While I could rattle statistics off from a slew of different sources, the bottom line and the main p

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One of the hottest travel topics in North American travel at the moment, the question of whether or not you should travel to Mexico has been hotly circulating about Gadling for the better part of six months now.
Chris Owen in February posted an article about 22 cruise travel ship passengers in Mexico who were recently robbed at gunpoint . As he states in the article, however, this also recently happened in St. Kitts , and I haven't heard many cries for avoiding the small Caribbean nation.
Fellow travel Gadling blogger Dave Seminara even went so far in a recent article to highlight the point that the homicide rate in Puerto Vallarta (where the gunpoint, cruise robbery took place) is actually lower than many American cities.
Nevertheless, travel I feel compelled to rehash this topic due to a recent conversation I had with a Canadian woman on a sailing catamaran in Maui . This, and the fact that I just spent an entire travel week in Mexico and managed to come back alive. While sailing in Maui I found myself discussing with a woman who we shall call Carol the recent addition of direct flights travel from Calgary to Maui by the Canadian airline carrier Westjet . To be fair, Mexico's recent bust has been Hawaii's recent boom, given the fact that many winter travelers who once frequented Mexico are now flocking in droves to what are considered to be "safer havens."
"Everyone is coming to Maui now because you simply travel can't go to Mexico anymore," explained Carol. "Did you hear what just happened down there? A girl was mugged INSIDE of her hotel and was robbed! Can you imagine? Inside the resort!"
I bit my lip in reaction to her crowdsourced ignorance. Later that day, I opted to take 16 seconds of my life to look up the armed robbery statistics for the city of Calgary for the first quarter of 2012.
While I could rattle statistics off from a slew of different sources, the bottom line and the main point which needs to be made is that traveling to Mexico is no more dangerous than living in any major global city. Of the 60 countries I've wandered through and after 20+ visits travel to Mexico, you know where I've felt the most in danger (including when I thought I was kidnapped in Borneo )?
Also, Carol, there are a few travel safety basics, which need to be employed when traveling anywhere in the world with a much lower income travel level than we experience back home. Don't flaunt expensive jewelry, don't hang a $3000 Canon camera around your neck and don't pay for a $1 bottle of water and flash a wallet, which is teeming with $100 bills. Chances are, you're asking to be robbed. This isn't called travel travel safety; this is called common sense.
Sure, there are a lot of crazy headlines coming out of Mexico right now, such as rampant beheadings, mass graves and guys who mix corpses in huge vats of acid . But guess what? These people aren't tourists; they're drug lords. If you're someone who's heavily entrenched in the cocaine and marijuana trade then yeah, it might be dangerous for you to travel to Mexico right now. If you just want to go down and score some waves, soak up some sun, or experience the vibrant local culture, however, chances are that you're going to be fine.
So why am I so fired up about this? Because what many headlines unfortunately fail to display is that the real, true victims of the Mexican violence are the peace-loving, everyday Mexican citizens who rely on tourism dollars to survive.
I have stood on the sandy shores of a campground on the Sea of Cortez and literally had a woman weep at my feet, thanking me for deciding to come and visit Mexico. Ever since the violence started, she claimed, the tourist business has completely dried up and her and her family are liable to lose their business, their house and their land because Americans who once came for the great fishing and cheap beer now go elsewhere because it's "safer."
I ate fish tacos and lobster tails on the shores of an empty beach while drinking $1 beers after a day of surfing perfect, empty waves. I had long conversations with local people who smile and are friendly and are genuinely interested in what I have to say. I shopped at local supermarkets. I stayed in a $20/night guesthouse on the beach, not a fancy resort with a security guard. I hired a fishing boat. I entrusted my life to Mexican taxi drivers who took me exactly where I needed to go.
Thanks for writing this article. Seriously, I am little bit sick of people trashing Mexico. travel They just repeat what others say. Can they see Mexico is a huge country? travel A little bit of reasearch can point out what areas are off limits. travel Anyway, travel I have friends who have been to the "dangerous" parts and nothing has happened. Last year, I went to the Yucatan and Mexico City. Everything was fine. Earlier this year, I went to Ensenada. Everything was cool too. I am even thinking about visiting Merida during the fall. I don't understand what the uproar is. If you want to explore a country full of culture, delicious food and friendly people, go to Mexico. Reply Ame Jul 5th 2012 11:43AM
travel You're going to love Merida! Beautiful, safe, cheap... I left my debit card inside an ATM (didnt know where i left it). I searched everywhere for it and finally decided to go back to the OXXO where I had used the ATM three days prior and guess what they had, My debit card!!! Nobody had used it...
Hi Kyle right on spot! My daughter is alive thankfully travel less her camera and phone from here July 2012 trip to costa rica her second time! I live and I was born in Nogales, travel Az and travel to Mexico weekly. The three links below will confirm you can get hurt anywhere anytime.
My Daughter loves to travel she was an exchange student and lived in Mexico city for 6 months and travelled to Acapulco Cancun Cabo La Paz Mazatlan chihuahua Puerta Vallarta. She also spent a month in spain. Which makes her a better person for living life's experiences vs. hidding in a shell! Note she used hostels, trains buses and planes and lives to tell her great travels! PS death is given and live life before you are in front of the pearly gates! I'm going on my second travel Carnival Splendor riviera cruise first one Sept 2010 (prior to Engine fire Nov 2010) leaving Oct 2012 (booked jan 13 unknowing the Concordia was sinking travel same ship design for both ships. I recruited travel 19 people after to cruise this year! We will rock the boat!
You hit it on the nail. I have lives in Tijuana 6 years and nothing negative has ever happened to me, on the contrary, great food, nice people, and a great diversity of people to learn from. Reply Barbara Jul 5th 2012 11:27AM
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! I love Mexico and its people. It saddens me to no end how people trash Mexico and I am tired of it too. Most comment come from people that have never ever even been there. But then again, since we have a home down there.. I guess I should travel be thankful that these type of Ugly Americans are not coming there anymore. I just feel bad for the Mexican economy and its people. Just one side comment... I have noticed that a lot of Americans (I know I am making a wide sweeping travel generalization here) are becoming increasingly more arrogant and negative about other countries in general. Nationalism at its worst. Maybe this has to do with the U.S. and its materialistic lifestyle... perhaps it's not working too good for them any more. Reply Q Jul 5th 2012 3:17PM
You may have gone to Mexico travel without incident and that is awesome, but you really do not know what you are talking travel about. I live near the border and universities have had to close because of the gun battles between different cartels on the border. Long standing Restaurants from Mexico are relocating to the US because they no longer feel safe in their own country. Friends of mine whom have homes and family in Mexico and the US are scared to go back and forth to Mexico. The media here are scared they will be bombed if they report what is going on. Law in enforcement has been beheaded and left in the middle of he street to send a message to the people. Tiffany Hartley went to my church when her husband was killed by the cartel. Pastors, their families and church members are becoming licensed to carry a concealed hand gun. Reply Bobbi Jul 5th 2012 9:04PM
I didn't need to read on after the part where you said you live in a border town. DUH! That's like saying you live in South Central L.A. Common sense says you stay out of those areas. I live in Nayarit in a town called travel Sayulita and it's so fricken safe compared to anywhere else I've ever been! Pls.do not scare people like this. It is so not realistic! Lobodelmar Jul 8th 2012 4:28PM
The area you are speaking of isn't dependent on the income from tourists. Your border communities violence isn't a depiction of violence in Puerto Vallarta and other tourists communities. I mean, that's travel like saying there is a high crime rate in New York, so I won't be visiting Florida. Emilie Jul 11th 2012 7:14PM
Yes thank all of you real people who haven't had to follow the bleat of the sheep. So many great and positive comments, I just have to add mine. I go to Acapulco Mexico every November travel and return in March. I have met and become friends with many, many Mexican men and women. I have stayed in the the same room and same hotel room for the past 5 years. Sure there is violence. I read about it while I am visiting there, but I have seen far more violence on Sesemie Street, than in Acapulco in the time I have spent there. The people are unbelievable. For example there is a guy who sells beads and toy alligators on the beach. I have watched him for five years. travel I don't know if he ever sells anything, but he's out there every day trying. You know we speak of "the light at the end of the tunnel." They don't even have a tunnel and yet they seldom COMPLAIN. Reply Laurie travel Jul 5th 2012 3:18PM