Is Mexico Safe for Solo Female Travelers?

Is Mexico safe? Most of us know that Mexico gets a bad reputation. For many, the mention of Mexico invokes ideas of crime, violence, and earthquakes. Even the State Department has issued warnings urging U.S. travelers not to visit certain parts of the country. There were reports of tourists being served tainted alcohol; an Iowa family of four tragically found dead in their rented condo.

So, here we have Mexico sounding pretty dangerous for anyone to visit.

Yet, I (a woman) decided to take a solo trip to Mexico City in 2018. In my hostel, I met many other young women from all over the world who were doing the same thing — some of them taking much longer, multi-city trips throughout the country. And I can happily report that we are all still alive to this day. In fact, I loved Mexico City so much that I returned for three weeks in 2022!

Here are a few things I would urge potential travelers to keep in mind when it comes to Mexico.

Remember that the media sensationalizes everything

The tainted alcohol wasn’t a great situation, sure, but it was a relatively isolated incident. But it got widespread news coverage. As far as the Iowa family, my first reaction to the story was, “Oh no, I hope my parents don’t see this,” since it was only a few weeks before my trip. It later came out that the family had inhaled toxic gas leaking from a water heater while sleeping — a far different story than the headlines shouting “Iowa Family Found Dead in Mexico” seemed to paint.

Also, did it feel like the news talked about the Mexico City earthquakes forever? Fortunately, there are more days without earthquakes than with them, but the media never picks up on this story, for some reason.

Don’t allow isolated incidents to affect your view of the whole country

You may have read about the travel warnings. But if you read into it further, you would find out that this warning only applies to certain cities. Mexico is a big country, and there’s plenty to see outside of these few cities. Some of the bigger tourist destinations, like Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Cancun, are not on the “Do Not Travel” list. Yes, these cities are on the “Exercise Increased Caution” list — but smart solo travelers do this anyway, regardless of where they are.

Realize that safety is never guaranteed

Unfortunately, in the United States, our schools, movie theaters, and concert halls have become places where we are no longer safe. I probably have a much higher chance of being harmed in one of the aforementioned venues than I do on the solo trips I take. No one can guarantee safety at home or abroad, so why live in fear and allow it to make your decisions? (On our last trip, we even flew in a hot air balloon over the Teotihuacan pyramids!) Why write off an entire beautiful country based on a small risk?

Let kindness shape your understanding

During my short time in Mexico, I experienced more hospitality from locals than in most places I have visited. Here’s one example: on my flight from Houston to CDMX, I met Rubio, a Mexican diplomat living in San Antonio and traveling to CDMX for work. This kind abuelo made me a list of his favorite things to do in the city and wrote down his phone number. “Text or call me if you need anything at all,” he told me. “Did you make it to your hostel okay?” he texted me later that day. Of course, everything was fine during my trip, but it was comforting to know somebody was looking out for me. The vast majority of people in Mexico are welcoming, friendly, and helpful – allow this to override any negative perceptions you may have.

 

What do you think? Is Mexico safe, or do you consider it to be dangerous? Would you consider traveling there? Let me know in the comments!

-Cathy

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Originally Published on April 18, 2018.