State Department Mexico Travel Ban

[Globehoppers]

Frankly, I believe that the "point" of these travel advisories is not that "YOU WILL BE KILLED!!!". Far from it. I worked in several embassies over my time in the Military with the last being Moscow in the middle 80s. A Travel advisory is telling Americans to be "advised" that they are traveling to an area where the risk of danger is elevated.

 

As an American abroad, you, the traveler (basically) have no backup. True, there is an embassy. Good luck with that. It is telling the perspective traveler that once in a particular country where the advisory has been issued - you are (for the most part) on your own. If the traveler is fine with that - and accepts personal responsibility, then go for it and "hopefully" you'll have a good time.

 

Moscow in the early 80s was as dangerous a city as I have ever been in, including Da Nang in the 60s. However, I was highly trained and carried a weapon every time I left the compound. Try that in Mexico and if you get picked up by the Police - you will "most likely" never see America again.

 

During the soviet era in Moscow you carried a weapon when leaving the compound? I don't recall that being authorized (I worked in Attaches and Operations during that period and served in Yugoslavia and Romania, and during the mid-90s chief of the former Soviet block countries... Carrying a weapon was worse than not having one... Any "harassment" was "official."

 

Agree re embassy operation in country. In country everyone, including Americans, are subject to local laws. Period. The embassy will not "bail you out" nor provide funds for attorneys or travel home. You are on your own. They will accept a call to acknowledge that you have been incarcerated or attacked or a victim of crime.

 

State Department travel advisories are just that - advisories. State has no authority to stop you from going anywhere, including the DPRK if you so desire. There is no "Ban" for any travel anywhere by non-government Americans. A "travel Ban" only applies to USG employees over which the government has official travel authority. Some of that is political, some security. In all, it is for the safety of government employees.

 

Common sense is a requirement. Don't go places you would not go to, or regions of a city, you would normally avoid at home.

[konatyme]

#1 Nanna,

We just returned from a 2 week stay in Mazatlan at our time share resort. We regularly took the public bus into town & visited the market. We also took a tour (sponsored by our resort) to Stone Island. (In fact, this was our 2nd visit to Mazatlan and we also went to Stone Island on the first visit.) We never felt unsafe at all while in Mazatlan. That said, we did not go out and wander around late at night, which I also wouldn't do in many U.S. cities!