SAFETY IN MEXICO!

This is a subject I get asked about all the time, and so I was pleased to have some good statistics to be able to reassure my friends who worry about me.

Here it is:
"The official number of 111 U.S. citizens who were killed in Mexico last year may seem scary at first, but this was out of the almost 8 million U.S. citizens who visited Mexico last year.  In comparison, Boston, Las Vegas and Orlando also had 111 murders last year, and almost 1,000 U.S. citizens were killed in Puerto Rico (a country that gets far less press).  The statistic becomes even more grounded once other facts are presented, namely, that a third of those 111 murders happened in just 2 cities and almost all of them were involved “in illicit vocations, usually the trafficking of guns, drugs, or people across the border.”

Best of all, Lonely Planet has published a list of the 8 places to safely visit Mexico now:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/travel-tips-and-articles/76638
and I'm happy to see that Playa del Carmen has come in at no 6 - actually I don't think they are even in order of safety.

The San Francisco Chronicle adds some interesting statistics. Mexico City has been considered a relatively dangerous place for years. In 2010, Mexico City's drug-related death rate was 2.2 per 100,000 people. Washington DC's homicide rate is 24 per 100,000. Yes that's right, more than 10 times more. Kinda adds some perspective doesn't it?

The Yucatan peninsula where I live is one of the safest in the country.

So, please don't worry about me, either at home or travelling within this wonderful country. I research places I'm interested in visiting so I'm aware of the likelihood of any dramas. And as we all know, unfortunately none of us are really safe anywhere any more. Accidents happen and when your time's up... I just hope I'm not flying when the pilot's time's up!

I hope more of you might reconsider visiting Mexico. It's a wonderful place with happy, good-hearted people and some wonderful history. Look beyond what the media like to sensationalize to what's true.  I look forward to welcoming you soon.