# Safe Travels: Distinguishing Between Perception and Reality
Since launching this budget travel blog in 2003, I have consistently discussed safe travels and the perception of risks associated with travel. Although individuals—particularly Americans—encounter far greater dangers at home than abroad, many who travel infrequently perceive the world as a vast, frightening place, leading them to believe they must exercise heightened caution while on vacation.
Despite our advancements as human beings, we often allow our inherent instincts to dictate what we consider perilous or frightening. News networks, particularly 24-hour channels, are eager to fuel these fears to keep viewers engaged.
This is especially evident in international travel, where the perception of danger based on an old incident overshadows logic or common sense when evaluating risks with actual statistics and facts. Our nightly news is rife with reports of violence, theft, and chaos, yet we remain apprehensive about visiting a foreign nation because we heard about a group of tourists being robbed on a remote road five years prior.
## Let’s Consider Safety in Mexico
Currently, I am writing from Mazatlan, Mexico, during my fourth trip to the city. The expatriates residing here often express how secure they feel, far more so than in the USA. They maintain this sentiment despite being in Sinaloa, the former stronghold of jailed drug lord El Chapo and the backdrop for the early episodes of *Narcos: Mexico*.
Having moved to the state of Guanajuato in 2010 with my family, I’ve enjoyed a crime-free, peaceful life, even though this state frequently makes headlines for cartel-related violence. It’s crucial to understand that gang violence does not equate to violence against tourists or foreigners. This is true in similar urban environments like Chicago or Detroit, and it holds in Mexico, too.
According to the [U.S. State Department statistics](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/while-abroad/death-abroad1/death-statistics.html), there were merely 51 homicides involving U.S. citizens in Mexico in 2022, a decrease from around 75 the previous year. These figures include cases categorized as “drug-related,” implying that the victims were likely not innocent bystanders. Notably, such numbers are surpassed by incidents of drowning, suicide, and traffic accidents.
That’s just 51 fatalities in *the entire country of Mexico* over a 12-month span! In a nation that welcomes 28 to 40 million visitors annually! It’s probable that your own city has a higher murder rate if it ranks among the top 25 largest in the U.S. Moreover, these deaths were likely far more random, such as shootings at shopping malls or cinemas. Such occurrences are rare in Mexico due to the absence of a powerful gun manufacturer lobby influencing politicians. There is only one gun store throughout the entire country, and approximately 70% of firearms in Mexico [originate from Texas](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/17/texas-lax-gun-laws-us-mexico-border), where gun laws are notably lax.
However, what are the most commonly searched queries on Google each month? “Is Mexico safe?” “Is it safe to visit Cancun?” “Is Mexico City safe?” and “safest place in Mexico.”
## Emotion Often Overpowers Logic Regarding Safety
Since I began exploring this topic, I have reviewed various academic studies, and it is evident that the challenge of risk assessment is prevalent in our society and across various factors. We tend to overestimate the chances of rare events, such as airline accidents or terrorist attacks, while disregarding common risks like car accidents, bathtub falls, or ATV mishaps. (Let’s not even get started on heart disease related to smoking and obesity.)
One notable global trend is the degree of risk individuals associate with air travel, despite it being one of the safest modes of transportation. In 2023, there was exactly one fatal commercial air accident, involving a propeller-driven plane traveling between Kathmandu and Pokhara. Just one crash! This occurred among millions of flights that took off and landed without incident. Yet, regardless of the numbers, one accident makes headlines everywhere, leading the public to perceive flying as dangerous.
In reality, we would need to experience 1,000 times more incidents than we currently do for air travel to become even remotely as hazardous as driving to your local Walgreens.
When an incident occurs within a country that gains international media attention, that nation experiences a swift decline in visitors, regardless of its location. Twenty years ago, I wrote about a global survey examining public perception of risk.