Having second thoughts about that Mexico trip
On the Spot by L.A. Times Travel editor Catharine Hamm
Question: I am a 22-year-old college student who decided that it would be a wonderful idea to go to Cancún this spring break. In light of the recent events (kidnappings and murders), I have since decided that Cancún is not the ideal destination and have begun the process of canceling this trip. I would love a refund for my airline ticket. How do I do that?
– Sarah Tjoa, Reno
Answer: You probably don’t.
The least expensive airline tickets generally are nonrefundable (and nontransferable), so if you have to cancel you usually can get a credit, which can be good for as long as a year.
But Tjoa says she doesn’t intend to go to Mexico in the next year. She just doesn’t feel safe, she says.
We feel her pain. We really do. But in all likelihood she can say hasta la vista to that money.
She’s just learned one of the harsh realities of the no-safety-net world of travel, and it’s this: You either have to read the very fine print about refunds (dull but important) and buy your ticket accordingly or purchase cancel-for-any-reason insurance (also dull but important and not inexpensive, to boot).
My colleague Jane Engle, a longtime travel consumer reporter, always counsels me to buy insurance for any trip I can’t afford to eat — which, for me, is pretty much every trip. I haven’t always taken her advice, so I’ve had a few ticket banquets.
But you can skip the smorgasbord by backgrounding yourself on any foreign destination you’re considering, no matter how safe you think it is. Start with the State Department’s site, www.travel.state.gov, where you’ll find the Feb. 20 alert on Mexico. That one superseded the alert of October 2008, which superseded the alert issued in October 2007.
So clearly, the problems in Mexico didn’t happen overnight. Indeed, if you look at the Los Angeles Times’ “Mexico Under Siege” series, you’ll see a ticker that counts the number of drug-war-related deaths (more than 7,300) since January 2007.
Even if you’re not going to party — and Tjoa says she was interested in the culture of the Maya, not the culture of mayhem — that doesn’t mean you won’t become the victim of those living la vida loca. “Too many young people go away with friends during holiday time and leave their brains at home,” says Susan Tanzman, owner of Martin’s Travel in L.A. and the mother of two grown sons.
Still, a spring-break trip in Mexico “can be done safely,” says John Rendeiro, vice president for global security and intelligence for International SOS, which helps travelers with, among other things, medical and security concerns abroad. “Plan your trip, be careful about side trips off the beaten track, travel in daylight hours only, and you can mitigate a lot of the risk.”
Is Tjoa carrying caution too far? Readers, parents and travelers, what do you think? Send us your thoughts at travel@latimes.com, and we’ll share them. Because this issue, like the drug war, isn’t going away any time soon.
Have a travel dilemma? Write to travel@latimes.com.
[Graphic: Scott Garrett / For The Times]
13 Comments on “Having second thoughts about that Mexico trip”
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March 13th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I have lived full time in Mexico for the last 7 years in Playa del Carmen which is 40 miles south of Cancun.
Obviously, over the last few months comments and questions like this have come up from concerned family members and friends.
And I have the same response.
Unless you were planning to vacation in Ciudad Juarez or Tijuana and then proceed to buy crack, look for hookers in bad neighborhoods or join a drug cartel to make a better living….chances are you are not going to have a problem here.
There are very few incidences of any type of violence against tourists - not only in Cancun or Playa del Carmen but in Mexico at large.
Stay away from the border towns and be responsible and you would likely be guaranteed to have a positive and memorable experience.
By the way - the weather is perfect, the peso exchange rate is 15 pesos to the dollar and if you were me, you’d be sipping a pina colada by the pool like I am now.
Adios! :)
March 13th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Mexico under siege!
Es verdad pero tambien tiene problemas como entodas partes! pero que? aqui es un paraiso?
March 13th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
As a Travel Agent and lover of Mexico vacations, I think Sarah is being overly cautious. While I think there are certainly some safety rules to abide by (no matter where you travel), many areas of Mexico are just as safe as in the US when basic precautions are taken. The primary issues seen in the last couple of years have generally been related to drug and alcohol use since many Americans simply go for the party and throw common sense out the window. I have traveled to Mexico 5 times since September 2006 (Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Playa Del Carmen) and with the exception of one instance in Cabo where someone tried to sell me drugs, I have never felt unsafe even while by myself (I’m a female in my mid-20’s). Follow the basic rules - don’t leave drinks unattended, watch your alcohol intake (and don’t do drugs!), don’t walk alone at night, stay in public places and with friends whenever possible, use reputable tour companies when traveling outside of the city, etc and you should be fine. Also, avoid areas where more of the drug problems are occurring - border towns.
March 13th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
We’re back to that subject again? How many times does the Mexican Tourism Office, and every travel agent on the continent have to reiterate the fact that these problems are NOT new, and that they are prevalent in the BORDER TOWNS, i.e. Tijuana, Mexicali, Nogales, etc? The resort areas in Mexico are as safe as they always were. If you don’t go down there looking for drugs and trouble, you’ll be just fine, and have just as much fun as ever.
March 13th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I think Tjoa would be better off canceling her Cancun trip for several reasons. If she went, she would probably be too nervous and unable to relax and enjoy herself. The Mayan sites she’s interested in visiting are all located outside the Hotel Zone and she would need to rent a car or take a bus tour to get there. She didn’t mention whether she would be traveling alone–if she is, I would recommend against visiting a very large, relatively unsecured site like Coba on her own.
She might feel safer visiting the island of Cozumel. If the airline won’t let her use her ticket for anything but a flight into Cancun, she should be able to add on a flight from there to Cozumel (takes about 20 minutes, as I recall).
March 13th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
THE PEOPLE KILLED FOR THE ORGANIZED CRIME IN MEXICO IS TOO MUCH PEOPLE BUT IN THE 98% OF CASES IS PEOPLE INTERGANTS OF THE SAME CRIME, I MEAN THAT KILLED PEOPLE ARE CRIMINALS, NOT TOURIST, OTHER QUESTION TO CONSIDER IS THE POSIBILITY OF YOU FALL DOWN AND DIE IN HANDS OF DRUGS CARTELS IN CANCUN IS 100 BILLION TO 1 BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT A TRAFICANT, TELL ME HOW MANY TOURIST (EVEN MEXICANS TOURIST)DIE TO DAY IN CANCUN FOR THIS CAUSE? THE ANSWER MY DEAR FRIENDS IS NO ONE! YOU CAN BE SAFE IN CANCUN LIKE YOU CAN BE IN YOUR OWN HOME AND IF YOU DON´T TRAVEL TO CANCUN BECAUSE FEAR YOU LOST ALL, ALL YOUR BEST VACATIONS OF YOUR LIFE.
March 13th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Why bother. Who wants to be knee to knee in a hotel room at 6:15 in the evening, the sun sets at 6pm. I don’t want to look over my shoulder every time I hit the streets or the beaches, or if I want to be away from the madding crowd for a few hours or days. If it’s not the killings it’s kidnappings. I’ll spend my precious and desirable dollars somewhere else. There are plenty of other places in the world.
March 14th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
To say you don’t want to go to Cancun because of what’s happening in Juarez, Tijuana and Sinaloa, is like saying you don’t want to to to California because of high crime rate in New Orleans. Cancun is about a 1000 miles away from those troubled areas.
March 16th, 2009 at 9:36 am
I agree that insurance is always a good ideas for any trip you can’t afford to lose money on.
However, if you do book one of the student exclusive tickets through STA, your date change fee is $35, compared to a couple hundred with most standard tickets. It isn’t a full refund, but it does help in a pinch.
Thanks,
Patrick Evans
STA Travel
March 16th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Mexico? Okay, but remember this is now Tombstone minus Wyatt Earp.
Why not spend this spring break in the US and help the economy?
March 17th, 2009 at 8:08 am
@bilbo: She is helping economy. First buying a ticket and than not using it and staying in the US helps the economy more than staying in the US from the beginning ;)
Jokes aside, I don’t believe it would be dangerous for her. The area she wants to travel to is far enough away from the trouble. But I agree with Diane. Everyone who is concerned about the situation won’t feel good and only worry during his trip, for them canceling would be better.
March 19th, 2009 at 6:41 am
its seems that most people get it. I just traveled up and down the baja to see the whales migrate. i own a home in Rosarito. The reality of what is going in is very different from what the media is telling you. Like the old saying goes, dont believe everything you read. Shame on the press for relentless sensationalism. no wonder News organizations are getting bought and sold like packs of gum.
July 29th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
@Flüge: I am agree with your opinion. When I was travelling to this area last month it was quite good and I feel no danger. If you do not have adventure trip far from civilisation there is no problem travelling mexico.