Interesting article on the dangers of Mexico (and other places)

emilyinchile · April 2011

http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/04/the-most-murderous-countries-safer-than-you-think/236891/

The author is a well-known travel blogger. Guess we're not all crazy for considering a Mexican vacation after all, despite what the naysayers would have us believe.

hz80408 · April 2011

Thank you for posting. Great article. We HMed in Riveria Maya is Oct with no concern whatsoever, but others thought we were crazy.

[Deleted User] · April 2011

Thank you for posting this.

We went to Cancun last year and to be honest, we felt safer there walking alone at night than we do on the streets of Philly.

People need to realize, crap can happen anywhere at any time, it's just the way life is. You can't plan your travels around what MIGHT happen otherwise, you'll never leave your home.

Go with the flow, be aware of your surroundings, don't act so much like a typical tourist, have an "escape" plan and just have fun.

Snippylynn · April 2011

*love*

SuMmErKuTiE · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_interesting-article-dangers-of-mexico-other-places?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:95bb204f-a4a0-480e-9c6b-d75d1338e7f4Post:5b636edf-e984-4a8d-8278-c6d4589b8956">Interesting article on the dangers of Mexico (and other places)</a>:
[QUOTE]<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/04/the-most-murderous-countries-safer-than-you-think/236891/" rel='nofollow'>http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/04/the-most-murderous-countries-safer-than-you-think/236891/</a> The author is a well-known travel blogger. Guess we're not all crazy for considering a Mexican vacation after all, despite what the naysayers would have us believe.
Posted by emilyinchile[/QUOTE]

Love this! Thank you so much for posting, I've gotten so tired of the "Is it safe to go to Mexico" posts because it shows people are ignorant and don't do their research and they've probably never really traveled much outside the U.S. or at all. I really wish people would stop being so naive and just get out there and see the world and not be so afraid of everything.

Do you mind if I use this to create a sticky at the top of the board regarding Mexico travel and safety?

emilyinchile · April 2011

Of course not - it would be lovely if it actually cut down on the number of questions like that. Although my favorite of all time is still "where can we got that's like Costa Rica but not Costa Rica because my FI refuses to go to Costa Rica due to the violence in Mexico?"

SuMmErKuTiE · April 2011

Ha! I remember that post, I don't think I'll ever forget that! I really need to update the stickies on this board... one regarding travel to Mexico and one regarding hurricane season.

July032011 · April 2011

Thanks! MInd if I repost on my local board?

emilyinchile · April 2011

People, spread this everywhere. There are uneducated people all over the internet who need to read it.

LisaChris2011 · April 2011

Yes and I am living proof that one survives Mexico. The pic in my sig on the right was taken in Cancun just last year....

Knot Annie · April 2011

My DH and I took a trip to Acapulco last August and had an amazing time. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

Cynthia1207 · April 2011

What? No pirates? I can now go to Costa Rica because not all of Mexico is dangerous?

Thank you for posting this....I wonder if any one of those "don't go to Mexico" advocates are going to post.....

allisonkbye · April 2011

I just got back from a week trip in Texas training active military members. I asked them if they would travel to Mexico and their response was "absolutely not". One has a time share there and hasn't been there in the last couple of years. Another said that grant it, they aren't just out killing random people - but if you get in the middle of their business, you're screwed and there's no telling where and when that might happen. Average 300 people a month are getting killed.

Not trying to stir anything up here or discourage anyone from going. It's only fair those who read the first 12 posts of this that they are also be aware of the actual violence that is occuring (rather than ignoring all of it) and thing all is fine and dandy there when its not - and you can't guarentee the safety of anyone going. Just something to keep in mind

Denise91980 · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_interesting-article-dangers-of-mexico-other-places?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:95bb204f-a4a0-480e-9c6b-d75d1338e7f4Post:fe18226b-bc10-4101-a7bc-d7525bb7682c">Re: Interesting article on the dangers of Mexico (and other places)</a>:
[QUOTE]People, spread this everywhere. There are uneducated people all over the internet who need to read it.
Posted by emilyinchile[/QUOTE]

<div>1. LOVE</div><div>
</div><div>2. I get so sad when people say things about certain areas and lump people into one category. I have been to the Riviera Maya twice in the past 5 years and not once did I feel unsafe. The natives that worked at both resorts were extremely hard working people who did everything they could to make my stay as comfortable as possible (which honestly, some hotels and resorts in the US don't go out of their way to make anyone comfortable). Getting to know some of them over the time there made me and DH sad to think that they get a bad rap because of other people in their country choose a violent way of life, and those people are hundreds and thousands of miles away. Every time I mention going back, I hear negative comments from people and because of their own ignorance they may miss out on a vacation of a lifetime. </div>

lexa10 · April 2011

I was the one who posted the Costa Rica article. I guess you all were not smart enough to read down through the thread and realize that I apologized for making a dumb mistake. This has got to be the worst board on TK because I know of several PMs I have got about all of the rude comments and how ladies don't feel they can post anything because they are afraid of people like yourselves. We are on the board to get advice and find answers, not looking for people with attitudes who tell us that we are naive, uneducated, and plain ignorant. We deal with people like that on a daily, face-to-face basis.

jemmini6 · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_interesting-article-dangers-of-mexico-other-places?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:95bb204f-a4a0-480e-9c6b-d75d1338e7f4Post:7cdfc827-d3e3-4f7d-abc7-25fb249a7f0c">Re: Interesting article on the dangers of Mexico (and other places)</a>:
[QUOTE]I was the one who posted the Costa Rica article. I guess you all were not smart enough to read down through the thread and realize that I apologized for making a dumb mistake. This has got to be the worst board on TK because I know of several PMs I have got about all of the rude comments and how ladies don't feel they can post anything because they are afraid of people like yourselves. We are on the board to get advice and find answers, not looking for people with attitudes who tell us that we are naive, uneducated, and plain ignorant. We deal with people like that on a daily, face-to-face basis.
Posted by lexa10[/QUOTE]

We get that you apologized, but if you can't recognize the ignorance in your first thread, then you really are naive. If you learn from it and move on then you'll be fine, but seriously...you can't blame people for bringing that up because it was pretty ridiculous.

Edit: And I don't mean that in a mean way. We've all had pretty dumb assumptions about things that we aren't familiar with, but you realize your mistake, move on, and laugh at yourself for it. I know I've done it before, but I don't 'hate' the people who corrected my mistake...if they hadn't, I'd still look like an asss about that topic.

SuMmErKuTiE · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_interesting-article-dangers-of-mexico-other-places?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:95bb204f-a4a0-480e-9c6b-d75d1338e7f4Post:f453e23c-d607-4cfc-bec6-a415fe589fcc">Re: Interesting article on the dangers of Mexico (and other places)</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Interesting article on the dangers of Mexico (and other places) : We get that you apologized, but if you can't recognize the ignorance in your first thread, then you really are naive. If you learn from it and move on then you'll be fine, but seriously...you can't blame people for bringing that up because it was pretty ridiculous. Edit: And I don't mean that in a mean way. We've all had pretty dumb assumptions about things that we aren't familiar with, but you realize your mistake, move on, and laugh at yourself for it. I know I've done it before, but I don't 'hate' the people who corrected my mistake...if they hadn't, I'd still look like an asss about that topic.
Posted by jemmini6[/QUOTE]

<div>I couldn't have said it better myself ;0)</div><div>
</div><div>Lexa I remember that post and yes it stands out in my mind because of how ridiculous it was. But I also see you around on a lot of the other boards and you're a great poster. No need to be upset or hurt by that thread. We've all been there whether on here or in real life where we've said something that others would find utterly ridiculous. You laugh about it and move on. Wouldn't you rather that happened on here with a bunch of internet strangers than in real life with people you actually know and spend time with? We've all been flamed on here, I know I sure have especially when I was a newb, but when I thought about what I said that caused an uproar I realized why and learned from it and moved on. The knot boards are extremely helpful while planning your wedding even if there is some snark mixed in sometimes. If it wasn't for these boards, I wouldn't have found a lot of my local vendors or come up with some of the great ideas that I used in my wedding and HM. </div><div>
</div><div>The article OP posted is a great article and I hope it helps other posters who are afraid of the unknown to open their eyes and see the other side instead of reading into the uneeded histeria. I've known several people who have vacationed in Mexico recently and they've all had amazing times. DH and I will be there soon with good friends of ours and we're super excited about our trip and not scared in the least. I've said it before and I'll say it again that I always feel much safer in Mexico than I have in Jamaica and some of the other Caribbean islands I've been to, but that wouldn't stop me from returning to Jamaica or the DR, etc... just use your common sense when traveling anywhere away from home. </div>

lexa10 · April 2011

Thank you both for the explanations. I appreciate that. Maybe I have thin skin, but I do tend to get a little on the defensive side when I see some of the posts above that are about the thread that I posted. After realizing what I said, I realize it was dumb and I should have paid more attention. I just wish that it wasn't brought up and talked about as though it is the 'most ridiculous of all time'

NOLAbridealmost · April 2011

I wouldn't necessarily refer to the Mexican hotel staff as "natives." But to me that's because it's sort of a pejorative term. "Locals" sounds much nicer.

emilyinchile · April 2011

Alison, you are one of the people who has previously posted about not wanting to go to Mexico, so it's not exactly surprising that you would still be anti-Mexico. Active military does not necessarily equal informed about everywhere in the world though, so I don't see what that has to do with anything unless your point is that even really tough people don't want to go to the parts of the world where 300 people a month die. I don't want to go to those places either. I just realize that that isn't what's happening in the ENTIRE country of Mexico.

And lexa, chill. I for one was in fact smart enough to read your follow-ups in that post, but that doesn't mean that the initial post never existed.

Moneypenny424 · April 2011

Thank God someone posted this. It's like me saying, "I need to move out of the US because Watts and Detroit can be pretty dangerous." Or that I shouldn't have gone to my particular university because people get mugged in New Haven.

Allison, no one is pretending that Mexico is crime-free utopia. One needs to realize that there is crime everywhere, but that doesn't mean places should not be visited. One should be smart and careful wherever he/she travels around the world.

blush64 · April 2011

EDITED to add info:
My sister and niece had a wonderful vacation in Mexico. They loved it. I do know of at least 5 other couples who also vacation there. There have been far more positive experiences than negative ones.

However, I would like to say I am from Canada and there have been a lot of tourist deaths due to suspicious causes of Canadians in the past several years in Mexico so I can understand people being wary. (a lot as compared to other popular destinations) And I am not talking about people involved in the drug trade or those traveling in the USA-Mexica border area. (although I would stay out of that area)

The number of Canadian tourist deaths has been higher in Mexico than the popular with tourist countries in that area. (not all though) This doesn't mean anything will happen and the number is still not huge. But the reaction of the Mexican officials to the deaths was not good and that can discourage travel.

I think people should just read up about the intended travel destination no matter where it is and then decide for themselves.

Cynthia1207 · April 2011

allison, allison, allison, When will you learn that NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, if you get mixed up in someone's business you are looking for trouble? Mexico or not?

Lexa - sorry but that first thread, apologizing for it or not, was ignorant. People are going to keep bringing it up no matter what. You need to develop thicker skin if you're going to stick around.

Interesting article on the dangers of Mexico (and other places)

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