Is Mexico Dangerous for Riders? Here’s My Unfiltered Experience

Okay, let's talk about that elephant in the room: dangers in Mexico. 

This is a tricky subject, because after 10+ years of road tripping here — six of those riding solo, I can confidently say that there are real dangers and then there are perceived dangers, often brought up by those who have never travelled here.

A group of girls are curious about me and the motorcycle and I show them Google Maps: Jerusalem, Chiapas

Some perceived dangers are scarier than the reality, some perceived dangers can be very real, and some real dangers are barely perceived. Basically, it's a Venn diagram of risk. 

Here, let’s break it down: :

The Real Dangers:

• Eating/drinking the wrong thing and paying for it for 3 days (been there, done that, do not recommend).

• Catching a tropical disease like dengue fever.

• Taking a pothole too fast and blowing out a tire.

• Riding after dark dogs, cows, trucks with no lights, or worse, trucks lit up like Christmas trees.

• Sketchy neighbourhoods when you need  to leave your bike unattended.

• Creepy men - #notallmen, but as a woman often riding solo, you have to trust your spidey senses, and don’t be afraid to be rude if it gets you out of there.

• Border towns  which pains me a little to say, but there is an air of desperation along the border. People are not bad, but they are desperate. A young man at the border stole snacks that a friend had left on her motorcycle seat when she went to deal with permits. Honestly, I just winked at him and let him take it, I think he needed it more.

That time with Marie when we had a fender bender, and deescalated from conflict to buddies: Michoacán

The Perceived Dangers:

• Kidnapping

• Decapitation

• Narcos

• Highway robbery

• Shootings

• Mexican standoff

• Death by gang member

Do these terrible things happen? Yes, but rarely. I have definitely crossed paths with narcos, on more than one occasion, and they have been wonderful and helpful. I’ve been shaken down on the highway by Federales who wanted money from me (they didn’t get any). And while I was staying in San Cristobal de las Casas, there were gunshots outside my place. I’ve absolutely gotten tummy sick and some kind of tropical fever more than once. So I’ve absolutely come across my fair share of real dangers - I won’t tell you them all right now!  I’m not naive, I don’t see sunshine and rainbows everywhere, but I do see the beauty in things, and I travel with a healthy dose of optimistic realism. 

Lost in a village somewhere in San Luis Potosi. I continued to be lost for the next 8h. This family treated me like royalty.

Where do all these  perceived dangers come from? Yes, Netflix and Hollywood are big culprits. So is the media. I can’t blame them entirely though because there are things in Mexico that are markedly different than in the US or Canada or Europe. If you’re not used to seeing machetes, balaclavas, guns, or poverty, it’s easy for your fight-or-flight to kick in, but here’s what’s usually happening:

• People with machetes walking the highway? Farmers or people employed to cut the grass and green stuff along the side of the highway. They wear bandanas for sun protection.

• People in trucks with balaclavas and machetes? Farm workers going to the fields to help provide much of the US and Canada with fresh fruit and vegetables

• Military teens with big guns?  Young people who come from villages seeking work opportunities and get paid a meager wage to patrol their region for safety.

• Security people with big guns? Usually found in front of banks and government buildings, these employees ensure the safety and security of people going to banks and government workers.

• Groups  blocking the highway or toll booths?  Usually farmers, students, teachers, garbage truck drivers, or other blue collar workers who are protesting not being paid subsidies owed to them by the government.

• People riding on little motorcycles with big rifles? Villagers going hunting for deer or wild pigs.

• People begging? The socio-economic diversity is huge here. I’ve found many of the poorest people to be the most generous and kind. 

• Dirt, dust, and crumbling infrastructure? A reflection of the complex socio-economic conditions, and some corruption in the upper echelons of the government.

That imported Netflix-fueled fear is mostly wrong.

With Marie and a young man we met at a Reynosa, Tamaulipas rest stop. He was travelling by motorcycle too.

Here’s my truth: My experiences in Mexico have been 99% beautiful. It’s been a toll operator chasing me down because I accidentally overpaid, a waitress sprinting after me with my sunglasses I left on the table, being  helped by a guy selling bread to get through a bloqueo (blockade).

I’ve traded smiles and giggles with kids who think I’m very strange and very interesting, and more smiles and giggles with abuelas and abuelos when I purchase their crafts or tour their cemetery (beautiful places to visit). I’ve been put to the front of the toll line so I wouldn’t get heat exhaustion and had my lunch paid for by drunk truckers more times than I can remember. People tend to look at me with surprise and curiosity, and are always happy to chat. 

Choose to love Mexico. It will love you right back. 

The time I got invited to ride with a motorcycle club to a beach in Yucatan. These guys are the best!