Is it safe to visit Cancun?
 

Like rent a car and drive to Playa and stay in town VS in all inclusive resort.
Tired of cold. :2 cents:

"Safe" is relative. Mexico has more thievery and police corruption than I have ever seen in my life. If you rent a car, it's possible the police will stop you and tell you you did something illegal to extort money from you. You can drive yourself, take a taxi or ADO bus from Cancun airport to PDC.

Well, you are in California...so you will feel much safer anywhere in Mexico, let alone a safe spot like Cancun. :1orglaugh

I wouldn't rent a car but use bus, taxi or taxibus. But for long trips renting a car is more fun. But if you want a real "Maya Tour" and travel to ruins, i would use ADO busses and make a roundtrip and travel back by Belize.

From the airport ADO busses to center Playa del carmen and than Taxi (when needed).
Or (private) shuttle. Both work fine.

The police might try to search you for weed, or not having passport, so you must pay them.
Keep most money in your shoes.

I would go for a nicer destination. Or maybe do Isla Mujeres and Holbox. As long it isn't Cancun :)

There's also Tulum.

Having lived and worked in Mexico for 4.5 years, I would suggest:

- do not rent a car. As mentioned earlier you risk getting into an accident or experiencing a police shakedown.

- do not travel by random taxi. Criminals working as taxi drivers target tourists, and will drive you to unknown locations to rob you.

- use Uber. Before entering the vehicle take a photo of the license plate and car, and share it with someone not traveling with you in the vehicle. Make sure the license plate, make and model, and driver all match up, per the details found on the app.

- leave your iPhones (and other overpriced phones), expensive watches and jewelry Stateside. Use a cheaper model instead. Add local Mexican contacts for police, hotel, and US Consulate (emergency line) to your phone directory.

- do not engage absolute strangers in conversation, especially when you are approached on the street unexpectedly. Even if they appear to be former Americans. Some are, most are not. Many are hustling.

- carry enough cash to only cover the day's spending. Split the money up, and keep emergency cash separate (in the shoe or tucked into the socks).

- keep your mouth shut, and eyes wide open.

- when standing around in public, whenever possible, try to have your back to a wall, so no one can easily approach you from behind.

Have fun!

Here's a crazy story to give you an idea of what's possible.



Be careful using Uber in Cancun

US alert as Cancun taxi drivers block road, harass Uber cars
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...39c_story.html

Five Taxi Drivers Arrested In Cancun After Assaulting Uber Driver
https://thecancunsun.com/five-taxi-d...g-uber-driver/

I would avoid Tulum, that is where most people get robed returning from the beach at night.

If you are looking for All-Inn, just go to Thailand instead. Waste of money for some sun.

If you want cheap and more hippie, digital nomad surf vibe, go to Zipolite.

I had enough from Playa del Carmen after a few months, too much drunk Americans and criminals.
Stayed in front of a hotel 1 month, every night drunk Americans looking for problems and kicked out of the hotel.

True, Tulum is getting very expensive, so of course those tourists will be targets.

I really enjoyed Puerto Escondido.

Zipolite has a nudist beach.

This is why most Uber drivers do not display the Uber decal anywhere, and ask that you sit in the front passenger seat, so as to not appear to be a car-for- hire.

Yep, they always ask me to sit in the front seat whenever I Uber so it's not obvious.

I liked that part of Mexico also. Much more younger/backpacker/hippie.
Zipolite has 2 nude beaches, 1 for gay and 1 for all.
But 80% isn't nude. Zipolite is developing fast, more and more expensive hotels.
Really slow living there. I had a room at the beach for 160 pesos a night.
But they have hotels from 5 usd to 250 usd a night, with the same views.

i prefer Jamaica personally.

Take a look at any of those gore subreddits. Look what they do to people down there.

The shit they do is insane.

They make any serial killer up here look like a girl scout.

I usually rent the car because its faster than shuttle and I don't have to wake up for 4AM shuttle van to be in the airport for 2PM flight. I always stayed in all inclusives before and only in Play, Mujeres or Tulum.

Sounds safe enough!

Holy hell that's insane. And the cops turned him away and left him for dead? And these people are just flooding in? unfuckingbelievable.

Yeah, man. It's crazy out here. It's the wild west. 45% of the country lives in poverty. 98% of murders go unsolved/unpunished. I had 3 iPhones stolen from me in 6 months last year, one phone I had for 3 days before getting mugged again. Living in Mexico for 5 years has truly shown me how great The United States of America is, or at least was :Oh crap

IF you're going to Mexico - the safest (not perfect but better chance of surviving) is to go with a recognizable and reliable travel agency. Stay on the resort and never wander off on your own without someone from the travel agency knowing.

If your a smoker, it's now illegal to smoke in public. Includes hotels, parks and beaches.

The resorts are indeed safer, but still a lot of unsolved mysteries go down there as well.


I was walking into a grocery store here in Playa Del Carmen a few weeks ago, and I saw the security guard zip tie the zippers shut on a 60 year old woman's back pack as she was entering into the store. That's how little faith Mexican businesses have in its citizens.

My female friend's locked bike was stolen the other day and some guy told her he saw an older local woman take off with it.

As I mentioned earlier, thievery and police corruption like you wouldn't believe in Mexico. I've been robbed by the police personally several times, on BS charges.

Holy shit, I didn't even know this. They now cover all the cigarettes with black panel covers in stores. You can't even see the labels or prices.



You may have just saved me from another police extortion. Second-hand smoke is the least of Mexico's problems.

Had a good time in Tulum a few years ago. Rented a car from Cancun and drove south. Stayed a week. Loved the freedom of having a rental and not get taken advantage by Taxis or "so called" Uber. Visited the area every day, had some really good food and visited some kick ass Cenotes and Temples. Loved that the country is loaded with Amazing/Interesting History

I don't think i'll go back though, the place is packed, over priced and over loaded with US Instagram "influencers" making content at every corner. :1orglaugh Nothing against my fellow Americans, I just don't care about visiting a foreign country and be surrounded by them.

I am looking at Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador next. :thumbsup

They practice reverse discrimination or bias. As a white (non Mexican) my colleagues and I could walk in and out of stores without ever being checked. The same was not true for the locals.

They would zip tie the bags, have them in storage bins, or do a cursory inspection on the way in and out.

Do not buy drugs from locals, and everything will be okay!

Well with the same people flooding in it's only a matter of time before everywhere in the USA is like this. Anyone that is against border walls or stopping illegal immigration should be forced to live in these places.

Every day the most insane videos get posted from these places. I'm talking about people being dismembred with chainsaws, getting disemboweled while they're alive, and people's faces getting fileted (while alive) and set on fire.

There is a Can in Cancun, baby!!

I completely agree. Too many people live in safe bubbles which allow them to virtue signal their BS agendas.

Yeah sounds safe. LOL

Pass.

super safe and fun!

Just heard the son of El Chapo that got arrested last month is released and stays in a house not far from Puerto Vallarta in Punta Mita guarded by military. Better avoid Punta Mita :)

I have been in Mexico for the last 15 years or so.

Considering the size of the country, crime in Mexico is way overblown. It's like if someone from Europe read about weekly murders in Chicago and New Orleans and thought, "Wow, better not go to America..."

Cancun and the surrounding areas built primarily to siphon dollars from tourists are my least favorite areas. There's too many hustlers, predators, and much of the culture feels lost. It's popular with those that don't know any better because flights are ridiculously cheap and it's heavily promoted.

Merida is a city with a lot of history, European influence, and is one of the safest cities in the Americas.

Guadalajara is another cool city with a great temperature and plenty of things to do. Very chic and metropolitan.

Mexico City has more crime than the other 2 but it has the best nightlife out of any place in Mexico. You can have all night benders every night of the week if you want. The traffic is unreal though.

As long as you don't live in poverty, there is a certain freedom you experience here you won't find back home.

I want sun and ocean, man. Sun tan. Not European culture. :1orglaugh

Thailand better

This is due to a combination of:

- the general populations ignorance of existing laws,
- overall complacency by the citizens due to their consistently experiencing zero help from public servants
- corruption within the public and private sector

For better or worse, folks in the US, generally know their rights, most police do their job enforcing the law, and bribing a police officer or judge is possible, but its typically reserved for those that have access to a significant amount of money and business influence.

In my 4.5 years of working in Mexico, I personally knew three ex-pats that were murdered. None where in the business of guns, prostitution or drugs. All three were retired. Two were crimes of opportunity (robbery) and one was a crime of passion.

While there, one of our Mexican homes was broken into twice, and one attempt failed, all within a few months.

In all my years living in different countries, I had a single attempted break-in in Slovakia, and none what so ever in the US.

I know, been there many times, but too far. Going just for a week.

haha, well I hate to break it to you, but everyone in Mexico speaks Spanish.

Merida is very sunny though, 30 minutes from the beach. Good spot TBH but the heat crushes many folks who aren't used to it.

What part of Mexico was this?

I hate to break it to you but there is country in Africa that speaks Spanish too.
I want the BEACH! I usually go to Curacao but its way too expensive for quickie beach getaway.

why the fuck would you do that? that would be hella dangerous if you are white.