How safe is non-tourist Mexico?

Having a strong local contact is helpful. I doubt you would have issues with your mum around.

For what it’s worth I visited Chihuaha city last year as a very white Australian and had no issues, thought it was a pretty cool city.

You need to have someone with local knowledge to get you there from the airport. Someone with local knowledge can help you avoid the dangerous situations and areas. (Or talk their way out of them, if need be.)

You mentioned that your mom doesn’t drive. How does she get from the airport to her house? Maybe she can come with whoever drives her to the airport to get you?

Make sure you arrive early in the day, so you aren’t on the road at night. If you arrive late, plan to stay at a hotel next to the airport until the following morning. Under no circumstances should you be on the road at night.

Good luck!

I’m from Juarez, are you referring to near Ojinaga? Regardless of what city in Chihuahua. I grew up with my dad traveling to Chihuahua city and other cities around it once a week so constantly on the road, he always takes the “privatized” roads that you have to pay tolls for because it’s faster and safer. I do not recommend you driving alone even on these safe roads if you can avoid it, travel with someone else. It’s not as common now but sometimes cops will stop non-locals and ask them for fees (extortion). Overall the roads are very clean and seem less from Juarez to Chihuahua. Once you go to smaller places they’re not. Travel during the day for sure but try to do it at very early hours because it gets SO hot, it’s in the desert after all. Not sure if you can get a bus to where she is at but buses in Chihuahua (at least between major cities) are safe. There’s also facebook groups with people that offer their travel trips like BlaBlaCar in Europe.

Now on the non-commute part, the pueblos are okay but stay inside at nighttime and try not to speak English loudly or wear flashy things.

IDK, my in-laws just made a trek to my FIL's hometown in rural Mexico recently. They actually left 2 weeks early because they didn't feel safe there. I'm sure not all rural village in Mexico is the same, but I thought similar perspective might help.

I would only go if I could travel with family to and from your mom’s house and around town. Yesterday I returned home from three weeks in Mexico. Part of that time was spent in Michoacán, which is also on the US’s travel advisories list.

OP, I felt the same apprehension as you before and during our trip. We do not present as gringos but we are, having grown up in the US and having US style and mannerisms. It was disconcerting to see poster after poster of missing people in certain parts of larger cities (usually around monuments), and really drove home the point that kidnapping and violent crime is pervasive and real in many parts of Mexico.

We were picked up at the GDL airport by family and driven to Zamora where we stayed for several days. On several of those days we went to surrounding small towns, usually with family and once on our own. (My husband borrowed a cousin’s car and used Google maps to drive us to his dad’s hometown about 2 hours away).

We had a wonderful time visiting family and getting to see the region where my husband’s family is from. However, I never would have taken my own transportation / driven myself to get to any of the places we visited.

Traveling with family means they know how to navigate the roads (pothole city - everywhere. How ANYONE still has suspension on their cars I have no idea). They know which roadside restaurants are safe and which ones aren’t. They know what the local delicacies are and where to buy them, which gas stations to stop at, which towns to pass through and which ones are a safe stop for the bathroom or take a break.

We passed some “nice” towns and some towns that are obviously in extreme poverty. I fell in love with the landscape in Michoacán, with its rich volcanic valleys and dusty towns. We heard stories of how the local crime syndicates extract payment from citizens and how corrupt government is at all levels. We passed national guard and local police trucks but never were stopped — there weren’t any checkpoints but we did pass groups of national guard along the highway, and it was crazy to see men and women standing on pickup beds with AK-47s and their faces covered except for their eyeballs.

I also learned how many Mexicans are educated, family-oriented, hard working people who just want a stable life for themselves and their loved ones. It makes me so angry what corruption has done to a beautiful country - and yet somehow our family and many others are so warm and funny and loving. I got to experience their hospitality which was over and above anything I’ve ever experienced before. To be told “my house is your house” everywhere I went and to feel like I was at home and part of the family was a life changing experience.

That said, our family told us not to go out or drive at night. We did go out to local restaurants, cenadurías or the town plaza after dark but only with family. And driving at night is dangerous for multiple reasons, one of which is the condition of the roads. They instructed us which areas were safe, and for the most part were always with us.

I share this with you, OP, because it’s not impossible to travel in rural Mexico but only if you have a lot of family to help out - and I would not stay for a long time. You really have to weigh whether or not it would be a safe situation for YOU. Is your mom the only family you have there? If not, I personally would feel more comfortable… but if so, I personally would not travel there myself. Above all, do not let your mom’s guilt tripping dictate whether or not you travel if you don’t feel safe.

Some people say that the US state department is too risk averse, and advise using UK travel advisories.  But the UK travel advisories also advise against Chihuahua: "FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the state of Chihuahua, except...". https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/mexico/regional-risks

On the other hand, you could probably book a private driver in advance, and stay at your grandmother's house or with local friends the whole time, and minimize risk.

I traveled to the Philippines to visit family a few times in rural areas that were considered dangerous to foreigners. Ask your mom if she has a family member or a trusted local that can pick you up. You can pay them handsomely. Research how much a a taxi and a private car would cost and find a nice price in-between the two or sometimes just paying for a good meal was enough.

Could your mom meet you in some safer part of Mexico? Like, make it a vacation for her too?

To add to excellent suggestions, don’t disclose your actual plans to anyone including family. If anyone ask you how long you stay, say 1 month until “August 25”. But then you leave next week. This way those who have evil plans thought they have time.

My mother, who asked me to book us a trip to Acapulco, just called me and asked me to cancel it — initially blamed hurricane season, humidity, mosquitos, little stuff. When pushed, she just sounded very…cautious and nervous about it.

She hasn’t been back there in 25 years or so — apparently Acapulco is still dangerous even with numerous amounts of family. I don’t want to push her, but I think maybe she’s scared of some sort of cartel retaliation since she has very distant nephews/nieces who were recently sent home in…several boxes.

I get it. They’re psycho…if she were to drop the wrong name or two…well…I get her hesitation. She wouldn’t be the type to have me cancel two business class tickets pretty last minute over weather and bugs.

A few things:

1. If it's the nicest house in the area, then it's a target. Even if it's not the nicest house in the area, it's still a target.

2. Can you meet in a touristy neutral place in Mexico? Or just spend a night or two in the new house then travel with your mom?

3. Hometown jealousy and envy in rural Mexico is real. Your grandparents and the neighbors' grandparents probably crossed paths and know dirt about each other. It's petty like that and the neighbors might drop hints.

4. If you go then arrive and travel only during the day.

5. If you arrive at night, spend the night in the airport and travel the next day.

6. Traveling at night—even on a bus—makes you a target for a police shakedown, among other things.

7. There is no justice in Mexico. Recently, a foreigner friend was the victim of a crime and spent almost five hours at the Ministerio Público trying to file a complaint. It was a Friday and they told her to come back on Monday.

8. If you get kidnapped then don't get taken to a secondary location.

9. 95% of all murders in Mexico go unsolved; it's a serial killer's paradise.

10. Most daily violence in Mexico is committed against family members, not against opposing members in organized crime.

It's probably higher risk than most places you could go but surely if you take an authorised taxi from the airport to your mum's house and back you will be ok? 

From my personal experience drive during the day and find out before hand how bad the cartel or gang activity is. There were decapitating head where I have family so I didn’t go for a few years now it’s peaceful.

Does your mom have any enemies? Do any of your family members have any enemies?

If the answer is yes, then I wouldn't go.

I'm not taking a road trip through Mexico. Seems like an unnecessary risk.

Read all these messages saying you need a guide or local to help you to know it isn't safe.

surely your mom will know how safe it is?

Why not pay her ticket to visit you?

Can she pick you up from the airport and drive you home? Seems like a pretty safe situation to me...

Would she consider meeting you elsewhere for a visit, or is this about you seeing where she lives?

a few hundred bucks is a lot of money in mexico. see if one of your mom's friends who drives is willing to make a few hundred bucks to drive you.

Small towns tend to be safe as everyone knows each other.

Roads at night are a concern.

My moms side of the family comes from the same area. We’re 2 hours away from the city of Chihuahua. I was there a year ago and while the cartels are in the area you’re fine as long as you don’t travel at night.

Gringo with a Pocha GF here. Been to Chihuahua city five times for work, as well as Juarez and Ciudad Cuauhtémoc. Never had any problems.

I’d go. Don’t drive at night, take toll roads and don’t buy/use drugs.

Just returned from Chetumal. Fine walking around alone by day, best to pair/group up at night. And I would say that about many places on this planet.

Go see your mom. I am a total gringo yet have traveled all around rural México. I used to work in Juarez, visited lots of little villages in Chihuahua, I loved it. The people are great. You’ll have a great time.

As white blond muy anglo male, I traveled between Juarez and Chi a half a dozen times, and stayed in Chi city for a summer. However, a looooonngg time ago. I have no idea how it is now, it seems like the roads I traveled as a college kid years and years ago, are all high danger roads according to some reports. PS I have seen more guedo and asian Mexicans in Chi than many other places, but again, that was then. Personally, I wouldn't make a decision to appease relative's, even Mom's feelings, I'd make it based on being confidently informed. I am on the cautious side on this one.

My dad visits his hometown in rural Michoacán every year and my uncle moved back after he retired. They both say while safety has really declined it’s possible to stay safe by utilizing common sense/street smarts. Also if you have to drive take the toll roads and avoid the public highways whenever possible.

Just go…it will be wonderful

I’m a US expat living in Mexico. I am a gringo with no Latin blood. I believe you’re OK. My former city of Chicago has a higher crime rate than Chihuahua. So do some other American cities. The chances of you being messed with it because of your skin color are very low. I actually looked it up before I wrote this and it is the least likely crime to occur in Chihuahua and probably even less likely in a small pueblo while you're with your mom. If you keep to yourself, stick to regular routes and don't attract negative attention to yourself i I don’t see why you would not be OK. The big organizations that everyone is scared of aren’t out to hunt down tourists. They have more lucrative things to do that are actually worth their risk and time. In my humble opinion I think you should go see your mom.

If you are still worried here are some precautions you can take: share your live location with friends and family. If you’re renting a car or will be driving, get a dash cam that will instantly upload footage to cloud before the trip. Share cloud access with someone you trust and have them periodically check on you. Also if you start to feel uncomfortable or feel something is off, go live on social media if you use it or video call someone. You may want to purchase a temporary visitors SIM card (or e sim) to ensure you have data and coverage in Mexico. You can do that online. Otherwise most US numbers will work in Mexico, but it can be spotty coverage and slow internet if you’re not in major city.

I hope this helps. I wish you the best.

I bought a motorbike in Cancun and then drove it all across the country over a period of 3 months using google maps. Ended up in CDMX. Never had one issue.

I’m a mixed race British guy, mum is African American and dad is European. I’ve dating a girl in chihuahua city, and I have found it very welcoming and a lovely city. Try a montado and carne asada. La comida es muy sabroso 😋

We had a flight canceled in 2021 and had to drive from Mexico City to Juarez. We stayed overnight in Chihuahua--it felt like any other city with safe places and not-so-safe places. Same with Juarez. We stayed in the area near the US Consulate, which I understand is fairly affluent, but it felt safe. We ventured out of the area for dinner and sight seeing and didn't have any issues.

My in-laws are in Hidalgo (central Mexico) and I have no fear at all visiting them there.

Go visit your Mom. I would say it's probably safest to have her arrange your transportation from the airport--don't get on any random taxis or buses--but I think you will be just fine!

I drove all around northern Mexico during Covidtime, including Chihuahua state. First, US State Department issues travel advisories every time a frat bro gets a splinter in his foot while drunk at Senor Frog's in Cancun over spring break, so take those with a grain of salt. That said, you need to be very careful off the beaten path in northern Mexico. The cartels generally don't fuck with gringos who aren't involved with the drug trade, since the last thing they want is to give Uncle Sam a reason to intervene. The low-grade sicarios do make mistakes though. It's really location-specific, and impossible to say without some local knowledge of the situation.

Is your Spanish fluent, or is it more pocho? If your mom is Mexican and still urging you to visit, I'd take that as a sign that it's relatively safe to do so. That's assuming my mother's judgment though, so it's impossible to say in your case.

OP, please let us know what you ultimately decide to do.

Your mom is a local and you’ll be with the family. Just go

You're not being ridiculous. I wouldn't go there.

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Just got back from non-tourist Mexico. I felt extremely safe in the two small towns I was in visiting family

I recently went to Mexico twice this year. I went for my cousins wedding in Chiapas and I went to visit my grandma in Puebla. Both visits were in a small Pueblo and I stayed for around a week.

Admittedly I was with family most of the time but even when alone I felt safe. I even took a taxi to visit Guatemala since it was so close to Chiapas. I understand that Mexico has its dangerous areas but from my experience I never felt scared.

Honestly it really depends on where you are and if you have you wits with you.

Some tips:

1. Don't go driving down strange roads at night.

2. Try not to speak too much English so that you are not targeted, recommend speaking as much spanish as you can this will be very very helpful

3. dress modestly, Mexico is a traditional conservative country so dressing relatively modestly will help you not stand out as much. If you are a man try to wear pants rather than shorts, if you are a woman try not to show too much cleavage or butt, especially in the rural areas

4. Stay away from the drug/club scene if you can, you can definitely go to an "antro"(club) but please be very careful with your drink there

5. Don't have your valuables on display, especially your iPhone, doesn't mean it will automatically get stolen but iPhones are considered a luxury there so just be careful with that.

Please don't get discouraged from visiting Mexico , Mexico is a beautiful country with some of the most welcoming people I have met and not to mention the food is awesome.

My husband and I (from Texas) used to drive all over in Mexico in the 90s, but stopped in the 2000s as cartel activity ramped up, and we had a child. My brother moved to Jalisco in the 2010s, and we talked to him about traveling in Mexico. I was still scared, but in 2017 right before he came up for a visit to the Dallas area, there was a mass murder in a nice suburb of Dallas with 9 dead, including the shooter. No gang activity, just a disgruntled ex shooting up a get-together. Then as my brother drove back, the Sutherland church shooting occurred, with 27 dead including the shooter. So I thought, "We're not that safe here either."

Since, we've been to Mexico many times, and to Guatamala and Belize also. We fly to somewhere near our destination, then rent a car. But I've not been to the western part of the country in these trips. We've been all over the Yucatan peninsula, Chiapas, Campeche, etc. Most all off the beaten path. I'm always a bit nervous ahead of time, but once there, it feels like it always did. We don't go to bars or do drugs. Our Spanish isn't great. We're obviously white.

We were thinking we'd have to take the big detour in Chiapas to avoid roadblocks, but our hotel owner checked with the bus drivers and the road was open that day, so we went the shorter route with no trouble. My brother and his wife drive back and forth from the US to Jalisco several times a year, and have never had an issue. This is all anecdotal, of course.

I actually think white tourists get hassled less than Mexican-American ones, as sometimes locals feel the M/As living in the States look down on them. Just an opinion on my part. The cops do love to pull you over and get a bit of money for some "infraction". Usually $20 or so is enough.

Depends. I live in non-tourist Mexico and it really isn't a blanket answer. How are you planning on getting there?

Im gonna tell you something as a Latino myself, don’t come to any of our countries pretending you can walk or travel anywhere or everywhere, there is a reason why my people travel illegally to US and if you don’t want to find out the real reason of that dear then stick and stay with someone who knows the city the people and the country..

Latin America is really safe as long as you know where to travel, whom to speak with and stay at home after certain hours

I wouldn't do it.

Hire a bodyguard.

Very safe and safer than some parts of US. But don’t attract attention and have respect.

You might be waiting awhile if you want it to be safe. How important is the trip? If you can postpone, do that.

I mean..she lives there. She’s going to know best.

Yuh, no. Don't go. You can't unrape, untortute, or unkill yourself. Not worth the risk. Have your mom send pictures of her new house.

I found it incredibly safe. I backpacked around solo for a month a couple years ago.

Your mom lives there and is doing ok? She has a home you can stay in? I would visit my mom without question.

Two Australians and an American were recently murdered there.

My mom is heartbroken and thinks I’m being ridiculous.

I'm kinda with mom on this one tbh...

Why don’t you fly straight to Chihuahua instead? If it’s within an hour of the city, it should be pretty safe. I don’t think you’ll stand out in any way by your looks.

I've been to Mexico twice with my two young children and drove around different areas and I think it's mostly safe if you heed the travel warnings from your local government and make sure to analyze them with a fine toothed comb. In Canada the government will specify things like "don't travel by car between these two cities" so those are helpful. I woundn't recommend renting a car since it increases your level of responsibility. You should be able to get airport transport so long as you pay and it's within a reasonable distance. We went to some pretty small towns where we didn't see any other tourists and got a lot of curious looks as a mixed race family. But if you only travel between towns during the day and try to keep your wits about you, you should be fine.

Just bc she decided to move there doesn’t mean you need to put yourself in a bad situation to see her. She can visit you! It’s fine until it’s not. I would never risk my life to go there. Mexico is a shit hole. People are getting murdered in Cancun and the government tries to cover it up to prevent tourists from not wanting to visit. I’ve known of several people who either got kidnapped or their head chopped off.

Not safe, your organs will be for sale

Mexican is not a race.

I’d be more worried about getting shot in a school or a mall in the US. Like any place,anywhere in the world, you have to be aware of your surroundings and not put yourself in dangerous situations.

Didn't read any posts here, but can your mom bring a whole group of friends and pick you up from the closest "safe" area you can get to?

“I’m mixed race (my mom is Mexican)” 🤔🤔🤔🤔

EDIT: all the idiots who, in 2024, still can’t distinguish between race, ethnicity and nationality. There’s a difference.