Jeremy Kaplan
Mexico shares a land border with the good old US of A, but is often overlooked by travelers. This is understandable given all the bad press that poor Mexico gets, but I want to talk straight with you about some of the positives of travelling there, because I think many of us miss out on a potentially great travel experience out of pure paranoia. When coming to Mexico you will want to find a safe area, whether its a resort, apartment or Mexican beach rentals. This will become you base for exploring the city you choose.
Yes, it’s true that Mexico can be a very dangerous place, and has gotten much more dangerous recently. But we must keep in mind that Mexico is a very very big nation, and not all of it is or should be an absolute no-go zone.
While most of the border regions are to be avoided (many times the USA side of those border regions are no picnic either to be perfectly fair and honest), there are tons of major destinations available that you can reach with short cheap plane flights. These include not only the DF aka Mexico City (honestly, if you can visit Chicago you can visit there too), but also Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, the Mayan Riviera, Cancun, and the touristy parts of Veracruz (great culture and food!)
The facts are: Mexico has a mature and very well-developed infrastructure that caters to tourism in much of the country, and this infrastructure is not as well-used as it could be due to people’s worry and paranoia. Take advantage of other people’s stupidity! There are some excellent deals to be found, especially in the high end of these services.
To top it off, Mexico has many incredible climates for vacationing almost year-round or even year-round in some places. And as I hinted at before, Mexico, especially certain parts of it, are major destinations for some top-notch dining. I’m a big fan of South America in general, as may of my friends can attest to, but even I have to admit, most of South America really has a Spartan kind of “roughing it” element to it when it comes to tourism. Even tourist traps like Rio and Cartagena absolutely pale in comparison to the services provided by your typical Mexican tourist destination. U.S. News & Report has a solid list of beach destinations in Mexico for you to review. For instance, they list Playa Del Carmen number one on their list. According to them,
“Why go: Playa del Carmen once had the ambience of a sleepy European coastal town. Now, these beaches are among the most popular along the Yucatán. They’re still hip and are no less crowded than those in Cancún, though beachcombers are here to see and be seen”
So the next time you’re thinking of taking a vacation, don’t just cross Mexico off of your list. Take it into advisement, and you may just be surprised how far your tourist dollar can go there.
