there is NOTHING worth her life in mexco...I have traveled in nearly every state in Mexico for both work and fun. I have never had a problem. There are many places scarier in the US. Just use common sense. Walk confidently and never look lost. And just keep reasonable situational awareness like you would anywhere else. Do not get obliterated at the bar and go stumbling off in the night. She will be fine, especially if she has “locals” with her.
Try Mexperience: http://www.mexperience.com/
I travel to Mexico for fun every year. I’m going there for a month soon. Check the state department website to know what dangerous areas to avoid (the northwest corner of the state of Michoacan, for example). Overall very friendly people. Lots of practicing Catholics, too. Enjoy!
If she takes any prescription medicine she should check on the rules. I seem to recall that any prescription medicine in your possession there, even if legally prescribed by your doctor at home, must be prescribed by a Mexican doctor and/or filled by a Mexican pharmacy.
I lived in Mexico for 9 months, and have visited Mexico City many times. Please feel free to PM me, and I’ll give my advice.
If she takes the Metro (subway), for example, she needs to know that pick pockets *will* take her money and passport, and touch her privates, unless she is prepared.
Police may pull her aside and demand something; it is appropriate to offer a bribe (”mordida”), but you need to know how to do it, otherwise you’ll offend the police officer and be in real trouble.
It’s a fun place to visit, but you *need* to be aware of how to navigate the culture.
If she’s going to Mexico City, it’s a great place and actually, most of Mexico is nice. She should just take regular urban precautions...don’t go any place that doesn’t feel right, stay with the crowds, don’t carry lots of money or valuables and, most of all, look confident. Most people in Mexico speak some English, so even if she doesn’t speak Spanish, she’ll be able to get around.
She should drink bottled water (as the Mexicans themselves do) and eat only in places that are big and busy and where the food is freshly cooked and hot. I eat street food, and it’s safe if it’s hot and freshly cooked. The big problem really is water, and that shows you how dysfunctional Mexico is as a country: that the cities can’t even provide safe, drinkable water for their taxpaying citizens should be shocking and intolerable to Mexicans, but they just shrug and put up with it.
Still, it’s pleasant, the food is great, there are some fine museums and also some excellent musical events during the fall season. I’m assuming she’s not going into the back of beyond, of course, but if she is, she’ll find the scenery to be beautiful and the people to be nice, but living conditions might be a little difficult.
I own property in Mexico and travel there frequently. The best advice I can give is for her to be aware of her surroundings and only depend on people she knows and trusts. There are many wonderful and kind people in Mexico. As a general rule, show them respect and they will do anything for you.
Keeping a copy of your passport with you and leaving another at home woud be smart. If she speaks some Spanish it will also help. Tell her to have fun.
simple answer....wouldn’t recommend it
there is NOTHING worth her life in mexco... Others may disagree,however.
Are you sure she should not travel to Canada first or perhaps Puerto Rico if she prefers to travel to a Spanish-speaking country?
For one thing, if you use a service such as a taxi, have your shoes shined, etc., make sure to ask in advance what the price will be--otherwise, they can charge whatever they want. You might also carry your valuables in a "Mexican wallet" which can be strapped on your upper arm or leg or hung around your neck under your clothing.
I found the Metro (subway) to be useful and the downtown areas to be safe (remember, this was the 1970's-80's), in particular in the areas where the streets are named after rivers and foreign cities. However, certain tourist areas such as Plaza Garibaldi were full of hucksters seeking to separate tourists from their money.
When I was there, I dressed like a Mexican, in button-down shirts and slacks--no short pants, which would identify you as a tourist, and definitely no blue jeans with a white T shirt. This was effective in one instance when a Mexican family stopped their car and asked me directions, but still, many recognized me as a Norteamericano.
At the time, I found a guidebook entitled The People's Guide to Mexico (Santa Fe, NM: Muir, 1972) to be very useful. The book has been periodically updated, the latest edition having been published in 2012. The supplemental website offers tips on traveling to Mexico including how to cope with red tape, what sort of weather to expect, upcoming events, etc. It also includes a blog.
Hope this is of some help. And to your daughter, buen viaje!
Tell her to start taking acidipholis (sp) to get her body pumped up with good digestive track bacteria. Tell her to have Imodium AD before she goes as plane rides with the runs is no fun at all. She better be able to take a week off when she gets back just in case she gets ill.
And, it’s quite serious that she realize the hell hole it is and never go it alone. Funny as we have friends who lived there and said it’s safe and when they sold their home, they got taken to the cleaners with govt. docs and won’t go there now!!! We got taken at a Pemex station, my husband followed while jogging on the beach and a Dr. visit when we returned. Not our idea of a vacation...
As with many Freepers, you could not pay me to go there since they are one country that is wrecking our country in many ways.
Take a Cab from airport to your hotel. Plenty of cabs in front of the airport. Also, use cabs that hotel recommends, if satisfied with your driver arrange for him to pick you up and take you to safe places. Zona Rosa is a good tourist area. Sanborn restruants are all over the city and are a good choice for food. Drink only bottled water. Exchange money at a bank (M-F). You may want to get quick money for cab fair, snacks etc. at the airport. Rates are higher though. Pay in Pasos not US. Hotels can set up bus tours of the city
Have fun........
You love your daughter.......Please don’t let her go!!!!!!!!!!!
For mercy sakes, don’t you follow the news?
wife is from Mexico City. Without more detail of your daughter’s trip - I’d say at least these things
1. Have converted pesos BEFORE she goes - say about $100
2. carry anything valuable on carryon bags - refuse to have them checked.
3. Watch her bags when she gets them AT ALL TIMES - if she has to use restroom BRING BAGS IN WITH HER. Tell her NOT to turn her head away from bags for a second. My wife - who thinks she’s all-wise/savvy had her gym-bag w camera and few other things stolen right out from under her when she turned to find her brother.
4. Do NOT take any old taxi out in front - try to set up driver ahead of time with some reputable company to pick her up. Set up some type of signalling/identification.
5. Where’s she staying? She should go right to hotel or where she’s staying directly from airport and drop her stuff off.
6. When she ventures out - use reputable driver again - have hotel get one if they’re a major chain - this is no guarantee though
7. look like a plain Jane - don’t wear anything flashy or that shows ‘money’ - nice purse/jewelry/watch.
8. Hopefully hotel will have safe box in room - put all credit cards except ONE or maybe two in there. Just bring those one or two - ideally she should get like a Chase Liquid card or Amex with pre-filled amount so all that’s lost is say a few hundred. a Chase Liquid for instance can be refilled on Chase’s website from main account.
9. Know where US Consulate is - I think it’s near the World Trade Center (yeah they got something like that too.
I’ll think of more - but if you can give more details of her plans - in a safe way here - or freepmail me - that would help.
Nothing recent but the family did Mexico City 7-8 years ago...I’m thinking our impressions are still valid.
Mexico City is HUGE. 22-23 million people live there, another few million drive in each day to work. Smog was bad.
Traffic was awful and we spent hours in it. We initially were going to rent a car but changed our minds before we even left home. Too many cars are stolen...rental company was going to put a several thousand dollar deposit on the charge card.
Figured we’d just do public transportation. Wrong. Good luck figuring that out. Good place to get robbed, too.
First day there, checked into the hotel. Decided to set up a Grayline tour for the next day. They’d pick us up at the hotel, take us back to the tour office to start the tour. On a map, we didn’t look that far from the office, but it took us an hour and a half to get there. Driver wasn’t running a scam because we compared his route to the map and it was a straight shot. The drive in was a friggin’ struggle. Traffic was that bad.
We finally did the tour (general city tour), and enjoyed it. The main thing we learned...if we did this trip on our own, we’d spend most of our time lost. Did I mention Mexico City is HUGE? Throw in the traffic, very poor street signage, feeling like a target...it was pretty daunting.
Long story short, we talked to Grayline office manager and got a good price on a package of tours for the week we were there. First thing the manager did was change our hotel. Better hotel, closer to the center city, and cheaper. I cared less if he got a kickback out of it.
We basically turned ourselves over to the company for the remaining 5 days...and had a blast. Drivers/tour guides were great. Tour vehicles were usually minivans. They took us to a number of places that were “off tour”. We saw so much (including out of the city tours), learned a lot, and really enjoyed the trip.
Bottom line, I would never try to navigate the city by myself. I’d hire somebody to help me.
Unless someone is meeting her at the airport that knows the dangers in Mexico City and where not to go and what not to do the answer for your daughter is very simply. Stay the hell away.
Be sure to check the State Department web site for travel alerts in Mexico.
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings.html
Kidnappings for ransom are common in Mexico City. If they see her and want her, nothing will stop them.
I agree with the general consensus that it’s best to avoid going — Mexico is a third world $**thole. The police there are so corrupt they can’t ever be trusted.
” Nearly 70 kidnappings of U.S. citizens were reported to the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Mexico between January and June of 2014.”
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html
My mom swore she didn’t raise any fools.........hopefully you will be able to say the same.
What are you/she expecting that is so foreign and exotic?
Most don’t speak conversational English and they use different money. Not that much else different in the airport compared to the one she departed from.
Public transportation I was able to figure out pretty much anywhere in the world 40 years ago, and it’s more uniform now. Did get on some wrong buses and trains from time to time.