Think twice.
Mexico is a think-twice destination with a 52/100 sketch score, while US, UK, and CA advisories remain at level 2. Watch your food and avoid ticks, as multidrug-resistant salmonella and spotted fever are active.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Mexico
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Think twice.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't fall for it
Scams to know
Pickpocketing beggars
Groups of beggars in urban areas may surround you to pickpocket your goods. Giving two pesos quickly can help you escape the situation.
Don't do this
Laws that jail tourists
Political participation
Mexican authorities do not approve of foreigners participating in demonstrations or voicing support for groups like the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Mexico
- • Global Measles
- • A Strain of Multidrug-Resistant <em>Salmonella</em> Newport in Mexico
Vaccines
Recommended:
From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •Mexico has a reputation for being a dangerous country — a reputation that's not entirely unwarranted — but the average traveller should not be too overly concerned or cautious of their surroundings.
- •Political violence in Chiapas and Oaxaca has abated, and is far less of a threat than drug-related crime.
- •Do not wave cash or credit cards around. Use them discreetly and put them away as quickly as possible.
- •The nationwide emergency number is 911.
- •Beggars are not usually a threat, but you will find lots in urban areas.
Staying healthy
- •Some parts of Mexico are known for travelers' diarrhea, often called "Montezuma's Revenge" (Venganza de Moctezuma).
- •Medicine in urban areas is highly developed, public hospitals are just as good as public hospitals in US, and just as the American public hospitals, they are always full.
- •Before traveling to rural areas of Mexico, it might be a good idea to obtain anti-malarial medications from your health care provider.
- •It is strongly advised that the traveler be sure that any meats they are consuming have been thoroughly cooked due to an increasing rate of roundworm infections, particularly in the Acapulco area.
- •Along with the risk for malaria, mosquitoes have also been known to carry the West Nile virus.
- •The rate of AIDS/HIV infection in Mexico is lower than in the US, France and most Latin American nations.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Real talk
What travelers actually say
Travelers report feeling safe in major tourist areas of Mexico City and Oaxaca, noting that fears of crime are often exaggerated compared to the reality on the ground. Visitors emphasize that staying in established neighborhoods, avoiding known dangerous areas, and exercising basic caution prevents most issues. While some express concern regarding travel advisories for regions like Sinaloa, others with long-term experience in Mazatlan maintain that safety is manageable with smart behavior. Concerns about kidnapping or violence in resorts are frequently dismissed by those who have actually visited. The primary consensus is that Mexico is a viable destination if you stick to tourist zones and maintain situational awareness.
“As far as safety goes, I felt perfectly safe in the city (unlike in Bogota). Now maybe it was because I was in touristy areas doing touristy things, but I also got lost quite a bit and just wandered around. Not once did I feel threatened or as if I was in danger.
— r/travel
“My biggest concern was safety, and happy to report that I don't think I felt unsafe at any point during the trip. Granted, I did stay in and visited touristy areas, but even when we ventured out into less-visited neighbourhoods, it never felt too sketchy or dangerous.
— r/travel
“Then we have another family member (who goes to Mazatlan every year for the last 10 years) saying that as long as you are smart about it, it's safe, and will be safe for a same sex couple/family.
— r/travel
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
A / B · 120V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 911 / ambulance: 911 / fire: 911
Zoom in
10 Mexico cities on SKETCH.WORLD
Real, resident-submitted Numbeo crime data at the city level — the same national picture above, with crime swapped for what people who actually live there report.
Show the receipts (11 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-07-12
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-07-12
- ca-gac — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-07-12
- cdc-health — observed 2026-07-12
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-07-12
- reddit — observed 2026-07-12
- unodc — observed 2026-07-12
- acled-hdx — observed 2026-07-12
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-07-12