Has anyone ever driven through Mexico, like from the border to Cancun?

We drove from Cancun to Xcalak (5 hours south) a couple of years ago with no problems. The B&B we stayed at had been purchased by new owners from Canada. I asked how they got their stuff from Canada to Xcalak and they said by vehicle over the US boarder. Dave said that there are toll roads that are much safer than no toll roads near the board. He said he had not problems, but that is a drive I couldn't make.

Plenty of times.

All from Texas to: Tampico, Guaymas, and Ojinaga countless times. These were all in the 60s and 70s.

My in-laws have a house in San Miguel de Allende. They used to drive down there all the time when my wife was a kid. They never traveled without someone who was from there, and they have stopped driving over the past 10-15 years. They say it is too dangerous.

Their traveling partner, who is a local, was pulled over last summer while taking his family down there. They go every year twice a year. They were pulled over and hustled for all of the cash and jewelry in his truck...this was last summer. Guys with machine guns in the middle of no where. Seriously. It is still very dangerous.

I refuse to allow my wife and daughters to go down there...why chance it?

I drove from Brownsville, TX through Matamoros and then south of that for a few hours. Never felt in danger but this was before a lot of the drug violence really picked up in the region.

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A thread on the OT had me thinking, has anyone ever driven around Mexico? How safe is that? I've been to the border towns plenty, I lived in Del Rio on the border in HS for a year and went across all the time. But we never drove more than a couple miles from the border.

Is it possible to rent a car in a border town and drive to somewhere like Mexico City or Cancun and fly home? Just thought it would be an interesting vacation that I've literally never heard of anyone doing.

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I have been on a deer lease in Mexico about 1 1/2 hours from Lampazzos. So I drive a little over 3 hours in 5 to 6 times per year. Been doing it since 2003.

If you stay on the main roads/highways and avoid travel at night it is probably fine. There are a lot of military checkpoints now throughout Mexico and the main roads are patrolled by the military and the vigiliante group (now fully legal and authorized) with excellent equipment/arms, etc...

Obviously the border towns are the most dangerous so I stopped going through them 8 years ago even before the violence in Mexico became news. You can also check with the State Department for up to date travel warnings by area.

Definitely doable and you can greatly minimize your risk/exposure by renting a vehicle in Mexico with Mexican plates. Drive through Mexico in a newer model F150 or F250 and it could get dicey fast. Blend in and you should be just fine. People down there in small towns and cities are very friendly and hospitable.