Turas Travels

Let's talk about Mexico.

It's in the news for all the wrong reasons, but valid ones. Vacations are supposed to be fun, relaxing and uneventful and last weekend the beautiful, quiet destination of Puerto Vallarta was caught up in a spate of wacky, but mildly typical crime.

Some of my favorite vacation destinations in the world are also some of the more dangerous spots. I do keep track of security issues, advisories and local conflicts that could affect tourism...I do this on a constant basis so I can always be informed of destination potential issues. My personal opinion: I would never send anyone to a destination I wouldn't visit myself. If a client would like to travel somewhere with varying levels of safety, I take that very seriously and make sure they have all the research needed to make an informed decision. Vacations are supposed to be fun and relaxing, not anxiety ridden and scary!!

Mexico has always done a delicate dance between tourism and crime and it is almost mostly concentrated to specific areas within Mexico. Tourism is a HUGE industry in the country and Mexico really does do a good job with tourism sector security. Cartels are mainly focused on drugs, drug trade and rival gangs which typically isn't something in tourist areas. The long standing travel industry opinion is that Resorts are typically viewed as off limit areas for cartels to conduct business, and this is usually the case. Once in a while something will happen, yes. But is it typical? No.

Puerto Vallarta is one of my favorite spots in Mexico because it does offer the option of leaving your resort and having experiences with locals and local restaurants/bars etc. It is common place to use the local city busses and taxi's to get around the small city, and the night life isn't fraught with danger. PV has a large concentration of American's owning time shares, that is how comfortable this area is. That being said, there is nothing scarier than receiving a 'shelter in place' order and not having details to follow up about what's going on. At no time were resorts at risk of any sort of extreme violence, the correct call here was to stay where you are. Seeing things on fire in your quiet city, is scary. For Puerto Vallarta, and other high tourism areas in Mexico this is not normal.

Each person needs to make a determination whether to continue with travel plans, or not, based on factual information. I use a combination of contact with local Embassies, local relationships I have with people living in the area or travel advisor colleagues who have first hand knowledge. The State Department has a program you can enroll in called the Step Smart Traveler Program, it's free and you register with your travel information prior to departure and they will send you real time information if there is anything creeping up in your area and what steps to follow if you need assistance.

Is Mexico dangerous? Not any more so than anywhere else. Keep your wits about you!! A resort/hotel is a better, safer option than an air b-n-b in any foreign destination. Don't travel outside of your resort at night, or at least be back before 10pm. Don't do drugs! Keep your valuables locked in your room safe, or keep them with you at all times. Use only reputable excursion suppliers. Would I send myself and my kids to Mexico? Yes. To me, this is no more dangerous than visiting Chicago, London or NYC. Let's chat about your vacation options and what level of security you're comfortable with

Flowers are great, cards are very personal and candy...well chocolate is always the best option!! HOWEVER!!! Nothing says I really super duper love you, like the gift of travel!!!! Need a last minute present for your Valentine, give me a call and let's put something together!!! 😍😍😍😍

I’ve officially passed the 6-year mark with Turas Travels—WOW!! Opening just two months before the pandemic definitely wasn’t ideal, but I trusted my vision and kept moving forward. And here we are… six years later!

I’ve also made some exciting updates to my website, so come check it out and learn a little more about me and what drives my passion for this business.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and my thriving little small business along the way—I couldn’t do this without you!
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