Travel FAQ'S
Is it safe to travel to your area in Mexico?

Dear Parents or Church Leaders,

Some of you might be wondering whether or not it’s safe to come to Mexico.  You could be a concerned parent pondering whether or not you
should allow your son or daughter to come. Or, you might be a leader weighing whether or not you should endorse your church to come.  Following
is some help and perspective on the matter from us as a family who live in Mexico as long term missionaries.

What are the risk of coming to Mexico?

  • First of all, our area of ministry is in a rural, agricultural setting with no problems whatsoever.  We are not in a large city, but a farming valley
    made up of smaller communities.
  • Your church group will be staying in a very safe, fenced in Mission Base where we as missionaries live.  Your mission team will be well taken
    care of.
  • The recent issue in Mexico was drug related and happened over 800 miles away from our area.
  • When comparing the murder rate per 100,000 in the larger cities in the U.S., you might be surprised to know what they are verses the larger
    cities of Mexico.  New Orleans is highest with around 60 murders per 100,000, and the average, per other larger cities, is around 30 per
    100,000.  The border city of Tijuana (which you don’t drive through when coming to our area, but use a bypass freeway to go around it) is 13
    per 100,000.
  • Most of the incidents mentioned in the media are isolated and mainly take place at night in questionable areas. The newest U.S. Travel
    Update for Mexico says to use caution when going to Red Light Districts.  It also recommends going to recognized tourist areas. Other than
    that, it is not telling folks to stay away from Mexico, but to just use reasonable caution.
  • If you enter Mexico south of San Diego, you’ll be using a toll freeway on your drive down.  Everyday there are between 5,000 - 10,000 cars
    that use this freeway. That means that in the past year there have been almost 2,000,000 vehicles use this freeway with no incidents
    whatsoever. The odds are extremely rare that something could happen to your team.  We use this freeway all the time and feel very safe.  
    And once again, this toll road bypasses Tijuana so there’s really nothing to worry about.
  • If you would rather enter Mexico east of San Diego, then you can use the crossing at Tecate (about 25 east of San Diego).  The highway is
    #3 and connects in Ensenada. Tecate is a small border town and the road is quiet and peaceful.
  • Mexico is very concerned about its tourism and is patrolling all its highways with additional police and soldiers to ensure maximum safety. The
    area is also patrolled by Green Angels who help tourist whose vehicles might break down and keep watch as well.  
  • It's also pertinent to say that some of the media attention has been made a little sensational (as the media tends to do) and blown out of
    proportion. A good case could be put together from things that happen in Southern California that it's not safe to travel there as well. We are
    all accustomed to small risk in life and coming to Mexico is not any huge risk.  We also serve a big God who has our days numbered as well
    and we’re not going to die one minute earlier or later than He has determined for us if we’re in His will.  There’s no safer place than to be in
    His will doing His work!
  • We’ve been hosting mission teams for 13 years (well over 250 total mission teams hosted) and had no issues whatsoever. We are on
    schedule to host another 30 teams this year and foresee no problems whatsoever.
  • We are long term missionaries who are in our 13 year living here. You will be well taken care of by us. If we thought your lives were in any
    way in danger, or things were even remotely out of hand, we’d let you know.
  • We can also provide references of recent team leaders who have currently been here if you’d like to talk with someone other than us.  

Thanks again and God bless,

Mike Fink
Site Missionary


Should I get auto insurance for travel in Mexico?

While auto insurance is not mandatory, it is recommended.  You might purchase your insurance through your own provider, do a Google search, or
here’s a link to our website for some help if you’d like:
www.gomissionstomexico.com/manualautoinsurance.html

What driving tips do you have for driving in Mexico?

The first word of advice is to drive with a lot of caution.  Driver educations is little to non- existent in Mexico.  Some will not use blinkers (many cars
can be old and not working properly), or change lanes without warning, or even pull out in front of you.  Be careful and alert!  On the open highway,
some slow moving vehicles will turn on their left blinker to let you know it’s safe to pass them, pass with caution and make sure you can see before
doing so.  Some vehicles might actually be going to make a left turn.  This custom is somewhat confusing and takes some experience to discern
when it’s actually safe to pass.