Is Mexico City Safe For Travelers?

"Is Mexico City safe for travelers?"

I have received this question a number of times before, during, and after my trip to Mexico City.

When my friend suggested we visit Mexico City, I was totally on board. I didn't know much about it and was eager for a trip somewhere new.

We had an incredible time in Mexico City. We loved it!

Both of us felt completely safe throughout our entire trip to Mexico City. We took the same precautions we would in any city and didn't visit sketchy neighborhoods.

Is Mexico City Safe for Travelers? I go over what precautions my friend and I took before and during our trip to Mexico City! / goseekexplore.com / is-mexico-city-safe

However, before my trip, people said to me:

"Why are you going there? You know, it's not a safe place."

"Be careful and don't get kidnapped."

"Stick to Cabo or Cancun. Everywhere else in Mexico is extremely dangerous. Don't you watch the news?!"

For one, I don't watch television news. It's negative, extremely biased (we would pick apart news language and how politicians spin things in my college public relations classes), andddd I simply prefer to get news through different mediums.

Additionally, everyone who made those statements to me had not yet visited Mexico City for themselves. They only knew what they heard from American news networks about other parts of Mexico, not from their own travels or even stories from people they knew who visited (because they didn't know anyone who traveled to Mexico City).

While I appreciate the genuine concern friends and family have for my safety, I had to ask this:

"Do you think your perception of Mexico City is based on hearing random news about dangerous happenings in other parts of Mexico, and because you don't know much about Mexico City? Besides the 2017 earthquake, what else do you know about Mexico City?"

*Blank stares*

We tend to fear the unknown.

We tend to stick to our comfort zones, aka what is familiar.

If something is unfamiliar, it's a natural human reaction to question it.

This isn't to say there aren't dangerous things happening in Mexico. Just like there is crime in the US, Canada, Europe, and everywhere else in the world, there is crime in Mexico. And yes, some of it is really bad.

And this isn't to say parts of Mexico City aren't dangerous. We had a number of locals tell my friend and I to not be by ourselves at night and not to visit certain neighborhoods.

However...that's the same precaution we would take anywhere, even at home in the US.

For example: would I visit Chicago in the US? Absolutely! I have family there and it's a really cool city. I've never felt unsafe in Chicago. This is because when I go there, I don't visit the dangerous neighborhoods of Chicago. And if you know anything about Chicago, you likely understand that there are some extremely violent and dangerous parts anyone would steer clear from.

*Teotihuacan Pyramids - one hour north of Mexico City. Did you know you could take some really cool day trips from Mexico City?*

Precautions my friend and I took in Mexico City to stay safe (these are the same precautions I recommend doing while traveling anywhere):

Do research on the city before arriving
Don't go out alone at night and use Uber late at night
Book a place to stay in a safe neighborhood
Don't visit neighborhoods known to be unsafe
Keep some cash and a spare credit card locked up in the Airbnb/hotel in the off chance your wallet gets stolen
Don't wear flashy/expensive jewelry
Keep purse zipped - I still live by my Longchamp bag at home and abroad
Act confident and no one will question you