Mexico--are you worried?

Amoura+ · February 2012

We just booked a vacation to Puerto Vallarta for April. Despite what has happened there re: crime, I am not worried about our safety. Are you avoiding certain places because of what has been happening there?

**edited to add: certain places within Mexico

magsugar13 · February 2012

only some parts of the middle east

mxolisi · February 2012

south-central Somalia.

JoNi2010 · February 2012

Afghanistan.

emilyinchile · February 2012

Within Mexico? I'm holding off on Ciudad Juarez.

GilliC · February 2012

Re: Mexico, there was a great post a few weeks ago: http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/63469595.aspx

As for places I'm currently avoiding:

Iran - I'm irrationally afraid of being imprisoned as a spy

Ethiopia - One of my good friends was there a month ago when the four tourists were killed in the north, so it bothered me more than most events like this. Also, he ended up hospitalized for a week with a mystery disease when he got back. I need a few months for all this to fade a bit in memory.

Costa cruises - You know that ship drifting around pirate waters off the coast of Seychelles? I was on the same cruise last year. On top of the Concordia tragedy, I don't plan to sail Costa for a while. I didn't really like the cruise line anyway, and my ship didn't even sink or malfunction!

...on the flip side, I have a strong desire to actually go to the DRC to see Nyiragongo. Embarrassed

hz80408 · February 2012

Where in Mexico? Tijiuana? Maybe?

That's like saying are you scared to be in the US because of the school shooting in Ohio...and me living in Chicago.

It all depends on exact location

MrsD2006 · February 2012

I would not be going to PV right now. Still planning on going to PDC/Tulum/Akumal this spring unless something changes.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_5665.html

Jalisco Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta are the major cities/travel destinations in Jalisco -see map (PDF, 286 kb) to identify their exact locations: You should defer non-essential travel to areas of the state that border the states of Michoac?n and Zacatecas. You should also exercise caution when traveling at night outside of cities in the remaining portions of this state. The security situation along the Michoac?n and Zacatecas borders continues to be unstable and gun battles between criminal groups and authorities occur. Concerns include roadblocks placed by individuals posing as police or military personnel and recent gun battles between rival TCOs involving automatic weapons.

emilyinchile · February 2012

hz80408:
Where in Mexico? Tijiuana? Maybe?

That's like saying are you scared to be in the US because of the school shooting in Ohio...and me living in Chicago.

It all depends on exact location

I know a lot of people say that, and it's annoying, but OP didn't say anything along those lines. She just asked if people are avoiding certain areas. That's a legit question.

hz80408 · February 2012

emilyinchile:
hz80408:

Where in Mexico? Tijiuana? Maybe?

That's like saying are you scared to be in the US because of the school shooting in Ohio...and me living in Chicago.

It all depends on exact location

I know a lot of people say that, and it's annoying, but OP didn't say anything along those lines. She just asked if people are avoiding certain areas. That's a legit question.

Oops, yes, I agree. I guess I skimmed the actual OP too quickly and just referenced the title of the post

mxolisi · February 2012

MrsD2006:
I would not be going to PV right now. Still planning on going to PDC/Tulum/Akumal this spring unless something changes.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_5665.html

Jalisco Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta are the major cities/travel destinations in Jalisco -see map (PDF, 286 kb) to identify their exact locations: You should defer non-essential travel to areas of the state that border the states of Michoac?n and Zacatecas. You should also exercise caution when traveling at night outside of cities in the remaining portions of this state. The security situation along the Michoac?n and Zacatecas borders continues to be unstable and gun battles between criminal groups and authorities occur. Concerns include roadblocks placed by individuals posing as police or military personnel and recent gun battles between rival TCOs involving automatic weapons.

I'm confused. That warning doesn't say to avoid PV. It says to avoid the Michoacan Jalisco border and the Zacatecas Jalisco border. PV is nowhere near either of those borders. It is near the border with Nayarit. Are you referring to something else?

Guadalajara is totally safe. My husband was there with a bunch of Mexican political candidates last week. No armored vehicles or bodyguards in sight. If you are familiar with how DOS lays out these statements it is clear that they name those cities for reference, not because they think you shouldn't visit them.

MissusTexas · February 2012

Egypt

**sunny** · February 2012

I wouldn't be scared to go to Cabo or Cancun, because it's essentially landing at the airport and then you're in the resort town, but unfortunately I wouldn't feel comfortable driving to Rocky Point/Puerto Penasco.

Anytime I see that it recommends you only stay on the main highway and drive during daylight to get to your destination, I'm going to give it a side eye. Now that I have a kid, I'm just not willing to take that risk.

U.S. citizens visiting Puerto Pe?asco are urged to use the Lukeville, Arizona/Sonoyta, Sonora border crossing, in order to limit driving through Mexico, and to limit travel to main roads during daylight hours.

Hmm

hollymichael · February 2012

Yes, there are areas in Mexico that I would skip because of safety issues. There are also areas where I would not be concerned at all. Before planning an itinerary there, I would look closely at the state department website to make sure the areas that I was considering visiting appear to be safe.

GilliC · February 2012

**sunny**:
Anytime I see that it recommends you only stay on the main highway and drive during daylight to get to your destination, I'm going to give it a side eye.

I'm a little confused by this. You're that keen on driving after dark and exploring side roads that you wouldn't visit a place where you can't do that???

This is pretty much the guidelines for Mozambique, and my friends ignored both warnings. We got stopped by the camo guys with big guns the first night, and we blew out tires and got stuck in the sand on the poorly-developed back roads. However, I wouldn't tell someone not to go at all! All the daylight driving on main roads was just fine! The guidelines told us what was unsafe, and we would have been just fine if we'd heeded them.

alithebride · February 2012

no, in the 10 years i'veb een going every december i haven't ever worried. i do avoid places i have no business going-such as crime ridden areas, dark alleys alone at night, etc... the norm.

Amoura+ · February 2012

Sorry if my post wasn't clear. I meant "Are you avoiding certain places within Mexico."

**sunny** · February 2012

GilliC:
**sunny**:
Anytime I see that it recommends you only stay on the main highway and drive during daylight to get to your destination, I'm going to give it a side eye.
I'm a little confused by this. You're that keen on driving after dark and exploring side roads that you wouldn't visit a place where you can't do that???

This is pretty much the guidelines for Mozambique, and my friends ignored both warnings. We got stopped by the camo guys with big guns the first night, and we blew out tires and got stuck in the sand on the poorly-developed back roads. However, I wouldn't tell someone not to go at all! All the daylight driving on main roads was just fine! The guidelines told us what was unsafe, and we would have been just fine if we'd heeded them.

LOL

I'm not going to apologize for being weirded out by taking my child to a specific place where you aren't supposed to get off the highway or drive at night...sorry but those are 2 normal activities that, if recommended against, indicate to me a concern for safety overall. I wasn't telling anyone else what to do and I clearly didn't say I would avoid the entire country because of it. I talked about areas I would feel comfortable visiting and provided an example of the reason I'm avoiding the closest area to me.

Ciardasully · February 2012

Amoura+:
Sorry if my post wasn't clear. I meant "Are you avoiding certain places within Mexico."

My FI read about the 22 people robbed at gunpoint on a Carnival Cruise excursion outside of Puerta Vallarta. I got nervous because my best friend is getting married in Cancun but did some research and found out that the Maya Riviera is very safe. I was relieved!

Amoura+ · March 2012

edited to remove duplicate post

Amoura+ · March 2012

Ciardasully:
Amoura+:
Sorry if my post wasn't clear. I meant "Are you avoiding certain places within Mexico."
My FI read about the 22 people robbed at gunpoint on a Carnival Cruise excursion outside of Puerta Vallarta. I got nervous because my best friend is getting married in Cancun but did some research and found out that the Maya Riviera is very safe. I was relieved!

I also did some research and I am quite comfortable with our destination choice. My husband and I have done a lot of traveling over the years and the reality is that these kind of things can happen anywhere.

Have fun at your friend's wedding! Cancun is a lovely place. We stayed at Club Med there. Fantastic time.

GilliC · March 2012

**sunny**:
GilliC:
**sunny**:
Anytime I see that it recommends you only stay on the main highway and drive during daylight to get to your destination, I'm going to give it a side eye.
I'm a little confused by this. You're that keen on driving after dark and exploring side roads that you wouldn't visit a place where you can't do that???

This is pretty much the guidelines for Mozambique, and my friends ignored both warnings. We got stopped by the camo guys with big guns the first night, and we blew out tires and got stuck in the sand on the poorly-developed back roads. However, I wouldn't tell someone not to go at all! All the daylight driving on main roads was just fine! The guidelines told us what was unsafe, and we would have been just fine if we'd heeded them.
LOL
I'm not going to apologize for being weirded out by taking my child to a specific place where you aren't supposed to get off the highway or drive at night...sorry but those are 2 normal activities that, if recommended against, indicate to me a concern for safety overall. I wasn't telling anyone else what to do and I clearly didn't say I would avoid the entire country because of it. I talked about areas I would feel comfortable visiting and provided an example of the reason I'm avoiding the closest area to me.

I wasn't criticizing; I was just genuinely confused. As an analogy, I've seen plenty of warnings not to wander around Central Park after dark, so would you also avoid it during the day? Presumably there's a reason that the warning is specifically for nighttime.

MrsBini10 · March 2012

So Gilli, are you avoiding all of Ethiopia because of the border violence? Not that you were probably planning on going there very soon anyways, but as you know DH is Ethiopian and he wouldn't be going anywhere near those areas either...but Ethiopia in general isn't particularly unsafe right now.

Mexico--are you worried?

Re: Mexico--are you worried?

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