I've lived in Cabo for 8 years and I have only ever known to be a safe place. The 'Is Cabo Safe' question has arisen of late and as a small business owner, I felt compelled to throw my two cents into the ring.

Is Cabo Safe? 

I am borderline allergic to the all-too-frequent discussions that I read on social media posing the 'Is Cabo Safe?' question.  Angry, defensive people pile on top of each other to defend why Mexico is a safe place to travel to.

Nervous travelers question whether or not they should be coming to Cabo. It's disappointing to read the back and forths that go on between people, and it's a shame that it happens. 

BUT

Travel Habits Are Changing

More than ever, people are venturing outside their home countries. The wonderful world that we live in today provides us with an unlimited amount of traveling possibilities.

With that, comes the 'fingertip ready' access to the internet that we are exposed to. So I guess it stands to reason that concerns we may have had in the past mentioned only to our significant other during pillow talk, now get posted on Facebook instead. 

People want to travel to foreign countries and they are likely to want to prepare ahead of time for their vacations. Therefore, a certain amount of Googling and public discussion is to be expected! 

So Is Cabo Safe Or Not?

I hopped on a quick Google search before writing this 'Is Cabo Safe?' article. I googled 'Most dangerous places in the world' and 'Most dangerous situations people can find themselves in.' If I'm going to write a defensive blog about this topic, I better make sure Cabo isn't actually on one of these lists, right?

Luckily, I'm happy to report that Cabo didn't make it on any of the lists. 

While I grant that 15 minutes of googling in no way makes me an authoritative figure on the topic of 'Is Cabo Safe?', I do feel that I can paint a reliable picture of Cabo's current safety levels.

Potential Safety Issues

Cartel Violence

Throughout 2017, there was an increased amount of cartel-related violence in Los Cabos. As a local, I've been deeply saddened by the increased number of incidents. 

Reality: Unless you are a cartel member and you are coming to Cabo to participate in a gang or cartel-related activities, you will be unaffected by any gang-related violence. 

Hurricanes

We have had 3 consecutive years of storms during the month of September in Los Cabos. These storms have been soul-destroying for many local home-owners and business-owners as we struggle to pick up the pieces and get on with our lives again. 

Reality: If you choose to come to Cabo in September, you are opening yourself up to the possibility of being exposed to a hurricane. Sure you'll get an awesome deal to come at that time of the year, but you may find yourself riding out a storm in a hotel room.

For those of you who haven't experienced a hurricane, they typically last a few hours. If you're in a hotel, there's a high probability that the hotel will have a generator so other than being confined to your room or a secure area of the hotel, you won't lose electricity. What are the chances of you getting caught in a hurricane? 1 in 365, if the last 3 years are anything to go by.

FYI

September 14th, 2014: Hurricane Odile

September 4th, 2015: Hurricane Newton

September 1st, 2017: Tropical Storm Lidia

See a pattern emerging? Avoid the first two weeks of September for your Cabo vacation, friends. 

Death By Drowning, Alcohol Poisoning, Medical Emergency etc.

Here I have grouped together some of the other things that could happen.

Yes, you could drown in the Pacific Ocean while vacationing in Cabo, but you could also drown in the Mediterranean Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean.

Yes, you could ingest too much alcohol and die as a result of doing that while in Cabo, but you could just as easily do that at a friends party next weekend. Don't take my word for it friends; the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism says that an approximate 88,000 people die annually in the US from alcohol-related issues.  

Yes, you can die during a medical emergency. But then again you can die anywhere in the world from a medical emergency - not just when you're in Cabo. If you decide to come on vacation without medical insurance, and without having investigated what would happen in the event of a medical emergency in a foreign country, then shame on you. 

You can also get run over by a car in Cabo, get into a fight and die in Cabo or God forbid get struck down with an illness in Cabo. But then again, the odds of these things happening to you while on vacation in Cabo are considerably smaller than them happening to you at home. 

Be Smart

The aforementioned ways to die have one thing in common. They have nothing to do with being in Cabo specifically. Your number is up if you behave like a ninny anywhere, if you decide to do something reckless or if you are unprepared for any eventuality. 

As British Honorary Consul in Los Cabos for the past 7 years, I can count on one hand the number of cases of British National fatalities. While dealing with a death in a foreign country is a horrible thing to have to deal with, it does happen but it's normally a health-related issue. 

Is Cabo Safe?

If you've made it this far into the blog post, then I think you should be able to figure out that I believe that Cabo is safe.

Come to Cabo, bring your nearest and dearest.

Be a responsible adult while you're here.

Get travel & medical insurance.

Make sure you have done your due diligence and you understand what to expect in the event of a medical or natural emergency. 

Jenni Reichert is the owner of Baja Baby Gear and the British Honorary Consul In Baja California. You can reach Jenni at info@bajababygear.com.