Mexico: Safety, and don't drop the wine in the street!

The hottest topic in our business right now is ‘Is Mexico safe’? While I can’t ensure safety in any destination in the world, I did want to share my experience over the last few months as a solo female traveler in Mexico.

First and foremost, Mexico stole my heart years ago. The sincerity of the people who work in the hospitality business in Mexico blows my mind! They are so accommodating to the fact that I speak little Spanish, sometimes have noisy children with me, and ask them tons of Spanish phrases.

I have been traveling around the Yucatan peninsula (from Tulum to Holbox) in the last few months, and I have also traveled to Puerto Vallarta. In the past 3 months, I have been to Mexico 4 times, 2 times alone, once with Lindsay and 5 kids, and on a girl’s trip. I have went running every morning in every destination I visited off the resort property. I have used public transportation, private transportation, ferries, and been to restaurants/bars.

In my experience, the hospitality community is very invested in keeping their visitors safe. In the last couple of years, the transportation companies have updated their policies, and the vans have GPS trackers. They want to make sure that if a van breaks down, they can locate it immediately, and send in a replacement ASAP. The taxi companies use a similar system in PVR in my experience, and radio their home office. The drivers were all courteous, and professional.

The resorts (as well as the Airbnb we stayed at) have also been incredibly wonderful. They log if you leave the resort and when you return. If you are walking home in the evening on site, and would like an escort, they will happily provide. They are not allowed to enter your room without your permission. I often felt like they were over watching me! It felt like having a nice big brother watching over me. They laughed at the crazy woman who gets up too early to go run but would be there when I returned with a cold glass of water!

Here are a few of my favorite experiences: Listening to a local guitar player in Puerto Vallarta. He saw I was there solo (among all these couples) and sang a song just for me. The nice shuttle driver who knew I was exhausted told me to take a nap and he would turn down the music so I could rest. The amazing Airbnb host who knew we were arriving with 5 kids off a ferry, had the golf cart taxi ready for us as we exited. Or, the time I dropped a bottle of wine in the middle of the street and 3 people rushed out to assist me in cleaning up.

All in all, I have had the most wonderful experience exploring this amazing country as a single female traveler, as well as female travelers dragging along 5 kids to explore the Yucatan! I love this country, their passion for tourism, and the love they express in their jobs. Please do not hesitate to visit this amazing country!