Is It Safe To Travel To Puerto Rico?

Visiting Puerto Rico is a wonderful opportunity that allows to discover the colorful and warm nature of people, unique and beautiful places, and exotic coastlines. However, in recent years Puerto Rico has encountered a series of unfortunate events that may cause some travelers to wonder how safe the place is. From the recent economic crisis to Hurricane Maria in 2017, the island has shown a proactive approach in restoring and enhancing the tourism industry in Puerto Rico.

The general factors that are used to assess travel safety may include; crime, health risk factors, natural calamities and political instabilities. Knowing these elements, you will be able to decide whether it is safe for you to travel to Puerto Rico or not.

Crime and Safety Risks for Travelers to Puerto Rico

The most frequently mentioned unprotected risk related to safety when traveling to Puerto Rico is, in fact, crime. However, like many Latin American and Caribbean countries, Puerto Rico does also have issues with higher crime rates compared to many of the U.S states. Small crimes such as purse snatching, pickpocketing or even car jack do exist especially when exploring the areas surrounding old San Juan and other tourist attraction zones.

While the probability of experiencing more severe forms of violence is relatively high in some neighborhoods of large cities such as San Juan, the likelihood is even more pronounced during the night. Common sense measures to reduce exposure to crime, not going out in the night to areas that they are unfamiliar with and not carrying round wrist watches, necklaces and other shiny metal objects can help avert these problems. Other measures include preferring ride share services instead of street taxis at night, or just letting your hotel call you a taxi.

Other areas that are not in the San Juan metro area experience low rates of crime, especially in the rural areas that most tourists visit. The odds of being a victim of street crime while on a vacation in some of the more popular destinations like Vieques or Rincón are significantly lower. Recently there has also been a rise in the number of tourism police and patrols in Puerto Rico particularly in the areas commonly visited by tourists.

Health and Medical Risk Factors

Another factor that may influence travel safety is the health risks and access to medical care, when people are in Puerto Rico. The CDC has no travel health notices for Puerto Rico and the primary infectious disease risks are negligible for most travelers. Nonetheless, you will wish to exercise caution with regards to mosquitoes due to a rare occurrence of dengue fever. Carry along with you mosquito repellent and use it during your trip.

Regarding the medical facilities, Puerto Rico boasts of excellent hospitals and clinics, which are equal to the best American counterparts, therefore you can have no doubts about the quality of emergency/urgent care. However, medical expenses can be significantly higher than in the United States if not pre-insured, so travelers are advised to have extensive travel insurance with medevac options.

The hurricane season and other natural disasters

The catastrophic impact that Hurricane Maria had in 2017 became a focal point of the attention regarding the general state of the disaster-prone Puerto Rico. The maximum period of Atlantic hurricanes is from mid August to late October, which is partly in that tourist season of Puerto Rico.

Although the chances of another direct hit from a hurricane in any one year are not high, storms in the rest of the Caribbean can occasionally impact Puerto Rico with strong winds and rain. This means people traveling to Puerto Rico between August-October should plan for their preparation and contingencies for storms in case they occur.

In addition to the hurricane season hazards, Puerto Rico is occasionally exposed to earthquakes since the North coast is located close to an active seismic region, which may occasionally result in tsunami threats. However, similar to hurricanes the relative risk is small even along coastal regions. However, travelers do need to be concerned with news and alerts if significant earthquakes happen while you’re on vacation.

Civil Unrest and Ongoing Economic Problem

These issues have led to occasional civil skirmishes and political demonstrations in the island territory of Puerto Rico in the last decade. Occasionally, protests have been observed in San Juan and other cities in relation to University strikes or budget cuts and pension reform debates. These usually do not present significant threats toward the visitors; however, it will be advisable not engage oneself in political protests in Puerto Rico.

Is it safe to visit Puerto Rico? Key Takeaways

As for safety issues, people go through all kinds of violent crimes, hurricanes, and other disasters, but tens of thousands of Americans and foreign nationals get to Puerto Rico safely every year. While choosing the right path and ensuring good personal safety practices, checking the weather and avoiding political protests will guarantee an incident-free stay.

Some places such as San Juan do present relatively higher risks that tourists need to exercise some level of prudence. However, most risks can be reduced by avoiding isolated places at night, hiding valuables, and seeking help from hotels or tourism police. Crime rates are also significantly lower in the regions outside the San Juan metropolitan area too.

By doing this, avoiding areas that are prone to hurricanes in August-October, and being aware of any political instability in the country, individuals can be assured of safe vacations in Puerto Rico. If you apply reasonable safety precautions that you would apply to any other country in the world, you will find that travel to Puerto Rico is pretty safe in general.

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