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I was just wondering, are you at all concerned about the violence Mexico is experiencing? It's an extremely scary time down there right now, it's even bad in US bordering cities. How do you plan on keeping yourself safe?
My FI used to work for Texas Border Security Operations in Austin and has pictures saved on our hard drive of some of the violence down in Mexico- I'm talking severed heads with the heads lined up with the bodies on the ground, piles of bodies in shower stalls. His current line of work has him involved in Homeland Security and I CANNOT stress enough how unsafe it is in Mexico. The violence is seeping into tourist areas as well now and there's no way to guarantee safety down there. It's practically a rogue state at this point; government and police officials are essentially helpless against the cartels. I always want to say this in threads where brides are contemplating traveling to Mexico for honeymoons, and I don't want to be a Debbie Downer or anything, but it is NOT SAFE and I wouldn't recommend anyone going there at all.
@ohheavenlyday: I am right there with you! I so badly want to say something, but I don't want hurt feelings. Although I'd rather have hurt feelings than missing hive members.
I went to Playa del carmen for my honeymoon and felt totally safe.
My advice is be smart! Just as you should be whenever you are traveling to a foreign city.
Playa del carmen does not have any travel advisories against traveling there - do your research before hand. It really is a tourist town and the locals gave us the BEST service we had ever experienced.
At one time a friend left her camera at the table and a local came running after her to give her her camera.
Be smart and you will be fine. The media makes money from fear mongering - take everything you hear into consideration but don't let it affect your decisions until you do your research!
AHH!! Yes! I never say anything when the thread is for brides who have ALREADY purchased tickets or whatever to anywhere in Mexico because what's done is done and I really don't want to scare anyone, but for those CONSIDERING Mexico, I just want to caution against going there. I know that there are people who go to resorts and have a great time and feel safe, but it is an extremely dangerous country to travel to because there IS NO LAW AND ORDER. It just makes me scared for people who want to go and really don't have any concept of how dangerous it is. I just think that there's safer places that offer resorts and beaches just like Mexico that would be much better choices.
there is a big difference between inner city mexico and a resort in mexico.
@stephanie63087: Unfortunately, there really is not. The crime in Mexico is sky high, all through-out.
It's Mexico. If you get pickpocketed there, the police cannot help you. Your passport gets stolen? Good luck getting help from them. Traveling TO the resort THROUGH Mexico? Dangerous. If someone wants to go I'm obviously not going to demand they refund their tickets or anything, but this is what my FI does for a living. I see and hear all the time what happens in Mexico, and even in the U.S. from spillover from Mexico. You may or may not be fine in a resort but I just needed to add my two cents that I don't think the risk is worth it at all. Resorts are not these little safe havens where nothing can happen. Phoenix isn't even in Mexico and yet it's the kidnapping capital now because of spillover violence FROM Mexico. El Paso, Texas is not Mexico but it's right across the border from the murder capital of the world which is Juarez, Mexico. These are dangerous places in the U.S. because of Mexico.
Have any of you (besides Mrs. Martin) been to Mexico? Yes there is a lot of violence in Mexico, primarily in the border towns, but the resort areas are very safe. Mexico needs its tourism and works hard to protect it. I wouldn't go wander in random areas, but I would definitely go to tourist areas. DH and I go to Cabo about once a year. We've also been to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta and have done Mexican cruises. That said...we aren't going to Tijuana right now.
We just had our wedding in Cabo and did leave the resort for the rehearsal dinner. We all felt extremely safe, even in town. Obviously, we didn't leave the resort with our passports or carry around a ton of cash (as someone said, pickpocketing is common and you're kind of SOL, just like in a lot of places in Europe).
I don't think that I would go to places on in the south, leave the resort and drive around in the country - however, we felt safe in Cabo. Many of the ex-pats that we worked with who live there (florist, photographers) said they really only worry about being pickpocketed.
I recently heard about some shootings in Cancun! And Cancun is as 'touristy' as Mexico gets!
EDIT: It wasn't a shooting, it was a fire and it was in Cancun, but at a bar frequented by locals http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/08/31/mexican-tourism-booming-officials-say-despite-ongoing-violence/
There's crime everywhere. I really don't feel like there is that big of a danger at a Secrets Resort. If there were that big of a danger, there would be more travel advisories.
From the State Department's website:
Travel Warnings are issued when long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable lead the State Department to recommend that Americans avoid or consider the risk of travel to that country. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government's ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff. The countries listed below meet those criteria.
Mexico was added to the list in September of 2010.
@ohheavenlyday: @bride2bejc: i think the media make its out to be worse than it is. i have been to mexico (on vacation and to visit family multiple times), and its not as bad as you describe, if you stay in the tourist parts of the city and in the resort, you should be fine. its really all about being aware of your surroundings. you will HEAR lots of things get hyped up, most of it is not so serious... people get shot everyday in the city i live in, does that make it unsafe? NO. it just means tou should be aware and not go to bad parts of the city.
@CaraMia10: Gary indiana used to be the crime capital in the us... the media hypes it up, i live a few hours from there and have family there, its perfectly safe as long as you know where not to go. im just saying that unless you have been there and had a bad experience (gotten pickpocketed, shot, etc,) its just like anywhere else in the world.
Media does tend to hype things up, but not Mexican violence. If anything, they tone it DOWN so as not to scare American audiences. I'm not writing what I've said on this thread based on watching the news; I have seen PICTURES of violence in Mexico that my FI has on his work computer and has shown me based on security operations he's done and stories he's told me from personal work experience. We're friends with some of the highest ranking Texas Rangers and THEY will not go to Mexico. There's a travel advisory out by the state department. It's not just our opinion from watching television.
@ohheavenlyday: thats fine im not here to argue, im just saying that horriffic things happen everyday in the US too. and i myself, have had great experiences everytime ive been there.
Most of the places where destination bees are getting married are resort areas. Their economy relies on tourists and the people of mexico understand and respect this. I think this is a case where Mexico in general has a bad rep, but most of the violence is in border towns exclusively.
Millions of tourists travel safely to mexico every year, but its totally understandable why someone would have reservations about traveling there. Most people are somewhat uninformed about the violence in mexico and where exactly it is. You have to keep things in perspective though, would you not travel to florida because you heard there was violence in Detroit? My family all traveled to Cancun this past summer and felt very safe.
I love Mexico. I’ve vacationed in Cancun & Playa Del Carmen, 6 times since I was 16. The last time I traveled there was 2 years ago, with my Fi. With that said, I would NOT willingly travel to a country that the US Department of State has issued a travel advisory for, Mexico being on that list since September of this year. I will not deny that the media has influenced how I feel, as there is no other way that I would know about the current crime situation. My parents are from Central America & South America, and they were raised around the terrors of drug wars. In turn, I grew up hearing a lot of stories. It’s a serious issue going on over there so it’s not somewhere I would want to take a chance and end up in the middle of.
@ohheavenlyday: That warning is very true; if you read the whole alert they give detailed information about which areas of the country are seeing the most violence. Acapulco, for example, has seen three bystanders killed in crossfire between the cops and "bad guys". They also point out that most of the tourist areas are considerably safer and list precautions to take such as:
1. don't display pricey jewelry while walking around town
2. keep your cash and passports in the safe
3. avoid areas where criminal activity may take places
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_4755.html
Before our wedding, we read this and sent it out to our friends and family; after reading it, we all still felt safe traveling to our resort in Cabo and walking around town. I would probably not have felt as safe traveling to mayan ruins or other area outside of town, but I was comfortable at our resort and in the tourist areas of town.
@ohheavenlyday: A little off topic, but should your FI even be showing you pics from his work computer, esp if it involves security operations? And have pics on your hard drive??
I wonder if your perspective may be a bit skewed based on your FI's job and experience. For instance, if he was a police officer in Anytown USA he would probably be relating to you how much violence he sees on a daily basis in Anytown - it doesn't mean that Anytown is unsafe overall.
I don't think 'feeling safe' is a very objective way to measure how safe a place actually is.
I think the point is, that maybe Mexico isn't as safe now as it used to be, and maybe CaraMia and ohheavenlyday just want to point out that there are maybe safer places to honeymoon or have a DW. I mean, chances are if you are already planning a DW in Mexico, nothing bad will happen, but...
There was a couple who was killed at a resort, and there's been other 'accidents' at resorts too. I have a friend who was approached by a worker at a resort saying that unless this guy she was with paid him some money, he was going to report him to the police for something random. Sure, bad things happen everywhere, but just because you're going to be at a resort doesn't mean you're in a safe haven from crime.
My aunt owns a condo in a resort area of Mexico. She has closed it to all of us who use it, even her kids (who go frequently). They usually go once a month, but they said that even the resort areas are completely unsafe. My uncle, who is a big burly farmer, said even in usually the nicest of areas people are being threatened, beaten, or totally disappearing.
We were planning on going to my aunts condo for our honeymoon, but have decided to go to our cabin in the Ozarks.
We just went to Mexico in June, went to Cabo San Lucas to go Scuba Diving with Blue WHALES and stayed in the RESORT area of town. It was one of my favorite vacations, and we travel ALOT. (SPAIN,FRANCE,GERMANY,BAHAMAS, and CABO this past year so far) It was OFF SEASON, so it was a really quiet town, we also had our engagment photos taken by a LOCAL there on a PRIVATE beach as well as in a loacal cathedral. All in all this can happen anywhere, I have learned you travel safe and travel light and always use the buddy system. Don't drink anything given to you by strangers, I always order a drink that comes in a bottle or a can, and ask them not to open it, therefore I open my own drink and know that no one has funked with it. I didn't wear my ENGAGEMENT ring either when we went out, I kept it in the SD box in the room.
We are going back next May as well as doing another dive trip in Cozumel, the news will scare you about your safety but the resort areas are a completely different area, most of the LOCALS cannot get in to the resort area unless they work for a hotel and they go through background check to get these jobs, this was from our local photographer.
THANK YOU! That's all I was trying to say. I'm not on some Anti Mexico advisory board, but the thread was one where I felt comfortable talking about how dangerous it is and just cautioning people to consider other options if they're thinking of going to Mexico. There are resorts and beachers in MUCH safer places right now than Mexico and when there's a travel advisory out by the state department, I just don't see why it's worth the risk.
Actually, he DID used to be a police officer in several different towns and he doesn't consider those unreasonably unsafe and is not unwilling to travel to them. The violence going on in Mexico is NOT comparable to your average crime happening in regular places around the world.
As far as his work pictures and computer goes, he has a top secret security clearance through the government. When anything he's working on is related to that, he doesn't show it to me or even talk about it. Otherwise, him talking to me about his work or showing pictures of what he's done is no different than anyone else talking to their SO about their job.
I neverthought this would bethe first kind of thread I comment on after getting married but... I'm in cancun right NOW and it's freaking awesome. Were having the time of our lives!!! That said, any foreign country has it's dangers. I've been to about 19 around the world. I feel safer here than I did in quite a few of them. That said, I left my rings at home, lock everything of value in the safe and have only stayed at the resort which is very nice and has security percautions in place. We never travel alone or leave the room without the other. The tourist areas will always have a few incidents no matter the country. Cancun is STILL safer than any resort in Jamaica. Violence and lawlessness in Jamaica with drugs and everything is worse. The only reason Mexico gets more air time is because it's our border and affects America more. Use caution, common sense, and be smart. There is danger everywhere but I would Rec any of my family and friends to come here. There's 2 friends of ours who were here the week before and had a blast with no inkling of safety issues. Be smart but no need to try and make it sound like cancun is the battle of the Alamo.
Now, time to wake up the hubs for our highly dangerous spa day filled with massages :-)
@ohheavenlyday: Glad to hear no security clearances were breached :) My comment about the police officers was not to compare the border violence in Mexico with the violence in a "regular" town, just that the perspective of people enforcing law may be very different. Another example - I work in health care and only see sick children on a healthy basis. I know most kids are healthy, but sometimes that's hard to remember when you rarely see them!
Clearly there are major security concerns in border areas in Mexico - no one disputes that. However, I do believe it is an overgeneralization to paint all of Mexico with the same brush. It is a diverse country, much as Canada and the US are as well.
@KLP2010: Im going to have to disagree with that. The only violence that is occurring in Jamaica right now is in Kingston. Tourists are totally safe and the majority of the resort areas are on the other side of the island. The Jamaicans love tourists and were honestly the nicest people I have ever met in my life! We went outside of the resort and never once was there an issue. I was able to wear my rings in Jamaica, my husband brought his $300 watch and wore it even off the resort.
What I will say is that I went to Colombia in March (it also had a government warning against travel) and I felt safe there as well. I did not wear my rings in Colombia at all and I was with a large group of people so it may have been different if I was alone.
I lived in Jamaica. Kingston is worse but it's not localized and it's extremely dangerous off resort. I love jamaica and say the same to people going there. Be smart. Never venture alone. Again, you don't hear about it here or as a tourist. But yes, Jamaica is violent country wide... But you will indeed find some of the nicest people ever. Jamaica is very close to my heart. I'm trying to help give perspective. There is danger everywhere not just Mexico.
@KLP2010: Its true. There is danger everywhere, even in the US! I agree that people need to just be smart, know what to look for, not go out alone, etc. I would still go to Mexico even though there is a lot of violence there!
My husband and I traveled to Puerto Vallarta for our honeymoon the third week of October and I guess we were just really uninformed travelers because we had no idea of the travel warnings or "level of danger" with traveling to Mexico since September. We are fine and had no problems, nor did we see any problems.
I guess I'm just commenting to let people know to travel at your own risk and make decisions that feel safe for you and your family.
pickpocketing in most areas of europe is sky high too...is that going to keep you from travelling? crime is high in a lot of the US too! there's no use fear-mongering. be smart and be aware of your surroundings wherever you are. i highly doubt anyone is planning a wedding or honeymoon in a mexican border town.
Fear mongering is blowing the appearance of danger and violence out of proportion based on one or two isolated incidents. There's a travel advisory out by the US Dept of State warning people against going to Mexico. Advising people to be wary of traveling to places where the US government doubts its ability to help you if you get into trouble is not fear mongering.
We are getting married in Tulum in April next year and are so excited about it! I agree that the fear-mongering is going a little overboard. You have to be safe and aware wherever you are. Location-wise, you're much closer to the violence in Mexico by being in Texas than those who are getting married in Cancun or further south.
I agree that I'm pretty sure none of the bees on here are getting married in Juarez, though I do love the reaction I get when I joke with people about where in Mexico I'm getting married. I say Juarez and the looks on people's faces are priceless.
Out of curiosity, I browsed through the US travel advisory for Mexico. Nowhere did I see it stated that Americans should avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico as a whole. I have included a link and a relevant paragraph for those who are interested.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_4755.html
Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year. This includes tens of thousands who cross the border every day for study, tourism or business and at least one million U.S. citizens who live in Mexico. The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and other visitors to major tourist destinations. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime reported in the border region and in areas along major drug trafficking routes. Nevertheless, crime and violence are serious problems. While most victims of violence are Mexican citizens associated with criminal activity, the security situation poses serious risks for U.S. citizens as well.
For us Canadians, I have posted
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/report_rapport-eng.asp?id=184000
My husband and I went to Riviera Maya last month for our week long honeymoon and stayed at a resort. I would recommend scheduling your shuttle service from the airport to resort ahead of time (when you book your flights) to ensure that you are getting service from a safe source. Also, just don't venture out on your own. We went to a bunch of places but only with tour groups and travel guides - never on our own. The furthest we went was with a tour bus to Chichen Itza - a 1 1/2 hour bus ride. The bus drove through some rather sketchy looking areas, but I'm sure the bus drivers know where and where not to drive through. Just be smart and be safe.
I live in NYC and there is crime everyday, and sometimes over nothing! You can only be smart and defensive - can't hole yourself up.
i do agree with some of the PP that the media UNDERPLAYS the prevelance of the violence in mexico. i think that for as big of a deal as it is and how intense some of the cities are experiencing bloodshed, american media really downplay it. i don't why this is, becasue as a journalist, i know that the media (especially news broadcasters) love crisis. it makes them money!!!
My husband and I went to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico for our honeymoon. We had an AMAZING time, and never felt unsafe (in the cab, on our excursions, at the resort, in the Cancun airport, etc).
I've visited a lot of places, and lived a lot of places (some nice, some not so nice). I believe strongly in being aware of your surroundings, and being cautious, no matter where you are. Horrible things can happen anywhere, even in seemingly safe areas.
Before I leave the country, I register through the Department of State: https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/
From the Department of State: "Common-sense precautions such as visiting only legitimate business and tourist areas during daylight hours, and avoiding areas where criminal activity might occur, can help ensure that travel to Mexico is safe and enjoyable. U.S. citizen victims of crime in Mexico are urged to contact the consular section of the nearest U.S. Consulate or Embassy for advice and assistance."
The violence in Mexico is being WOEFULLY underplayed by American media.
Remember that story from the day before yesterday about a drug cartel leader being killed on the border?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131112695
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/11/06/mexico.violence/index.html?iref=allsearch
It happened on the Brownsville, Texas/Matamoros border. And when I mean border, I mean literally YARDS away from the local university on the Rio Grande there. American college students could HEAR the gunfire.
What's driving me nuts is what is not mentioned in either of these articles: FOURTY-SEVEN CIVILIANS DEAD in the shootout. I have no idea why it's not being mentioned anywhere!
Hmmm...some of the comments above irk me a bit. Take this from someone who is currently LIVING in Mexico (and I am actually living in one of the cities that is MOST NOTORIOUS for drug crime, because it is one of the headquarter cities of one of the major cartels). There are dozens of murders here per week. However, I´ve been here for six months, and although it is on the local news every day, I have not once seen a murder or any foul play or crime while I have been here (knock on wood).
Now, keep in mind, I am very cautious. I don´t go out by myself at night, etc., etc. I want to stress that the violence is TARGETED to people who are involved in the buying, selling, and taking of drugs. The people that they murder are, 99% of the time, NOT innocent bystanders; they are people who have a stake, somehow, in the drug war. Unfortunately, a very large majority of Mexicans are involved in the drug war. I highly doubt that any drug criminals would randomly shoot some random couple they see out. They know who they are going after. Is it possible to be at the wrong place at the wrong time? Yes, of course, but that is anywhere.
Now, this I have just said is coming from someone who is living in a city in the heart of the violence. The resort areas are 99.9% SAFE. If I haven´t seen one bad thing or had one bad thing happen to me in the past six months, being in the worst part of it, I don´t think going to Cancun or Vallarta is going to result in you being murdered by drug criminals. The criminals hang out in certain areas, and let me guarantee you, you are probably not going to find very many at a 4 star resort on the Riviera Maya. People have to live their lives. Violence can happen anywhere, and although Mexico in general is experiencing a bad security situation, but I still feel that the resort areas of the country are very safe and there is miniscule likelihood of something happening to you there. There are a lot of amazing things about this country and it would be a shame to miss out going to a safe touristy area because of your fear. Just don´t walk around alone at night with a 3 carat diamond ring and I imagine you won´t have any problems and I´ve been to most of the resorts in Mexico and they are GORGEOUS and worth seeing and not letting yourself be scared by the TARGETED criminal situation happening in CERTAIN areas of the country.
@maggierose:Thanks Maggierose! Its nice to get a more insider perspective.
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