Cozumel is one of the safest travel destinations in Mexico and may be one of the safest. places for travelers all across the world. The people of Cozumel are friendly, the government of Cozumel is legitimate and the area is designed with the needs of tourists in mind. Nevertheless, common sense precautions should always be taken when traveling, especially when traveling to a new location or foreign destination.
Crime: Luckily, crime is almost non-existent in Cozumel, which is not true of many Mexican vacation spots. Violent crime is rare and travelers don’t need to worry about it at all. Pick pocketing and purse snatching are slightly more common so normal precautions should be taken, including carrying very little cash, keeping wallets in front pockets and remaining aware of your surroundings. Still, there is very little to fear in Cozumel.
Driving: Driving on Cozumel is as easy as back home, but be careful to keep your distance from the cars ahead of you. Taxi drivers especially like to follow too close then make sudden stops or turns without signaling and cause most of the accidents. Stop signs and traffic lights are often just taken under advisement by natives and not necessarily obeyed, so be sure to be defensive in your driving when approaching intersections, even if you don't have the stop sign and the other street does. If you want to rent a vehicle, it's much safer to rent a car if you can afford it instead of a scooter or moped. It's also much dryer and less dusty if it rains or you're on a dirt road.
Eating and Drinking: Everyone knows that “you don’t drink the water in Mexico” and that’s probably a good rule to follow in Cozumel, but that's not enough. Be very careful when eating buffet style food (especially at all-inclusive resorts) that you eat the food as soon as the servers put it out on the steam tables. It's very easy to get food poisoning from these buffets because the foods are not kept at the right temperatures and spoil quickly. Some places will also mix leftover foods with fresh made foods, and that spells disaster for the tummy. Bottled water is an absolute must, even for brushing your teeth. It is also suggested that you eat at restaurants which use bottled water to prepare their food, as well as purified water used in their ice cubes. For a list of such restaurants, visit http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/Pages... .
For more information about various health and safety recommendations applicable to all travelers to Cozumel, visit http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/Pages... .
