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Traveling in Mexico

tommy_ed

tommy_ed

Android Expert
So i posted something a while back about this, and was turned away from it because of the current violence situation down there. But what can I say, I have a strong thirst for adventure :) After some research, from what I understand most of the violence has been located in the border towns and major cities. In fact, in the small to medium towns, the crime rate is almost identical to a city of the same size in the U.S... So does this mean I wouldn't be in much danger traveling by road to the Yucatan peninsula as long as I fill up before the border and drive straight through? I'm really interested in a lot of the archeological sites down there. Does anyone do any driving/camping down there? I'll be driving a truck pulling a pop up camper.
 
Keep in mind that you're a bigger target because you are a foreigner and you definitely look like one. heh Definitely stay aware of your surroundings and dont do anything that you might think will be a bad idea, especially at night. Where do you plan to stay at night anyways? Traveling in Mexico alone isn't advised in case anything happens. Make sure that you keep your family or whoever close to you in touch with where you are or where you're going just in case anything goes wrong. The police there isn't very lawful so you can't completely trust them, especially in smaller towns. Try to find out as much as possible with your route and I'd recommend going on some travel forums site and asking others about your plans. Those people would be able to help you a lot more as there would be others in the same boat or have done it in the past.

Like I mentioned before in that other thread, my previous co-worker who lived in south western part of Mexico for many years told me that it's not safe to travel alone, especially since I'll stick out like a sore thumb. Also when she goes back to visit some family at home, she always goes with her brother for added security. She's serious and probably knows a lot more about traveling in Mexico since she lived there for so long (I believe for about 30 years before coming to the States)

Side note: She cooked homemade Mexican food for me which were delicious and you don't find in your typical Mexican food establishments.
 
Tommy78 said:
You wouldn't catch me going there. Killing Americans seems to be a sport over there. If you do go, may I suggest bringing a gun with you? Good luck to you.
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Bring a gun or ammo (without a permit) into Mexico and, if you get caught, you'll spend years in a Mexican jail waiting for your trial. :eek:

The unfortunate reality in Mexico is that we have no rights down there... and the US State department doesn't have a lot of pull to get Americans released from jail.
 
Is your research from googling?

It seems like there are hidden agendas including getting the mexican travel industry back on its feet (the safe promoters).

When you google "is mexico safe for tourists", up comes a lot of sketchy websites that have clearly been written by travel industry moguls. The websites are everywhere and do everything they can to say that mexico is as safe as Disney World.

So be careful what you read.

And don't forget that we just executed a mexican citizen so now they're REAL pissed!
 
Martimus said:
Bring a gun or ammo (without a permit) into Mexico and, if you get caught, you'll spend years in a Mexican jail waiting for your trial. :eek:
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Not if you use your gun. :D

Just kidding, naturally he'll have to have a permit, that goes without saying. Even with a gun it's still probably not a good idea. Maybe if he had a few Navy Seals with him then I could recommend it.
 
from what i understand the main targets of kidnappings and cartel violence are mexican citizens (primarily daughters of rich families as far as the kidnappings go) and most of it happens either in border towns or in large cities.

as far as bringing a gun, thats a baddd idea, a great way to land yourself in a mexican jail.

so far these are the guidelines i've seen:

-Don't stop at a border town. no matter what.
-Don't travel at night, mainly because of the large amounts of animal traffic on the road
-Don't leave the bar, restaurant, etc. with a stranger or someone you just met
-Don't flash large amounts of money or expensive electronics around
-Never leave anything outside of your camper, hotel, etc. unattended even for a moment
-Be very polite and respectful to police officers

I've gotten this information from other forums mostly, and a couple online blogs from fellow travelers, but yes, i reached all those sites using google, not that it matters! haha :p
 
Hell yea bro you are going to have the time of your life!

Send us some pics! And smoke a fat bowl for me. ;)
 
tommy_ed said:
you can be sure there'll b pics! :)
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LOL. cool. Just be careful down there though.

Are you going to be visiting any tourist destinations or are you going to be off the beaten path the entire time?

I bet you could meet some cool Americans at a tourist destination if you are feeling home sick or whatever.
 
tommy_ed said:
from what i understand the main targets of kidnappings and cartel violence are mexican citizens (primarily daughters of rich families as far as the kidnappings go) and most of it happens either in border towns or in large cities.

as far as bringing a gun, thats a baddd idea, a great way to land yourself in a mexican jail.

so far these are the guidelines i've seen:

-Don't stop at a border town. no matter what.
-Don't travel at night, mainly because of the large amounts of animal traffic on the road
-Don't leave the bar, restaurant, etc. with a stranger or someone you just met
-Don't flash large amounts of money or expensive electronics around
-Never leave anything outside of your camper, hotel, etc. unattended even for a moment
-Be very polite and respectful to police officers

I've gotten this information from other forums mostly, and a couple online blogs from fellow travelers, but yes, i reached all those sites using google, not that it matters! haha :p
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Why risk your life though?
 
jamor said:
Is your research from googling?
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Speaking for myself, my research is from spending 5+ years living 7 miles North of the Mexican border! ;)

Sadly the anecdote that I provided is based on a true story. A US Marine based at MCAS Yuma was arrested by Mexican authorities after inadvertantly crossing the border into Mexico. Why was he arrested? For having one spent shell casing in the bed of his truck.
 
ill be in some tourist destinations, i play music and this is partly a tour so i'll most likely be playing shows at tourist bars. i'm mostly interested in the archeological sites though
 
Martimus said:
Bring a gun or ammo (without a permit) into Mexico and, if you get caught, you'll spend years in a Mexican jail waiting for your trial. :eek:

The unfortunate reality in Mexico is that we have no rights down there... and the US State department doesn't have a lot of pull to get Americans released from jail.
Click to expand...

Good luck getting a permit. All that gun control is really working out well for them down there.
 
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