Although what follows is very country specific… it is an example of why travelers need to do their homework before traveling. If travelers do not have the time and/or the needed access to do their own research, then they should consider contracting a qualified travel agency to research this information for them. A qualified contracting agency, (like WWW.CMTRAVEL4FUN.COM), will possess the security clearances, sources, and connections required to access all publically and non-publically available health, safety, and security information needed to evaluate these issues. As the article below notes… relying upon trade magazines and ads for this type of information can be miss-leading… if not outright dangerous… for the average traveler. A traveler can guess, listen to stories of past travel experiences by friends and associates, and/or accept advertised travel trade information as fact – or they can contract with a travel professional to discover what really is their destination’s current health, safety, and security situational status. Travel professionals can also provide answers to other questions international travelers need to consider… for example: What are the current visa and entry requirements for the countries the traveler plans to visit?

Article:

SHAME: For reasons of pure greed, a list of Mexican tourism organizations and US based travel companies, hotel chains, and airlines are putting out dangerously miss-leading information regarding the level of travel safety which currently exists in Mexico.

Let’s review some real world information coming out of Mexico:

As of 11-1-10 - the entire country of Mexico, (including many cities – less the mid and southern parts of the Baja Peninsula), are either under de-facto control of one of the 7 major Mexican drug gangs - or have become a roving disputed war zone between drug gangs and/or the military. The travel danger has spread throughout the country and is directly impacting all of the major resort areas, (Cabo has seen limited impact and is affected… however, as of this time – it is the last major tourist area that is not known to be at least partially under direct Cartel control). The level of danger in any one specific area of Mexico varies day to day. In such a highly fluid security situation… predicting travel safety anywhere in the Mexico is not reliably predictable - even in the near term.

Travel by private rental car, coach, or car and driver… should not be considered safe for US tourists planning to travel outside of any Mexican resort compound, (again Cabo is less restrictive – but high caution is advised). Even Mexican residents/tourists are unsafe from attack when traveling by car or coach outside of the major Metro areas, (a large number of mutilated bodies of Mexican and other un-identified tourists were just found in a mass grave just outside of Acapulco). Travel into Mexico by car or charter bus from the USA should be avoided at all costs. Travel by air into (or even through) Mexican airports also has significant risks. Child kidnappings are not uncommon in Mexican airports – notably so within the Mexico City airport.

Tourist hotels, resorts, bars, and other entertainment locations throughout the country have been the sites of drug gang attacks and/or military verses drug gang fire-fights… at an escalating rate since earlier this year, (2010). Although reported otherwise in the tourism ads… Americans have been and continue to be personal and property damage victims of drug war violence throughout Mexico… including resort areas - (although primarily not as targets, but as innocent bystanders). US business interests throughout Mexico have removed dependents (and even employees where reasonably feasible) for reasons of personal safety. US government employees in Mexico have strict travel security protocols, (including travel by armored car only in many areas, and a list of no travel zones by road in specific parts of Mexico). US consulates have also removed all employee dependents and all but the minimum required personnel at some Mexican locations.

Besides the outright violence, what makes travel in Mexico especially dangerous is that the drug cartels own and operate local and regional governments including the police - throughout the country. Thus in the event of emergency - going to the police for assistance is often like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire! Still worse is the devolving control of the central government over local and regional police and governments - again making where is “safe” day to day - an impossible predictor. Complicating things even further is a growing feeling of anger by Mexican nationals toward the US government …and to a lesser degree, US citizens, (who the locals are increasingly blaming for their dire economic, social, and safety problems).

The latest salvo at US tourists… transactions of any type for any reason of $100.00 or more in USD cash - are now all technically illegal in Mexico, (to reduce drug money laundering). Americans are being advised to only carry credit and debit cards into Mexico and no more than $100.00 USD in cash.

I currently advise all of my clients against travel to Mexico unless absolutely necessary… and my agency refuses to book travel for anyone traveling with children under the age of 18. Mexico is not a positive safe place for healing for my medical tourism clients – thus I strongly discourage travel to Mexico for that reason as well. I am advising school district parent groups to not even consider letting their children travel to Mexico on a senior trip. I am advising religious and social groups who had previously planned to take children to Mexico on missions or other social projects - to not do so in either 2010 or 2011, and likely beyond. At best children and other travelers may see dead bodies hanging from overpasses or other visual outcomes from the ongoing carnage… at worst they may become victims themselves!

My professional advice: “Sure it is cheap now to travel in Mexico, (guess why?), but do not even consider doing so until 2012 at the earliest”. Travel somewhere safe with your family – and should you seek adventure travel… let’s plan a trip somewhere that does not involve bullets, grenades, be-headings, rape, and worse.

One last note: Latin American countries bordering Mexico are also seeing increasing numbers of Mexican Gangs taking over their border cities and regional governments, (as the drug gangs spread south). Thus I am advising clients to exercise greater caution when planning travel to these countries as well.

This 11-26-10 CM TRAVEL 4FUN Mexico Travel Security Advisory provided by Neal Kellner.