Is Guatemala Safe?

This is an article I read about two backpackers who came to Guatemala not long ago. I really liked it because it´s an honest opinion and it has amazing pictures from different beautiful places.

I would like to add that every country has risks. I recently came back from NY and depending where you go, you don´t have anything to worry about. I noticed that everyone was walking around with their blackberries, iphones, ipads or ipods without worrying if something was going to happen to them. I know that for every country is different, but it all depends where and when you go.

Thanks Backpackers for sharing this with us.

Is Guatemala Safe?

I was asked if Guatemala is safe by another traveler while hanging out in a hostel in Argentina. And let’s be honest, Guatemala is much less developed than Argentina, so it’s a legitimate question. It’s not the first time we have been asked about traveling in Guatemala, although the questions did usually come up when we were in South America. You don’t get asked such a question in Central America, mostly because all those countries are relatively the same in terms of safety and infrastructure less Costa Rica.

This is a very difficult question to answer, not because I think Guatemala is unsafe, but rather because the answer is an opinion. When speaking about travel safety, you want to hear facts or concrete evidence to squabble your fears. The only evidence I have is that Aracely and I traveled most of Guatemala for over a month and were never knowingly in danger. I am not asking you to make a judgement on the safety of traveling in Guatemala based on our experience alone, however all I can share is our experience.

More about the article and their blog here.