Mexico worries

[SweetPea201]

Hello
Due to go to Mexico next month with children for a wedding. Friends been many times before and love it.
Been booked for nearly a year, had no worries up until a few days ago, I guess it's looming close and getting more real!
felt super anxious yesterday about illness: vaccinations etc. Got an appointment at the travel clinic coming up soon, feel a little bit more in control and relaxed about that now.
Now been googling the safety of the area - tbh not really expecting to find anything too bad for tourists , (playa del carman) and have absolutely terrified myself. Getting caught up in drug cartel shootings on the beach etc. I actually feel! physically sick and wish I wasn't going! Can't wait for it to be over and back home is how I'm feeling right now.

maybe looking for reassurance? Or if all replies are to cancel!

tia

Don't cancel. You'll be perfectly fine. Are you going with DH as well as the kids? You're traveling to a safe and touristy part of the country, presumably for a resort wedding? Is there any reason you are so anxious about this trip in particular?

I haven't been to Playa del Carmen, but I absolutely would take my kids to Mexico. I just read Playa del Carmen gets 15 million visitors a year, the chances of something bad happening specifically to your family is tiny. I think you can read bad things about many parts of the world, so step away from Google and just look forward to celebrating with your friends.

Probably not what you want to hear but my employer enrolls anyone who is going to Mexico on a work trip on to a safety course. In most instances the safety course is longer than the trip. The only other countries we have to attend the course before visiting are those you would expect, Iraq etc. Personally I wouldn't have booked

It will be fine. I took my DC to PDC earlier this year and they loved it. Don't look for or buy drugs, use well-reviewed tour guides and if you rent a car, don't drive after dark. You'll have a brilliant time! If your DC are 10+ take them to Xplor Fuego :)

Can I ask what vaccinations you are having, as I didn't think any were necessary?

We didn't have any vaccinations for Mexico, we felt very safe there as well although to be fair we stayed in the very touristy areas.
We were a bit surprised to see armed masked Police (some sort of port Police I think) on the beach but they were pretty friendly and while let us have selfies with them

I personally wouldn't go, after my boss was shot at a very nice resort it put me off. But it didn't put him off, he took his family again and again. Wore it like a badge of honour. I prefer a quiet holiday myself 😜

We loved Playa Del Carmen, stayed right in the centre.

Didn't take any silly risks and felt completely safe.

You'll enjoy it!

I was very anxious going but I loved it.
There is armed police everywhere which is a bit unnerving to a Brit but should actually be reassuring as it does put off the cartels!
On the same trip we went to new York which I wasn't worried about at all. When I actually looked at the risks new York has a much higher murder rate than the riviera Maya.
Yet like I said I didn't worry about new York as we feel we know the USA and there's less sensationalised reporting. So I needed to be logical.
When there it feels very safe and people are very friendly.
You'll love it. Go to xel ha it's magical!

What part of Mexico are people going to with work? It's a HUGE country and the safety of one area is completely different to the safety of another and so far away.
The op is going to the very protected tourist areas not unsafe states hundreds of miles away.

NHS recommends Hep A, tetanus and typhoid.

Come on @SweetPea201 you need to give your head a wobble. You will have a fabulous time. If the wedding was in another UK city would you be panicking about the chance you might get in a motorway crash? If you read reports on London from afar would you visit there? Plenty of gun crime there but I bet you’d still go. Stop scaring yourself and read some trip advisor reviews for where you are staying, I bet they will have great reviews & try and focus on the positives! Enjoy life & sharing the world with your family.

There are no specific vaccines recommended, just some to consider depending whereabouts you are going

https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/destinations/north-america/mexico#Vaccinations

Lived in Mexico for a few years and went to Cancun a few times too, which I think has a much higher risk than PDC. But you shouldn't worry too much. Had no incidents at all, and generally the cartel violence tends to stay well away from the tourist areas. The gangs make a shit load of money from tourists so it is not in their interest to do things that would repel tourists. Doesn't mean things don't occasionally happen but it's really unlikely unless you venture into areas outside of the main tourist areas. So just stay in the tourist areas and it's unlikely you'll face anything more than sunburn or an opportunist pickpocket, like any busy holiday area popular with foreigners.
And check the Gov.uk travel advice which will have the most up to date security information to guide you.

I had the same worries, but I felt safer in Mexico City than London or Paris. Never mind the tourist regions.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply.
I think at the time I was massively catastrophizing , I had been reading some news articles from over the years really and ended up down a rabbit hole, I am naturally an anxious person (for example when I am pregnant I always feel like something really bad will happen to me in childbirth, last time I was pregnant at Christmas time and kept getting silly intrusive thoughts like I better enjoy this Xmas with the kids as it will be my last, just really silly things like that) when I get into the anxious what if feeling, it can be hard to stop ruminating on things. It was the what ifs that was causing me distress, I realised I was non stop thinking about it over and over and googling for reassurance which never works, I have been constantly on my phone reading about it all , I have now banned myself from any more googling about the subject!!
I have in the mean time looked on trip advisor for the hotel and area and it's been more reassuring, more real life tourist experiences. Also family went earlier in the year and said they felt the same before going but loved it when there and it felt totally different to what they were expecting, most people I know in real life who have been seen to love it.
Funnily enough I have been to New York and didn't even give it a second thought, I guess if I had looked into it as much as I am now I probably would of been feeling the same, although no kids which I think is a massive part of it the anxiety.
Just going to carry on with real life in the mean time and think about things like what to pack, I did have a little panic yesterday about the flight with the kids however I just feel like I am jumping from one thing to panic about to the next, I think dealing with things as they come is my plan and just stop over thinking all the what ifs, I've had awful muscle tension, knots in stomach feeling this week so I'm focusing on relaxing and stop bloodying worrying! No doubt in the couple of days before I will feel nervous again however only in a natural way.
loved the phrase a PP said earlier about enjoy life and sharing the world with your family, for some reason that really helped.
i probably sound crazy writing this down 😂 and actually anxiety doesn't tend to rule me, however I think this holiday is totally out of my comfort zone and we usually take the kids to the same place where the lady who owns the very small apartments is now like a family friend, also in laws have a villa there and some friends who live there so it always feels very safe and we know what to expect.
DH is coming too, but he's very chilled about things and will think I'm being completely silly , I try to keep it to myself to an extent as I actually know how irrational I am being 😂

thanks everyone for reading and replying, it's a great help.

You'll be surrounded by about 500,000 other tourists...dont worry and have a great holiday.

Glad you are feeling a bit better @SweetPea201 I don’t love flying so I do get the anxiety - it’s funny isn’t it when you wave other people off on holiday you don’t think right that’s it I’ll never see them again, you just think have a lovely time! When it’s your own turn your brain goes into worst case scenario mode. Once you’re underway the nerves go as you are just living in the moment. Have a great holiday. Everyone raves about Mexico, just think of the delicious food and mojitos whenever you get the pre travel jitters!

Have a brilliant time - it'll be fine - i've been a few times DD and her BF went too. You'll be in a resort - safe as houses

I've been recently and there is so much security going in and out the town with gates, wrist band check for the hotels 🏨 and boot checking for smuggling in or out of the compond.
Beautiful white sands and cocktails await you. Please enjoy xx