Top Safety Tips For Traveling To Mexico
Safety Tips For Traveling To Mexico
I never want to share safety information to discourage travel. Mexico is a beautiful country and I have had almost entirely positive experiences there. In the past few years, I’ve spent 3 months living and working in Mexico with tour groups, friends or expat bloggers.
So while I’ve been fortunate and haven’t had any major safety issues (aside from stolen credit cards) I have learned a lot of safety tips by helping run tours or through local expats.
Here’s the best advice that has helped keep me safe as a solo female traveler in Mexico.
Don’t walk alone at night
Pretty basic for any city life. Walk home in pairs. If you’re going to the bars, meet up with your friends while it’s still light out and go together. And always check in with people that they got home alright.
Join expat groups to find reliable taxis and friends
Find expat groups on Facebook by searching “Expats of ___” whatever city in Mexico you plan to live in or travel. These folks will be able to give you very updated safety advice for a specific location, even recommend reliable taxis you can call when you need a ride.
Taxis may rip you off
The most common crime that we dealt with in my time in Mexico was spring breakers being drunk, taking a taxi home and getting ripped off. Taxi drivers have been known to lock the doors until you give over more money or may even pull over and refuse to drive you to your destination until you give them your cash.
Drink in moderation. Otherwise day drink!
There is no denying that a lot of crimes in Mexico target drunk tourists. If you are heading to Mexico with plan to party, why no go during the day?
It’s safer to drink at a beach club during the day and get back to your location during the daylight.
Stay close to the area you want to visit or explore to cut down on taxi rides.
I don’t want to make you terrified of taxis. You may go to Mexico and have no issues with any taxi drivers. However they have been known to insist on more money before dropping you off, stealing your cash if you’re drunk, etc. As a general rule, I avoid taxis when possible.
My third time in Mexico, I didn’t take a taxi once. We were close enough to walk or bike to everything. Staying in a central location might be worth the additional cost to skip on taxis.
Carry some type of personal protection
If you’re staying at resort, this is probably unnecessary. But if you’re planning to live in a city for sometime, get something small to have on you.
While I was staying at an apartment in downtown Playa del Carmen, there was an uptick in crime. The expat ladies all carried some sort of personal protection whether that was a whistle, pepper spray or one of these kinds of rings.
Don’t use the ATMs on the street
Only go to an ATM in a bank in Mexico. ATM thefts are common and the ATMs on the street are easily tampered with!
Carry your purse on the shoulder AWAY from the road
While I was in Playa del Carmen, there were a number of thefts where a person on a scooter yanked the bag off the shoulder of a pedestrian and drove off. Carry your purse on the opposite side to easily avoid this!
Don’t buy drugs (obviously)
Going alone with a drug dealer into an alley is an easy way to get ripped off, scammed or seriously hurt.
Share your live location
If you are walking alone at night, tell someone when you’ve left and when you will arrive. Turn on and share your live location with them as well. Look after one another.
Don’t use the bathroom outside drunk in Cancun- it could result in a night in jail
I know I shouldn’t have to say “don’t pee on the streets” but you’d be surprised how often this happens.
When I was working the spring break season in Cancun, it was a common problem that guys would be drunk leaving a club and decide to pee somewhere outside discreetly. But if the cops saw it happening, they would take advantage of the situation and bring the drunk tourist to jail for the night knowing they could get money of them either to avoid being brought in. And ift they didn’t have money, the police knew their friends would when they arrived to bail them out.
In my first season in Mexico, this happened to three different guys staying at our resort. So just be smart and abide by the laws.
Don’t carry your passport, ID, cash and card all in the same place
Whenever you travel to ANY country, don’t carry everything in one spot. If you keep everything in your purse and lose it, you’re in for a whole headache of inconvenience.
Whereas if you only lose one card and the rest are safely stored back at your hotel- it’s not difficult to cancel that single card. Call your bank immediately.
If you’re unsure whether it’s stolen or simply somewhere in your luggage, many banks have a “freeze” option so if you find your card, you can just unfreeze it.
Leave your passport and ID at home when you can
Whenever possible, just leave your passport back at wherever you are staying. I’ve never once been asked for an ID at a bar or club in Mexico. Check before if you’ll need one for anything you have planned that day/night. But if you don’t, leave it locked up. Many passports get lost during a night on the town in Mexico!
Read: 25 PHOTOS TO INSPIRE YOU TO VISIT CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO
Have a backup card and cash
Have some cash tucked away somewhere or have access to your cards online. You might still be able to use ApplePay in places like Tulum if your cards go missing.
When my cards were stolen in Mexico, I had to have my parents send me money via Western Union. There are way to get cash if you lose your cards but it’s highly inconvenient.
Get insurance for any adventure activities
Activities like ATVing are very popular in Mexico and often the insurance is only an additional $10-$15.
It’s worth it! Just get the insurance upfront.
Read: ATV EXCURSIONS IN CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO
Be wary of what you eat and drink
You can’t drink tap water in Mexico. And honestly, it’s best to just always travel with Imodium or an anti-diarrhea.
At some point, you might get sick from ice in your drink or fruit washed in tap water etc. It’s part of traveling to other countries.
Stay off the roads at night
Unfortunately, driving at night (especially as a tourist) isn’t recommended. Non-local license plates and rental cars are more likely to be the target of organized crime.
This blog post does a great job explaining why driving around Mexico at night is unsafe. Plan day trips. And if you need to get around at night, use a local taxi driver. You can find reliable, trustworthy taxi drivers from expat groups on Facebook.
Get a suitcase with a lock on it
I absolutely adore my new suitcase from Victorinox. And honestly, I don’t know why it took me so long to get a suitcase with a lock built into the design.
Especially if you plan to couchsurf or stay in hostels in ANY country, it’s great to have!
Read: COUCHSURFING: IS IT SAFE?
Make copies of important travel documents
Again, this safety tip applies to any country. Having a paper copy of your passport will make things easier should you lose yours and need a replacement.
Having a physical paper with your hotel address or flight info can be a life saver in the event your phone dies.
I was once lost in Egypt with no recollection of my hotel address and a dead phone. I couldn’t find anywhere to charge my phone, it was a disaster and incredibly stressful. If you have your hotel name and address written down, you can always just show it to a taxi driver even if you don’t speak the language!
Travel with a portable charger
There is no denying that a fully charged phone can be a huge asset to your safety.
You’ll need to access maps if you get lost and you’ll want to be able to call for help in the event of an emergency.
Always travel with a portable charger and better yet, get one that is solar powered! That way if you have a long day outside, with no access to a plugin, you could charge your phone and battery pack if they are both dead via the sun.
And with any trip, don’t post your location on social media until after you’ve left
Especially to my fellow bloggers, sharing “wow I’m traveling solo in this beautiful Airbnb…” and then showing everyone online where they can find you is never a smart idea.
I post my stories a day late because it’s actually happened to me abroad…people have shown up trying to find me. And while their intentions were good, other people might not have the best intentions.
Join me in Mexico in 2022 for DÃa de Muertos!
Don’t feel intimidated, Mexico is amazing!
I love Mexico. And I wouldn’t spend one month every year there if I didn’t. Hopefully, this blog post doesn’t scare you away from visiting but instead allows you to be a more informed traveler. Have fun and stay safe!
Do you have any safety tips I missed? Let me know in the comments!
Read: SWIMMING WITH WILD WHALE SHARKS: 10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Save “Top Safety Tips For Traveling To Mexico” on Pinterest!
Shop my travel favorites:
