Is Mexico currently safe to travel to???

Question

Some friends and I were planning a trip to mexico early next month and I was wondering how safe it is right now to travel there. We will be driving down, and I have heard soooooo much from my family that Mexico is not safe right now and many Americans are getting held up and robbed/kidnapped. What is the deal??? And why are my friends and family soo worried? Should I cancel the trip? Or is the news making a big deal out of nothing. Does anyone live in mexico and feel it's not safe?

Also, we'll be staying on the Baja side, and will not be driving at night.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Are u a girl o guy? Are u going with just girlfriends? If u are just going with girls i wouldnt let u go! But to tell u the truth im 30 yrs old...i go to Tij once a month,drive a night by my self get off at stores at the middle night! All that stuff their talking about on tv,im not gonna tell u it doesnt happen! But that stuff thats going on is The Drug Cartels  that clash against the government,their not up in Clubs kidnapping or killing people! But use common sense like u would in the States,ur not gonna drive into a neighborhood in Compton or any Hood,are u? I aint,not with 10 of my friends,h**l no!!! So why would u do it in Mexico! Stuff does happen just like stuff happens on subways of New York! Just dont over do it  on jewlery or  a Fat  Mercedes...dont stand out! And dont leave ur jewelery at ur Hotel,just dont take anything that stands out! Ur probably going to Rosarito and maybe Ensenada...those place are safe,compared to Tij! Ull b alright! Take it from somebody that goes once a month for long time and nothing hasnt happened to me other then the usual police stops when they take a buck or 2! But other then that im alright! USE COMMON SENSE,dont follow anybody into a dark alley to buy weed!!! Lol!!!

Answer 2

it is safe in some places and it isnt as safe in some other places like in any other country if you go to tepito or tijuana in the middle of the night, looking like a lost tourist with your $400 watch it will be likely that you get robbed, it really depends on what zone/region you are but overall mexico is safer than what people beleive

Answer 3

Being a group and realizing to not drive at night will do wonders concerning your safety. Type of car would also have a impact - old dirty Ford Bronco vs a Hummer so to speak. Lock your doors, goes w/o saying, and use your fifth sense ,and you'll be fine.

Map your course well and realize your probably most venerable to something bad happening while asking for help or directions.

To be perfectly honest its a little blown out of proportion mush like " don't drink the water ". Yes there are border towns that are far more dangerous than what you'd find in a big city , but its drug related and not so much robbing a tourist gringo.

When you do reach your destination - travel in 2's , leave your jewelry at the hotel and don't make yourself a target.

Be street smart and you'll be fine..............

Answer 4

Violence has increased in the recent years in some states beacuse of the Mexican Government battle vs the Drug Cartels..............Nevertheless these events are not generalized and its a battle between the army and the Cartels...... ...Mexicans and Foreign Citizens (Not involved in drugs) are not on target.....

Narcotic Issues appart, the violence rates throughout Mexico are still the same than in the past.........just use your common sense...crime rates are higher in the big cities but they are as high as in any other major city in the world...

Narcotic Violence is mainly happening in Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Guerrero. (By rule the Mexican-US border has been suffering this kind of violence for years....).....

I live here in Mexico, and feel very safe.....I must say that Baja is very safe also, of course some crime is happening in Tijuana, but its ok in the rest of the state.

Cheers.

Answer 5

Please cancel your driving trip !!!!!! Fly instead - Border twons are not safe - If you are talking Mexico City, use a licensed guide - Do not take taxis from the street - Take taxis from the hotel where you are staying - Try for tours fom the hotel - Better cities where you are safe:  Guanajuato, Guadalajara, Tampico, Veracruz -

I know- I have people living in those cities-

Answer 6

The world media has done a disservice to Baja tourism. Many of our neighbors have been layed off, hotel business is way down, and some shops have closed. Think safety, use caution as you would on every vacation. Beautiful weather, excellent food and local wines, friendly people.This is Baja not Beirut.

Answer 7

pretty safe be careful though and don't drink their water its bad for you!

Answer 8

Use your head, just like in the U.S. and you'll be fine.  Use the toll roads (Autopistas) instead of the free (libre).  They are a lot more safe than the free roads.  I am a 24 year old white female and I drove all the way to Nayarit from Virginia and I was just fine, it's not as bad as the news and media make it out to be.

Answer 9

Driving through Baja during the day is pretty safe in my opinion. There have been some occurrences of kidnapping in the past year. One of these took place on the highway near Acapulco. Tijuana is where a lot of the drug gang violence is taking place. There are almost a million Americans living in Mexico and a violent crime against them happen very infrequently.

Answer 10

My 70 year old grandparents drive down to Mexico from NEW YORK every winter because they spend the entire winter there.  If two 70 year olds are fine you will be fine.  Plus they were driving to Puerto Vallarta.  Baja is probably even safer than that.  From NY it takes 5 days.

Answer 11

It is as safe as traveling within the US.

There are parts of the US that you avoid, right?

Just follow the same safety guidelines you would while traveling at home.

Use common sense and you'll do just fine.

If you believed everything you hear, read about a certain place, you'd never go out.

Answer 12

All the rumors about Mexico not being safe was indeed a fact till January of 2008.  The military has taken over security in the northern Baja due to years of local and state police conspiring to rob tourist and recently locals driving on highways. Yes armed highway robbery.

How ever the Federal Government of Mexico has been at least making it look good.

One thing I can assure you is that right now going to the Baja is safer that flying in a US airline.

Have fun!!!