A reader emailed recently to say: “I had pinpointed Mexico as ‘my’ place for retirement… but the violence has been so disturbing, I am having second thoughts about my plans. I’d appreciate any insights that you have on the subject of safety in Mexico.”
He’s not the only person to ask. So let me spend a few minutes today giving you my take, from here on the ground in Mexico.
First of all, I understand the reason for the question. While my wife, Suzan, and I live in Merida (quite peacefully, I should say) we do follow the U.S. news.
So we know: “If it bleeds, it leads.” And with the media these days feeding a 24-hour news cycle, you couldn’t be faulted for having the impression that all 757,000 square miles of Mexico are a mess. But they are not.
Yes, there are places in Mexico where drugs are produced, imported, processed, or shipped to market. The drug cartels are fighting over them, and they are to be avoided.
(Much the same way you’d avoid rough areas of Detroit or Miami or Los Angeles.)
But even so, that leaves you about 90% of the country to enjoy. And that 90% is welcoming and safe. In fact, all the same characteristics that attracted us to Mexico eight years ago still keep us here today. No matter what the mainstream media up north may say.
We like the fact that it still feels “old world” here, that we can wander to the town square in the evenings and watch young lovers cuddle on the benches and old lovers dance cheek to cheek to live music. We like that we can walk back home after midnight without a care. We like that while we have all the conveniences of the modern world–internet access, cable tv, reliable phone service, air-conditioned malls and movie theaters–we can also enjoy the slower pace of life here.
No question, safety plays a big role in our analysis of the destinations we recommend. If you can’t feel safe there, we don’t suggest you go. Readers write, occasionally, to point us toward the U.S. State Department’s travel advisories and suggest that we should be taking our lead from that list.
So let’s examine that. Mexico is not one of the places included in the State Department’s current Travel Warnings. (Travel Warnings are issued to describe long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable.) There are currently 28 countries on this list–including Israel and the Philippines–but not Mexico.
The State Department does have in place currently a Travel Alert for Mexico, set to expire August 18. (Travel Alerts are issued to disseminate information about short-term conditions that might pose a threat to U.S. citizens.) But this alert advises, as I just have, that you simply avoid areas known to be violent and use the same sorts of “common sense precautions” you would anyplace in the world.
So is Mexico safe? Yes, I say. Come see for yourself. We’ll be hosting our annual Live & Invest in Mexico Conference this November in Puerto Vallarta. It’s the perfect way to discover for yourself the community that’s right for you. We’re still lining up the details, but if you email events@internationalliving.com, we’ll make sure you get the full scoop first.
Stay happy and healthy,
Dan Prescher
Publisher, International Living
P.S. There’s a great story on page 22 of this month’s International Living magazine about a woman who left the rat race of life as a New York chef (where she cooked in a basement kitchen in Brooklyn) to open up a café on the beach in Mexico. As she puts it, “I work long hours and work hard during the season, but that is the life of a chef. I could be working my tail off in the sub-basement of a hotel somewhere, or working here with my feet in the sand and a view of the ocean framed by palm trees.” To read her full story, subscribe now.
To read more IL articles on Mexico, see:
Seek Out–and Enjoy–a Local Expat Community
Why Are One Million Americans Moving to Mexico
Mazatlan: Mexico‘s Most Affordable Beach Town
Mexico–Where Anyone Can Afford a Full-time Maid
Retire Early and Open Your Own B&B in Paradise
