Travel Safety 2024

[MrMrsswinger 202]

So we're looking to renew our passports and had a question for the board...

 

Looking at the federal government's travel advisory, Jamaica is deemed unsafe. Has anyone been to Hedo in the last year? 

 

How are the other resorts (Desire, etc) in terms of safety?

[njbm 2,868]

Desire RM, Desire Pearl and Hedo 2 are all gated communities. I think it would be unusual for drug cartel people to show up there. I would be careful about hanging around outside of those resorts. 

[discreetplay 235]

I agree with njbm. Though you may be safe within the confines of the resort, don't venture off the property. 

 

I have a buddy who owns a place in Mexico and he said the reach of the cartel is basically everywhere. I personally wouldn't go to any of these places.

[Fundamental Law 2,885]

Safety is relative. This is true everywhere in the world. Where there is more poverty, there is often more crime. Where there are drugs, there is often more crime. Still, you have to evaluate your own tolerance for risk. We agree, and Mexico is not on our list of current destinations of interest. We just don't have the risk tolerance, and there are alternatives that we prefer.  

[tbone1 79]

We have been to Hedo 2 in Negril 26 times since 2010.  We usually take a shuttle bus from the Mo-bay airport to Hedo.  We generally do not go off the resort, but did go into town and to Rick's Cafe a few years ago with another couple.  One time, we took a taxi from the airport to Hedo.  The driver was stopped at a checkpoint.  All he did was stop, roll down the windows, the cops looked in, then waved us through.  The driver said they know who they are looking for.  It is not the tourists, as we are the bread and butter of the Jamaican economy.  Just like most any city in the U.S, there are places you don't want to go.  In our 26 trips, we have never had any kind of problem.  At Hedo, there is security many places around the resort 24/7, along with employees and other guests.  One time, my wife tripped and fell, and security was there to help her in seconds.  A female may want an escort to walk them to their room late at night, but just about anyone there is happy to do that.  The guests take care of each other there, which is something I have never experienced anywhere else.  I know about the U.S. Dept. of State warning online.  There are many places in Jamaica that I would never go even if you paid me.  However, I would not hesitate for a minute going to Hedo.  Go and enjoy yourself.  It will be the best vacation of your life, and you will make friends with awesome people from all over.  

[Fundamental Law 2,885]

Risk management and risk tolerance are closely related. Moreover it's never a yes/no situation, at home or when travelling. Prudence dictates ongoing assessment and common-sense behaviors. We make it a point to avoid being 'flashy', minimizing carriage of difficult-to-replace items (i.e. we bring costume jewelry, the cheap watch), using the hotel safes, carrying copies (not originals) of documents when out and about locally, and so on. Petty crime is nearly unavoidable in many parts of the world--even including close to home. That does not mean we travel in fear; rather it means we try to avoid 'stupid'. 

 

As previous posters have mentioned, resorts that cater to tourists understand that security is an economic necessity--one bad event that gets out on the interwebs can sink their business and the livelihoods of their employees. It is in their best interests to keep you safe--on property. Venturing off property puts the security responsibility squarely on your back(s). When we used to visit St. Martin, the car rental people told us NOT to even think about locking cars and NEVER to leave anything of value, visible or not, in a vehicle. If we went shopping, we started with small items that we could carry with us and made the supermarket run the last stop so we could drive directly back to the resort and unload. 

 

Even on resort property, we make it a point to walk only on well-lit paths in hours of darkness.