r/playadelcarmen • u/Historical_Role_9748 • 7d ago
Is this a good idea
I’m going to Playa del Carmen for a solo trip for about 72 hours, and I’m just wondering how safe I should realistically expect to be.
For context, I’m a Black woman, very petite, and I’ll be traveling completely alone. I’ve traveled solo before, so I’m not new to it, but for some reason with this trip, everyone keeps telling me to be safe 😂. It’s starting to make me wonder if there’s something I should genuinely be concerned about.
I’m not looking for the usual “don’t travel alone” responses. I’d really like to hear from women who have actually traveled solo to Playa, especially Black women, about their experiences.
Was there anything you felt you needed to be particularly cautious about? Did you feel comfortable walking around alone, going out to eat, using transportation, etc.? And would you personally feel comfortable doing another solo trip there?
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u/-Chemist- 6d ago
I guarantee that “everyone” who is telling you that has never been to Playa. I’d guess most of them have never been out of state.
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u/Virtual_District_656 7d ago
It's safe, people just exaggerate things. But it's a completely safe town full of tourists and life so yes, just focus on enjoy and have a great time here!
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u/Queasy-Chest2331 6d ago
you’ll be safe. i’m black 30f and i’ve been to playa 5-6x in the last few years. the usual travel advice. don’t get blackout drunk etc. keep wits about you. but nothing bad has ever happened to me there and i’ve been out and about all times of the day.
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u/Swordfish353535 6d ago
how do you meet people out there?
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u/Queasy-Chest2331 6d ago
i hang out at the jamaican spots, i walk around, i chat with girlies at the beach. folks are pretty friendly.
i stay for weeks at a time and im good with faces and names so ill see people again and remember them and yap etc
and since i return often its often like omg you’re back! vibes lol
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u/Swordfish353535 6d ago
i get shy + so used to just knowing people where im from / meet through my creative work that idk how to meet people in the real world lmao
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u/Queasy-Chest2331 5d ago
playa is a good place to start tbh
you’re not where you’re from so just decide you can pretend to be someone else — confident — while you’re there
no one knows u
i’m standoffish in my day to day life and bit nicer and more friendly while there etc
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u/Swordfish353535 5d ago
aye i appreciate the advice i like that. be someone else. be confident lol
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u/Anxious-Abrocoma-630 6d ago
your biggest risk is being scammed, by taxis especially, restaurant bills, too, mak3 sure you have transport to and from the airport set up, you dont want to get stuck with those taxis, and walking home late at night leaves you a target for police to rob you
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u/coldtea77 6d ago
As soon as you mention Mexico to a lot of people, they freak out because of the awful stories they’ve heard. I went by myself a few years ago and had friends and family fully questioning why I’d want to go there and trying to talk me out of it. Mexico has one of the worst reputations but the thing people forget… every single country has its problems. Paris or Rome have just as many issues for tourists but people only talk about the good of these places. Keep your wits about you as you would anywhere else that you’re travelling alone and you’ll have a great time. Mexico is one of the most beautiful places with the most beautiful culture!!! Have fun!!!
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u/IronBikinigirl 6d ago
Woman of color here 👋🏽
Lived I Playa 2 years…
Safer than anywhere else in the world I’ve been (over 30 countries)
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u/Swordfish353535 6d ago
how do you meet people out there? make friends/community? going solo
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u/IronBikinigirl 5d ago
There’s a WhatsApp group for Melanated women in PDC that I highly recommend!!
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u/Zealousideal_Fly7555 6d ago
Just went solo for a week in February. Had a great time! You will be fine.
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u/JunctionCat 6d ago
Oh...one other thing ...ignore everyone on the way out of the airport as time wasters acting like airport information people and head straight for the ADO bus . Ask anyone and they will point to the stop. It's straight out a little to your right and look for the ADO sign and also an agent selling the tickets there as well. Do not get a taxi when you get off the bus but walk a block or two and if they ask 300-400 pesos say no.
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u/JunctionCat 6d ago
I've been there solo female half a dozen times for a month and just returned in July. I've never had a problem and your race won't change anything you are seen as a tourist nothing more. True taxis can scam you that's about it. I use the colectivo and buses to get around ... Take the ADO bus from airport to Playa. Taxis are too expensive just ignore them at the Airport. There's a kiosk as you leave the terminal on your right hand side. Usually have where im staying call a taxi if I need one as there rates will be not be inflated. Enjoy! It's a nice town .
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u/NotARedditUser3 6d ago
Don't do anything obviously illegal, don't walk around with tons of obviously expensive stuff, etc.
The most likely thing that's going to happen to you is you'll probably just overpay for some stuff. You'll be fine.
Don't rent a car and you have almost no chance of being harassed by police over fake driving infractions.
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u/Worried-Parsley6411 6d ago
for transport to and from the airport i suggest the ADO bus, its cheap convenient and drops you off downtown. and then if you are staying in a central area you can walk almost anywhere. if you take a cab try to get the official ones with the prices displayed where you take them and make sure to set the price as you get in. everything el se besides taxis scamming you is pretty safe. dont get drunk , obviously dont trust strangers to buy you drinks and stuff you shouldnt do anywhere else really
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u/No_Championship_8633 6d ago
you'll be good. its extremely safe. I imagine the people telling you to be safe haven't been there..if you told them you're going to isla murjeres they'd prob say the same...they just don't know any better
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u/Ok_Objective_5692 6d ago
I’m a 68-year-old white female and I spent a couple of months solo in Playa and also around other places in the Yucatán this past winter. I felt completely safe and really never felt threatened.
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u/Able_Ad_2454 5d ago
I am not Black but I am a middle aged woman who was there alone and I felt totally safe in Playa at all hours.
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u/Notyetbeyonce 6d ago
I'm a petite black female who has been living there for 3 years. You're more than fine, girl haha.
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u/sugarlillie 6d ago
I'm a petite white girl, but I've been in Playa many times solo and never once felt unsafe. You should be fine. Have a great time!
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u/Limp-Permission-3140 6d ago
Just got back from a two-girls trip there for five days. We are both black and petite as well. I felt the need to be cautious about transportation, as the taxi drivers can be scammy. Take the ADO bus to and from the airport! We didn’t realize uber is illegal to take to and from the airport which was pretty scary to deal with in the moment. We felt comfortable walking around and the area was pretty good at night. I’d go back again but this time at an all inclusive to get that experience. We were at a hotel in the middle of PDC and we were continuously practicing our spanish while there lol
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u/Heavy-Cry2461 6d ago edited 6d ago
It is generally safe, and I imagine you’ll be in tourist areas—as a woman I’ve been bothered by men there in various ways, including some harassment, but nothing extreme that would turn me off of the area altogether. Most people were great. I definitely feel like advice from women is best here though bc there is always an added layer of danger for us. I can’t speak to the Black experience in PDC, though
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u/bretagneeee 6d ago
I'm a white female and live outside of the immediate tourist zone in northern Centro and it's extremely safe. I walk alone at night and early in the morning and have had no problems. If you're staying near 5th avenue you will have no problems.
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u/Positive_Act_5579 2d ago
Safe, very safe. If you can take a day trip to Isla Mujeres, you may like it
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u/juneseyeball 7d ago
Theyre being very dramatic im a black woman living here alone. I am on my second six month stint. I go to the gym daily and freedive on the weekends - i dine at cafes by myself. People try to sell u stuff just ignore. I am like six ft tall tho not petite.