So… You love going to Mexico. You’ve maybe even been here multiple times and consider yourself a veteran… I’ve got news for you – if you spent your whole trip here within the confines of an all-inclusive resort, you haven’t been to Mexico.
I don’ care how good the mariachi band was that played while you ate dinner.
It’s like laying over at an airport in Memphis for 30 minutes – if that’s all you do, you haven’t really been to Memphis. It doesn’t count unless you get out and experience some of the amazing things this magnificent country has to offer.
Oh, and before you lay that whole “Steve, I heard it’s dangerous there and they hunt Americans for sport and mount their heads for trophies!” bit on me, remember that I live here and have safely lived here for quite some time.
I am as gringo looking as they come and I’ve literally been in every part of Playa del Carmen – even the so called “bad” parts, and I’ve never had a single issue. I can’t recall a time where I’ve felt unsafe or even uncomfortable. This is in stark contrast to where I used to live in Las Vegas and there were times that I felt very uneasy, simply during the course of doing my day to day real estate activities.
In all fairness, I completely remember everything that I read online and saw on TV when I was getting ready to make my move to Playa. It’s shocking how they portray all of Mexico when in reality, the trouble spots are very small and generally located on the border with the United States. Those places are far, far away from the Riviera Maya – it’s like refusing to visit Disneyland in Florida because there have been shootings in Detroit.
It doesn’t make sense.
I drove from Las Vegas to Mexico and went through what are considered to be some of the very worst hot spots for cartel activity and everything was fine. Now, am I recommending you go hang out in Ciudad Juarez or Nuevo Laredo? No, I’m not. What I am saying is that I’ve personally been in the worst places there are and had no issues so you should be fine visiting a place that is literally thousands of miles away from the troubled areas.
I recently put together a report on the safety in Mexico and found some very interesting things during my research. Did you know that you are 25 times more likely to be the victim of a homicide in Orlando, Florida than you are while vacationing in Mexico? In case you aren’t making the connection, Orlando is where Disney World is located. I haven’t seen any governmental agency issuing travel advisories for Disney World lately…
So here’s my recommendation – relax and enjoy your vacation in Mexico. Get out of the all-inclusive resort and explore a little bit.
Jump in a cenote, do some zip lining, climb an ancient pyramid, snorkel or scuba dive, rent a scooter… live, damn you! Live!
The people are amazingly friendly, the local food is out of this world and there are so many things to experience that your resort simply can’t provide… Stay in the major tourist areas, don’t deal, buy or get involved with illegal drugs and you and your family will have the trip of a lifetime!
Enjoy!!
