US State Department issues Security Alert for Mexican State of Quintana Roo
This week, the US State Department issued a security alert for the Mexican State of Quintana Roo. The area is home to popular cruise and resort destinations including Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, and Cancun.
The alert centers around an ongoing feud between taxi drivers and Uber drivers that has turned violent on multiple occasions. These disputes have resulted in injuries to passengers in several of these incidents.
If you have plans to travel to the area, you may have concerns, it certainly is concerning given the popularity of ride share apps and their convenience when getting around new places. However, with the right planning and understanding of the situation, you can navigate issues like this with little-to-no problems.
It's important to understand that this issue is not just a Mexico issue. It's something we've experienced in other Caribbean destinations. While in San Juan, Puerto Rico a few years ago, we took a taxi from new San Juan into old San Juan. When getting ready to head back to the hotel, we decided to call an Uber since there were no taxi stands anywhere nearby. When the Uber got close, the driver called me and told me to meet him in an ally and not to wave at him as he drove by. I thought this was a strange request but given the area seemed safe with tons of people around, we obliged and hopped in.
The driver went on to explain that there was an ongoing feud between taxi drivers and Uber drivers and he didn't want there to be an incident. Upon further investigation after the ride, this was indeed a problem and some incidents had even turned violent.
These stories and alerts are not to scare you. It shouldn't deter you from traveling. It should, however, encourage to understand the different battles other areas of the world face and to be aware of how to conduct yourself while outside of familiar territory. Think about it, there are things you don't do in your own town that you would tell visitors about, these places are no different.
So what do you do if you are in an area that has this problem? Speaking from experience, we just took taxis the rest of the trip. I know that seems overly simple and might appear that we sided with one side of the argument, but we understood that our priority was staying out of conflict and it was clear in San Juan that hotels, airports, and other establishments supported taxis. We got the number of one of our drivers and called them if we were out and about and he was there within minutes to pick us up. We knew that it was less likely an Uber driver would start a problem with a taxi driver than vice versa. The taxi drivers were the scorned party.
Should you want to use ride share apps, make sure you are picked up in a controlled environment. You will be less likely to have a confrontation at your hotel, airport, cruise terminal, etc. If you aren't in any of these places, contact your driver before pick-up to arrange a discrete, low-profile area to hop in. Don't hold your phone in your hand or wave to your driver.
In almost any situation, being aware of your surroundings and the mood of where you are can prevent a variety of issues. Locations like Cancun, Cozumel, and others have tons of taxis available to flag down or call. Getting the number of one of your drivers while moving about can also help give you a convenient option for the duration of your stay.
One of our main goals of CruiseNReview is to get people to step out of their comfort zone and travel. Information and stories are never meant to deter you from travel. We want to inform you and arm you with solutions. Issues like this are important to know and can spare you some tense moments when roaming into new lands.
If you have concerns about an upcoming trip and would like some advice, contact us and we'd be happy to provide some free advice and tips for your travels. You never have to book your trip with us to get assistance.
Safe Travels!
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