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How safe is Cancun?

The most asked question for people traveling to foreign countries and especially Mexico is: is it safe? And I always hesitate to answer that kind of question. For it all depends.

Safety is a feeling, based on several things and it is hard to compare my feelings or experience with yours. Because we have different levels of safety. I have been a world traveler since I was 17, and I have seen the world change. A lot! Yet I seldom feel unsafe. But I do realize that working and traveling in a foreign country goes by different parameters from the country I was raised and that is known to me.

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What makes us doubt our safety in a country?

  • news items
  • hearsay
  • other peoples experiences
  • crime reports
  • prejudice
  • lack of experience
  • our imagination
  • fear

Combine that with your personality and you probably have a good idea why I hesitate to share a report on safety in a country with you.

cancun, safe, safety, travelers, holiday, mexico

Sometimes the bad reputation of a city is built by one neighborhood only

Cancun is divided into 2 maybe 3 areas, or maybe even 4……..let’s count:

  1. the Fonatur, or better known as Hotel Zone, all neat and tidy for tourists
  2. Downtown Cancun, still pretty groomed and pretty for those brave tourists that escape the hotel zone
  3. Cancun City, that is everything outside Downtown Cancun
  4. The outskirts, the areas where the squatters live in self-made houses, not many of those here trust me, most people have real houses.

The social and financial class of a person decides if they live in a gated community or in a house in an open neighborhood.  Every city that has a lot of influx from people from outside has its own economical zones. And so does Cancun.

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Can you walk safely in Cancun by night?

As an avid world traveler, I will share this wisdom with you: every city in the world has its no-go areas, and you better avoid them at night. But in the evening, after dark, well, see for yourself how I experience Cancun (both downtown and other areas) after sunset.

How safe is Cancun?

If you booked an all-inclusive hotel in the Riviera Maya or Cancun, you are pretty safe. Although shootings happen in the hotel zone and sometimes they find a dead body in a hotel room or in the area. But those people were mostly involved with crime and/or cartels. You most likely will not be more a target as you would be in your own home.

If you booked an Airbnb somewhere in Cancun the same. Your host knows what he is doing, you have to trust that, read the information provided, and use your common sense. Like you would anywhere in the world.

Of course, Cancun also has areas where you better not go during late night and early morning hours. But tell me a city that has not such areas? You just stay away from crime, criminal behavior, and shady areas and you will be good.

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Have a look at some of the most dangerous areas of Cancun

But who and I to stigmatize a city and tell you it is safe or unsafe. The best I can do is to tell you that I feel safe, but I do use my gut feeling and common sense and I can show you…….like in this video where we ride through some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Cancun.