PSA for anyone considering a Mexican vacation

OldShooter said:
I can't disagree. My point is that people are needlessly "uneasy" based on SGOTI's anecdotes and ghost stories when the statistical reality is the they are very safe traveling almost anywhere in the world, including Mexico.

AI resorts are just a kind of protective bubble, like cruise ships. Why not save the airfare and just check into a nice hotel for a few days, maybe watch some travel videos? It seems like the same thing to me.
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I totally agree, people overreact way too much when it comes to traveling safety (in my opinion).

We were on a cruise in Indonesia, and there was one port (Semarang) where the local town was pretty slummy. We walked from the ship into town, along this street where I don't think tourists ever walked. I guess the majority of people take a tour to Borobdur (sp?) at this port, and if they do go to town, they take the shuttle rather than walking. The street had all these tin buildings, and there was a drainage ditch running alongside. At one person's house, we saw them pull a fish out of the drainage ditch and take it inside to eat. Anyway, everyone we met was SO happy and friendly and excited to see us. Several people asked for selfies with us (and especially my husband, since he's way bigger than your average Indonesian). These people were dirt poor but we never felt in any way threatened. Another fun anecdote, there was a highway overpass we walked under, and people on the highway above were honking their horns and waving at us. LOL.

I tend to feel more threatened in highly touristy areas, where there are a lot of highly aggressive vendors. Although they're not threatening to rob you, it is a very uncomfortable situation being chased around by them.

For your final point, personally, I go to AI resorts for the weather. We live in Canada so in winter time it can be amazing to go somewhere warm for a week. And it's very relaxing/convenient to have everything included right in the resort. I agree it is no way to experience the local culture, but it still has its place.
 
I spent half a lifetime in Latin America, heavily armed police and military in public places, hotels & banks was the norm. The checkpoints in Peru and Colombia really took some getting used to, but that proved helpful when they first appeared in Venezuela. Don't use tinted windows, at night turn on the inside car light so they can easily see in. Those folks are easily spooked and often shoot first. First time I left the hotel in Bogota, the soldier asked to see my passport and copied the info on a clipboard, along with info from the cab I was taking. I asked why, he responded "in case you do not arrive at your destination, we have the identities of both parties". My first visit to a bank in Mexico in the 70's, where the mezzanine had 4 armed uniformed men with a 50 cal type machine gun emplacement with sandbags. Not like Kansas.

I think the biggest travel risk is people making poor choices.
 
Going down through India, 1963, two Sikh guards with double barreled shotguns standing outside banks.

The lone white teller in a remote South African bank, wearing an open holstered sidearm...1983.

More the norm than the exception.
 
MichaelB said:
Not like Kansas.
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North Carolina was a bit different, too.
Barney.jpg

I think the biggest travel risk is people making poor choices.
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Precisely.
 
I can only speak from my own experiences. Since retirement, June 2016, I have been to Puerto Vallarta eight times, Playa Del Carmen One time, and Cabo One time. I am going to Puerto Penasco this month and back to PV in late September. In 20 years of trips only one significant negative event and it was caused by a fellow US citizen.
 
MichaelB said:
I think the biggest travel risk is people making poor choices.
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I just spoke with a guy at my church who owns a second home in Mexico (sorry, forgot to ask where) and vacations there frequently. He told me I should be fine if I avoided prostitutes and the drug scene.:D I suppose I should add intoxication/dehydration to the list, too.
 
erkevin said:
I can only speak from my own experiences. Since retirement, June 2016, I have been to Puerto Vallarta eight times, Playa Del Carmen One time, and Cabo One time. I am going to Puerto Penasco this month and back to PV in late September. In 20 years of trips only one significant negative event and it was caused by a fellow US citizen.
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DW and I spent an exciting weekend in Puerto Penasco back in '91. We found a human arm bone on the beach (radius/ulna intact). On the way back to the US, we stopped at a gift shop on a dirt road. While inside, a police vehicle pulled up and wrote us a ticket for parking on the wrong side of the dirt road. He said we would have to come with him to the station and be "processed, which might take some time since it was Sunday." I got the vibe this might be a shakedown, so I asked if I could pay the fine right there. "Well of course", said the fine police officer in perfect English. So, $50 later we were on our way. Those are my Penasco memories.
 
I was walking my dog in Puerto Penasco...(carried a bunch of rocks in my pocket to zing at the packs of local mutts who came charging at us because he was on their territory).....when a big ol' Chevy coming towards us started swerving all over the road...

Driver, a 'very rotund' Mexican, was punching the bejaysus out of the woman next to him.

All around, I'd categorize it as a charming place, and would willingly submit a thumbs up to Trip Advisor...for suitable remuneration.
 
Nemo2 said:
All around, I'd categorize it as a charming place, and would willingly submit a thumbs up to Trip Advisor...for suitable remuneration.
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From what I heard on a BBC Documentary on fake reviews, the going rate for a fake review is GBP 10, or about $13 at current exchange rates!:D
 
athena53 said:
From what I heard on a BBC Documentary on fake reviews, the going rate for a fake review is GBP 10, or about $13 at current exchange rates!:D
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as one who steals ...er liberates deposit bottles out of the neighborhood trash bins....I'm in!

It took me about 10 minutes to get my bag full last week. $7-8 bucks
 
athena53 said:
I just spoke with a guy at my church who owns a second home in Mexico (sorry, forgot to ask where) and vacations there frequently. He told me I should be fine if I avoided prostitutes and the drug scene.:D I suppose I should add intoxication/dehydration to the list, too.
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Where's the fun in that? Just kidding. You are 100% correct in this post.
 
Every Christmas and Easter, they bring in stake trucks full of federal police with automatic rifles to PV MX. Personally I don't feel safer but then I am Canadian.
 
kcowan said:
Every Christmas and Easter, they bring in stake trucks full of federal police with automatic rifles to PV MX.
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First time in Mexico, three of us drove, (the long way around), from Hamilton, ON, to Manzanillo, in 1966.

Rented a little beachfront building......noticed some money missing one day....about three days later we were in town, wandered by the police station, and naively reported it.

About three days after that, a truck load of heavily armed cops show up and start searching the scraggly bushes adjacent to the house.

Best laugh we'd had while there.
 
Funny news story today, illustrating the silliness of most internet information. From the Chinese embassy in Washington:

“Public security in the United States is not good. Cases of shootings, robberies, and theft are frequent.”

“Travellers [sic] in the United States should be alert to their surroundings and suspicious individuals, and avoid going out alone at night.”
​
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...vel-warning-amid-trade-tensions-idUSKBN1JT0T5

Y'all be careful out there!
 
US made it to #10 on the countries most bad for females list owing to the new information from the #metoo movement! Gotta love these lists...
 
We went down Cancun to an AI last winter and had the time of our lives. My wife and I neither one drink alcohol so I guess that is one in our favor. This was our first AI and my only real gripe was that the food was not real high quality. It was more of the "institutional" variety plus way too much fruit. This particular resort had vendors around the pool for a day or two. I could live without that but they were not pushy (we don't buy that junk). As far as crime, we enjoyed our days out and went to venues onsite at night, so I guess we were not out on the streets at night. For me, I would go back to Cancun tomorrow.
Thanks to all involved about the TA comments being deleted. I had NO CLUE.
 
sgstaley said:
We went down Cancun to an AI last winter and had the time of our lives. My wife and I neither one drink alcohol so I guess that is one in our favor. This was our first AI and my only real gripe was that the food was not real high quality. It was more of the "institutional" variety plus way too much fruit. This particular resort had vendors around the pool for a day or two. I could live without that but they were not pushy (we don't buy that junk). As far as crime, we enjoyed our days out and went to venues onsite at night, so I guess we were not out on the streets at night. For me, I would go back to Cancun tomorrow.
Thanks to all involved about the TA comments being deleted. I had NO CLUE.
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I would think whether one drinks or not comes into play quite a bit with the current news of the drinking issue.
Yes, there are other crime factors involved too.
 
Here's an anecdote for you: Not in Mexico as such, but just over the line in AZ. We picked the 'nicest' restaurant in the small town and had lunch. When we left, I noticed a newspaper vending machine just outside. The picture on the front page of the newspaper was of a man lying in the middle of the street with blood running from his head. A second look revealed that it was in front of the restaurant we had just exited. But YMMV.
 
Funny as last December we had no issues and had a great time. We will go back too. We are rarely in the wrong places anyway when we travel.
 
ShokWaveRider said:
Funny as last December we had no issues and had a great time. We will go back too. We are rarely in the wrong places anyway when we travel.
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This thread is to help people like you who "always go" and are "rarely in the wrong place".

Being in the wrong place just once can be life altering. Life ending.

All the people harmed/injured/drugged/killed were exactly like you. The "not me" crowd. Go all the time. Always was fine.
 
Disappointed that this topic is about Mexican vacations,
I was hoping for hookers.
Are truncation problems first world problems?

And, what about Mexican dentists?
Why are they being slighted?
 
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