Mexico refused to go. If it was just me objecting he would have gone over my objections. I would have gone along over my objections. You can check the US state dep't website. Mexico is our neighbor we should be more concerned about what goes on there than in the middle east imho.

Sent from my MB855 using proboards

[Deleted]

bluester, your friend sounds like a control freak.  Doesn't want the ex doing what he doesn't want her doing.  He wasted the court's time & yeah, they zapped him for being a controlling jerk.  

I sent my DD to Mexico to teach for 3 months.  She was in a slightly upscale area (but not a tourist destination), walked everywhere, and said she never felt at risk or that there was danger around the corner.  I think it is all about where you go, like any other area, there are places you should avoid, but blocks away can be just fine.

[marvholly]

What NOBODY has mentioned is that, as I recall, Cancun is an island and WAAAY away from the border & city areas that have experienced the violence.