This is the time of year many Islanders are thinking of travelling south in the hopes of getting away from the typically chilly Atlantic Canada air (although this year has been rather unusual when it comes to seesawing temperatures).
But reports of Canadians vacationing in Mexico should really give people pause. One of the most recent incidents involved a 67-year old from British Columbia who was gunned down in a robbery. In another incident a woman who was beaten so badly she had to be put into a medically-induced coma.
While violent crime can take place anywhere, Mexico has been embroiled in a drug war for a number of years now. Thousands of people have been murdered in vicious fashion as a result of violence among the drug cartels. Sure, the Mexican tourist industry may try to convince you that some places in the country are safe for tourists, and that visitors aren’t the direct target of drug-running thugs, but do you really want to travel somewhere where decapitations are a daily occurrence?
Other people vacation in tropical places such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic but the notion of spending money in an undemocratic nation like Cuba just to get a suntan doesn’t sit well, even if Cuba has a safer reputation.
Your money might be better spent on more stable nations. While the United States has its share of violence, it’s far less likely you’ll have your head sliced off after leaving Disney World.
David MacDonald