The Tourist's Guide to Safety in Cancún

If you know someone who has traveled to Mexico, they might have told you to avoid drinking tap water, and for good reason. The tap water in Mexico carries bacterium that American tourists aren’t accustomed to, which can often cause food-poisoning-like symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dehydration and diarrhea. It’s to avoid tap water and only drink bottled water during your trip, which you can easily buy at the airport, your hotel, beachside bars and convenience stores. You should be conscious not to get water in your mouth when showering and consider brushing your teeth with bottled water to lower your risk of getting sick.

You can save yourself a lot of pain by paying attention to the quality of the food you’re being served, like runny eggs and undercooked meat. Look for vendor quality as well, since food served with dirty hands can get contaminated and make you sick. You can discern the quality of the vendor by looking at the number of locals at every stand. Since street food is a delicious, authentic option, it’s popular for visitors and locals alike so the busier options will be worth the wait. Other meals and snacks like pre-peeled fruit and raw seafood should be avoided too as there is a higher chance of food poisoning due to unpure water or poor food preparation.

While there aren’t vaccination requirements for entry to Mexico, the CDC has vaccine recommendations for travelers to take into consideration depending on risk factors like age, pre-existing conditions and the location you’re visiting.

Depending on the above, you may need to consider vaccine or medication prevention for:

• Rabies
• Measles
• Malaria
• Typhoid
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Chikungunya

Speak with your doctor about your travel plans to make sure you have the vaccines you need to stay healthy.

If you plan to spend most of your time at the beach, you won’t have to worry about mosquitoes thanks to the ocean winds. However, if you plan to go on an excursion, like a jungle tour, it’s crucial to protect yourself from mosquito bites since bites carry disease and irritation from scratching can cause infections. You can prevent bug bites by covering exposed skin with long sleeves, pants, socks and closed-toe shoes. Remember to pack a TSA-approved bug repellant or purchase one at a convenience store before your outing.

The Cancún sun is intense, especially if you visit during the summertime. Sun-related illnesses like sunburns, heatstroke, sun poisoning and dehydration can be avoided by monitoring how you feel in the sun. If your skin feels hot to the touch, turns a shade of red or if you feel a headache coming, it’s time to take a break in the shade. You can set an alarm on your phone as a reminder to reapply sunscreen, sit in the shade and drink plenty of water.

Venturing outside of popular tourist destinations, especially at night, is discouraged for travelers, especially solo female travelers. If you decide to enjoy the city at night, don’t walk alone even if you are alone. In other words, stay near crowds and try to blend in until you’re back in your hotel room.

Even though Cancún is one of the safest cities to visit in Mexico, it’s still a good idea to follow best practices when it comes to safety, especially when you’re in an unfamiliar area. For instance, you should be aware of your surroundings during your trip and avoid secluded streets and areas of the beach. When drinking, be careful about how much you consume so you have control of your body. Finally, remember to always trust your instincts, if something feels off, do your best to leave the situation and get to a safe space.

Since babies and children are still developing their immune system, it’s important to make sure they’re up to date on their routine vaccines. Speak with their doctor before travel to see what other recommendations they might have to protect against illnesses during travel.

Kids have a difficult time practicing good hygiene, as you likely know if you’ve spent more than five minutes with any kid lately. Since they’re constantly getting into things, exploring and just generally being kids, it’s a good idea to have a plan ahead of time for tackling good hygiene. Talk with your kids about why good hygiene will be especially important on vacation – keep it age appropriate, so they understand. You can help encourage them to wash their hands often, carry a pack of wet ones and keep hand sanitizer on you.

Take extra care with babies and kids in the sun since their skin is more sensitive. Apply sunscreen at least every one to two hours, depending on how active they are and if they’ll be in the water. Finally, you can provide them with sunglasses, hats and long sleeves to fight against UV rays.

You likely already know how quick kids can be and how easily you can lose sight of your child. It’s extra crucial when traveling abroad to keep an eye on your kids. You can make them easier to spot in case you do get separated by dressing kids in bright colors and putting an air tag in your kid’s shoe. Since you’re in an unfamiliar area talk about what to do if your child gets separated from the group – discuss meeting points and make sure they know the name of the hotel they’re staying at.

It’s crucial to keep children under the age of five in life jackets when you’re near the water just in case of an accident. For older kids, life jacket should be worn near docks, and everyone should wear a life jacket on boats, no matter how strong of a swimmer you are.

Uber and Lyft are available to use in Cancún, but tension is high between taxi and ride share drivers since ride share apps take away jobs from local taxi companies. In fact, ride share apps like Uber were banned from Mexico until 2023. Taxi companies in Cancún are well-regarded and are a main source of income for locals so you can feel safe taking a taxi to your destination.

Downtown Cancún and the Hotel Zone, a six-mile area where most tourists stay, are well-known for being safe spots for tourists during any time of day. Still, you should stick to well-lit, populated areas and avoid quiet streets or remote sections of the beach.

You should avoid driving at night during your time in Mexico as unlit roads and unmarked obstacles like potholes and speed bumps that cause damage to your vehicle, which can be costly if you’re renting a car. Additionally, there may be pedestrians or animals in the road making it dangerous to be on the road.

The most common crime in Cancún is petty crime, like theft. You can avoid being targeted by leaving flashy jewelry and expensive items at home. It’s also a good idea to store important documents like your passport in your hotel safe until it’s time to head back home.

Read through different reviews before booking a resort or transportation for your trip to ensure you travel with a trusted company. Unreliable companies may have fake bookings, hidden fees, low safety standards or poor customer service. Be cautious with short-term rental sites since rental locations may be in crime-risk areas and come with no quality assurance like a resort in the hotel zone would have.

It can be hard to say no to the drinking culture in Cancún. Starting from the time you leave the airport, you’ll be able to find a beverage to enjoy, not to mention the luxury of open bars at resorts. It’s important to limit your alcohol intake, not only for your physical health but for your safety as well. Dulling your senses in an unfamiliar area is not safe but staying alert and aware of your surroundings is one of the best ways to be proactive about your safety.

You may be tempted to enjoy some vices during your Cancún trip, but drug use can have extreme effects during international travel like harsh sentences and risk of exploitation. Not to mention the inability to know the quality of the substance you buy. It’s better to stay safe and stick with something legal.

When traveling with friends, keep an eye on each other and never leave someone in your group behind. If you’re a solo traveler, don’t be the last one to leave the party. Instead, walk alongside the crowd or call a taxi to get back to your hotel.

Speak with the resort staff to get recommendations for activities, restaurants and areas to visit. You can ask about local, trusted companies to book through and see if they have concierge services to plan things for you.

Beaches in Cancún are notably safe with lifeguards on duty, flags to symbolize water safety and minimal sea life near the shore. To best ensure your safety in the water, you’ll want to understand what the wave warning flags mean and follow them closely.

• Green Flag – Water conditions are safe for swimmers.
• Yellow Flag – Water conditions are slightly rough, use caution when swimming.
• Red Flag – Unsafe water, do not swim.