PSA for anyone considering a Mexican vacation

[joeea]

Compensated review writer, and identified as such.

Doesn't matter. Rules are the same for everyone. Moderators don't know if I'm compensated or not. The safety rule applies to all reviews.

You are "identified as such" and yet somehow the moderators don't know this?

Okay.

 

[JoeWras]

You are "identified as such" and yet somehow the moderators don't know this?

Okay.

Why is that hard to understand? My reviews go into the moderator pipeline blind without names or identifying information. They come out and get stamped with an identifying tag that I've been compensated. I don't write that in my review. It is done by the computer. It is similar to the "Vines" reviews on Amazon.

 

[joeea]

But a person with a grudge could also simply claim food poisoning , or very lousy staff, loud noises of people running through the halls. insulting staff, or walking into the room unannounced.
All sorts of things could be said.

And all sorts of things are said. And sometimes the person with the grudge recruits other (real and not real) folks to amplify the fake review. And sometimes people get paid to do this to competing businesses.

 

[bltkmt]

I never considered an issue with tainted booze in Europe. They are extremely proud of their beer and wine and other traditional alcoholic drinks.

So are Mexicans. We have been to Cancun 7-8 times, most recently this past December. We love it there and will certainly return.

 

[OldShooter]

I spent one day in Mexico on our own and hated it. They hound you on the street to buy stuff. Now we have been to Cozumel twice on a cruise which was different as we took tours through the cruise company and shopped and ate in the tourist area by the ship.

@Terry, not to be critical because I know many people feel the same way you do, but I am sad because you miss so much by staying inside the cruise ship "bubble."

For example, on a Tanzania trip we happened on a Masai village where they were singing and dancing in celebration of the chief's daughter's marriage and several boys' circumcision ceremonies. All the neighboring villagers were attending, too, wearing their finery. We were enthusiastically welcomed into this once in a lifetime experience, even being invited to enter the chief's mud hut home. This kind of thing does not happen in the bubble.

 

[aja8888]

@Terry, not to be critical because I know many people feel the same way you do, but I am sad because you miss so much by staying inside the cruise ship "bubble."

For example, on a Tanzania trip we happened on a Masai village where they were singing and dancing in celebration of the chief's daughter's marriage and several boys' circumcision ceremonies. All the neighboring villagers were attending, too, wearing their finery. We were enthusiastically welcomed into this once in a lifetime experience, even being invited to enter the chief's mud hut home. This kind of thing does not happen in the bubble.

I doubt TT would have the opportunities on Mexico cruises as the ones you have taken. I've been on the Mexico cruise ships, did go off onshore and experience the same crap that TT mentions. The ship is a better place.

 

[OldShooter]

I doubt TT would have the opportunities on Mexico cruises as the ones you have taken. I've been on the Mexico cruise ships, did go off onshore and experience the same crap that TT mentions. The ship is a better place.

True enough, I guess, although there are a lot of civilizations/ruins inland. We also took an Elderhostel Mexican cuisine trip a few years ago that could not have been done as excursions from a bubble.

But I was thinking of the more general case of cruise ship travel when I posted. Your point is valid.

 

[aja8888]

True enough, I guess, although there are a lot of civilizations/ruins inland. We also took an Elderhostel Mexican cuisine trip a few years ago that could not have been done as excursions from a bubble.

But I was thinking of the more general case of cruise ship travel when I posted. Your point is valid.

Yes, the inland excursions are worth the visits. DW was in Peru for two weeks visiting friends a couple of years ago and had a great time and saw some interesting sites.

If we were to take a cruise again (been on a few), we would avoid the Mexico ones in favor of more interesting places.

During my "work" life, I traveled internationally quite a bit and saw enough of Mexico for a lifetime. That goes for much of South America too. Actually, I am burned out with international travel and prefer to stay in the good old U.S. these days.

 

[athena53]

The plural of "anecdote" is not "data."

Oooh, I am stealing that line!

I spent one day in Mexico on our own and hated it. They hound you on the street to buy stuff.

My recent trip to India and Nepal was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I'd never encountered vendors that aggressive, let alone beggars who just wanted money. A little girl dressed as a Hindu goddess photobombed my picture (I'd tried to get her to go away) and then demanded money. (My Aunt, who was taking the picture, gave her money.)

I reminded myself that this was a country with a huge % of people living at a level of poverty unimaginable in the US. They learn early on to hustle because if they don't work they don't eat. Other than Little Miss Photobomb, politely saying no a few times and then ignoring them did the job.

 

[OldShooter]

... I'd never encountered vendors that aggressive ... because if they don't work they don't eat. ...

Understanding this makes the vendors much easier to tolerate.

 

[HFWR]

@Terry, not to be critical because I know many people feel the same way you do, but I am sad because you miss so much by staying inside the cruise ship "bubble."

For example, on a Tanzania trip we happened on a Masai village where they were singing and dancing in celebration of the chief's daughter's marriage and several boys' circumcision ceremonies. All the neighboring villagers were attending, too, wearing their finery. We were enthusiastically welcomed into this once in a lifetime experience, even being invited to enter the chief's mud hut home. This kind of thing does not happen in the bubble.

I would hope that circumcision is a once-in-a-lifetime experience... [emoji12]

 

[T-Minus]

And it seems TripAdvisor is not your friend, deleting comments about the incidents.

100% agree with your sentiments. Two years ago, we had a negative experience at a resort in Hawaii, and posted our experience on TripAdvisor. Our comments were quickly deleted. Since that point, I've just considered TA a travel marketing company, and no longer use/believe their site.

 

[Scrapr]

This site was posted here previously

https://www.fakespot.com/

using data to sniff out fake reviews.

 

[Sunset]

Many people outside the US, probably the majority, think it's a dangerous place with drug lords shooting AR-15s on every street corner and killers roaming the halls of every school. Does anyone living here consider themselves to be at personal risk from this? No.

The plural of "anecdote" is not "data."

At any point in time there are always a few places that should be avoided. Right now, Syria. Maybe CAR, South Sudan, and few others. But IMO many wonderful trips are avoided by people who become fearful from reading anecdotes like the many in this thread. Even State Department travel warnings at Level 3 paint with far too broad a brush.

Think "statistics" and "facts," not "anecdotes." Your biggest risk on most trips is probably from an automobile accident, just like at home.

The murder rate is higher than the USA
US all homocides for 2015: 17,793
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/homicide.htm

Mexico
"There were 25,339 homicides in Mexico last year (2017), a 23% jump from 2016 and the highest number since at least 1997,"
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/22/americas/mexico-murders-2017/index.html

Considering the population of Mexico is 39.5% of USA population size, it would appear the homocide rate is twice as high.

Which probably means, the bad areas are really bad, but good areas could be quite safe.
As an outsider, the big issue I have is knowing which areas are safe and how/where to get to them.

 

[OldShooter]

... Which probably means, the bad areas are really bad, but good areas could be quite safe. As an outsider, the big issue I have is knowing which areas are safe and how/where to get to them.

Yes; avoid the favelas in Brazil, for example, and maybe Tahrir Square in Cairo on some days.

As an outsider, I really can't make the determination of what is safe in a particular country, so we work with in-country guides and in-country tour companies and have complete confidence. Internet research is virtually useless, comprising mostly anecdotes (like this thread) or broad brush information (like the State Department warnings, which are also politically driven).

But, just like the US, the vast majority of areas in the vast majority of countries are statistically extremely safe for tourists. For Mexico, Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/garyst...in-all-other-countries-combined/#13c8536ede37) reports 75 tourist homicides among 31,000,000 visitors in 2016. This is a rate of two and a half thousandths of one percent (0.0025%) or one in 40,000 visitors. And here is a Huffpost article (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lonely-planet/are-tourists-safe-in-mexico_b_1503288.html) that argues that, for Americans, Texas is much more dangerous than Mexico (though I'm not sure the data is apples/apples). Regardless --- not to worry, IMO.

 

[aja8888]

And here is a Huffpost article (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lonely-planet/are-tourists-safe-in-mexico_b_1503288.html) that argues that, for Americans, Texas is much more dangerous than Mexico (though I'm not sure the data is apples/apples). Regardless --- not to worry, IMO.

Well, it is a Huffpost article. In an earlier thread, Huffpost showed its colors.

Now I'll bet certain areas in Texas are pretty bad due to the drug trade (Houston, towns along the Rio Grande) and other factors, but the rest of the state is pretty safe.

 

[audreyh1]

Well, it is a Huffpost article. In an earlier thread, Huffpost showed its colors.

Now I'll bet certain areas in Texas are pretty bad due to the drug trade (Houston, towns along the Rio Grande) and other factors, but the rest of the state is pretty safe.

Some of the towns along the Rio Grande may have crime issues, but many are quite safe compared to the larger Texas cities in spite of common assumptions. McAllen has some of the lowest violent crime statistics in the US and they have continued to drop. https://www.cbsnews.com/media/the-9-safest-cities-in-america/4/

 

[kcowan]

...Which probably means, the bad areas are really bad, but good areas could be quite safe.
As an outsider, the big issue I have is knowing which areas are safe and how/where to get to them.

In my experience, people that are uneasy about personal safety should stay away from Mexico. If they go anywhere on vacation, they should choose AI and stay at the resort.

 

[OldShooter]

In my experience, people that are uneasy about personal safety should stay away from Mexico. If they go anywhere on vacation, they should choose AI and stay at the resort.

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.

 

[Nemo2]

....that people are needlessly "uneasy"

I periodically, (perhaps to reinforce my prejudices), visit Cruise Critic.....today I read a post written by someone who was 'afraid' about an upcoming trip to Paris "Because they (the poster) didn't speak French".

 

[OldShooter]

I periodically, (perhaps to reinforce my prejudices), visit Cruise Critic.....today I read a post written by someone who was 'afraid' about an upcoming trip to Paris "Because they (the poster) didn't speak French".

That's funny. Even funnier, people think of France as safe, which it is, but there has actually been fairly regular terroristic activity. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents_in_France#21st_century) Last time I was through CDG there were quite a few soldiers or gendarmes walking around with submachine guns. So if one wanted to be "uneasy," France could provide some anecdotes and ghost stories.

 

[Nemo2]

Last time I was through CDG there were quite a few soldiers or gendarmes walking around with submachine guns.

Yeah, poster made no mention of the no-go banlieues, Charlie Hebdo, or the Eagles of Death Metal concert shootings.....just their own lack of linguistics, which is doubly ironic since the odds are that the poster will be on a ship organized tour.

CDG...back in the mid 1980s there were guys with automatic weapons patrolling inside.

Had to laugh during our latest trip....Bucharest airport, crowded....cops with Kalashnikovs....said to DW, "What the hell are they going to do with them in a packed departure area?"

 

[aja8888]

Some of the towns along the Rio Grande may have crime issues, but many are quite safe compared to the larger Texas cities in spite of common assumptions. McAllen has some of the lowest violent crime statistics in the US and they have continued to drop. https://www.cbsnews.com/media/the-9-safest-cities-in-america/4/

My bad...I should have done more research here. Big towns along the border are pretty safe due to many law enforcement boots on the ground.

My personal work experiences for years along the border when were doing oil & gas well acquisition work between Laredo and Brownsville in typically smaller towns and many unincorporated areas. We were constantly made aware of the potential for being robbed (and maybe shot) by roving gangs and illegals. I recall being told to avoid staying in certain motels and to travel in groups (which was not always possible).

 

[mpeirce]

I remember seeing submachine guns in West Germany in the 70's, in Italy in the 80's, saw them all over Europe in the last few years.

I always feel safe with the local constabulary (usually federal constabulary over there) well armed.

 

[braumeister]

I remember seeing submachine guns in West Germany in the 70's, in Italy in the 80's, saw them all over Europe in the last few years.

I always feel safe with the local constabulary (usually federal constabulary over there) well armed.

Funny, but I tend to agree. In Buenos Aires after the military coup in 1976, there were sandbagged machine gun emplacements at many intersections downtown, and "going through security" at the airport involved having a submachine gun aimed up your left nostril while the soldier's other hand felt through your opened suitcase. It was rather tense at times, but everyone I saw remained very calm.

Flying in and out of Munich a week or so after 9/11 was similar. There were armored personnel carriers patrolling the taxiways at the airport, and heavily armed patrols in the terminals. Nobody had any interest in causing the slightest disturbance.