Mexico trip jitters: Should you cancel spring break?

With spring break right around the corner, travelers are weighing whether to skip their upcoming trips to Mexico following the recent civil unrest in the tourist hub Puerto Vallarta.

Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho, and who led the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, was killed during a military operation on Feb. 22. In the wake of his death, cartel members took to the streets to light cars on fire and ransack shops, prompting a shelter-in-place advisory issued by the U.S. State Department that has since been lifted.

A couple takes a selfie at a beach in Cancun, Mexico, on April 23, 2024.

Officials were quick to reassure people of their safety. Within days, residents, tourists and even Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo stressed that "things are calm" and "running as normal" in Mexico.

Shaken by what they saw in the media, travelers with plans to Mexico are considering canceling or postponing their trips, even to popular destinations that are far from where the incident took place, like Cancun and Mexico City.

According to Chrissy Valdez, senior director of operations at travel insurance platform Squaremouth, there's been a "massive spike in concern" among their customers, with call volume specifically about Mexico travel skyrocketing by sixfold.

"For the most part, what people should remember is that Mexico is a large country, and this hiccup is only happening in certain regions," Valdez said. "Really, historically, travelers who experience an emergency traveling abroad are more likely to experience a medical emergency than a security event. So, there's still some benefits to purchasing travel insurance, especially when it comes to medical emergencies or travel delays."

The big question is: Will they be able to get their money back if they cancel their trip? Here's what travelers should know about what they're entitled to.

If I cancel my trip to Mexico out of safety concerns, what refunds am I owed?

You're not owed much, if anything.

It really depends on what your accommodations or airline is offering right now. Some airlines, like American Airlines, were offering waivers to change or cancel flights without fees in the immediate aftermath. Department of Transportation rules state that travelers are only entitled to a full refund from their airline if their flight is canceled or significantly delayed and they choose not to fly and decline any other compensation.

"One thing that consumers should remember is that those refunds only cover the flights," Valdez said. "It's not going to cover any lodging, either resort, hotel or any tours or excursions that you have planned." You'll have to check with your accommodations or tour operators.

Cruise lines cancel stops, issue partial refunds

Three major cruise lines have canceled calls to Puerto Vallarta through mid-March and are issuing partial refunds.

Several Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises ships will skip planned visits to the city through at least March 12, according to their parent company, Carnival Corporation. The cruise line operator is “evaluating” stops beyond that date.

The following ships are impacted:

• Carnival Panorama
• Holland America’s Zuiderdam
• Princess’ Island Princess, Royal Princess and Ruby Princess

“Pre-purchased shore excursions will be automatically adjusted based on these changes, and refunds for Puerto Vallarta will be issued to guests’ onboard accounts,” the company said in an email.

What am I owed if I cancel my cruise?

Cruise line ticket terms give operators a lot of flexibility. “The contract basically says that passengers are not owed anything if the cruise line itinerary changes and the cruise line can change the itinerary at any time,” Scott Campbell, Manager, Cruise Relations at AAA, previously told USA TODAY.

However, passengers can usually expect to get money back for port charges at destinations the cruise doesn't visit and cruise lines may offer other compensation like onboard credit for the inconvenience.

Travelers who decide to cancel their sailing can typically get a varying percentage of their cruise cost back, depending how far ahead of departure they make that change. Passengers should refer to their cruise line’s policies, and can contact the company or their travel advisor with questions.

Can I get a refund if I have travel insurance and cancel my trip to Mexico?

Maybe. Travel insurance won't help you too much in this instance, as most providers exclude events relating to civil unrest, but you should give yours a call to confirm what's covered.

"Standard travel insurance policies exclude coverage for military action or acts of war," Valdez said. A basic travel insurance policy will only refund your flight if you cancel due to "unforeseeable emergencies," like a hospitalization or death.

It also matters when you purchased your travel insurance.

"Many people do think that travel insurance covers everything, but a moment like this, where it becomes a widely reported or a government advisory, it now becomes a known or foreseeable event," she said. "So this means that there's going to be a cutoff for some policies that don't offer the trip cancellation once it's a known event. But if you bought your policy before the violence erupted, you may still have coverage." That's another reason to check in with your provider to see if they'd accept your reasons for canceling your trip.

However, if you also bought Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) or Interruption For Any Reason (IFAR) coverage, you're in luck. With CRAR, travelers can get up to 75% of their trip costs back if they cancel between 24 and 48 hours prior to the trip starting, and it can be any reason, from feeling unsafe to you went "to the salon and feel like you didn't like the way your hair turned out and don't want to be seen in public," she said.

IFAR is a bit different. It allows people who just arrived on their trip and decide to end it early to get some money back. To add either CFAR or IFAR to your coverage plan, it typically costs a little over 8% of your total trip cost, or 9% for both. A standard policy runs just under 6%.

Should I buy travel insurance now for my upcoming spring break trip to Mexico?

It won't help with wanting to cancel out of safety concerns – unless you get CFAR or IFAR – since it's now a known event.

"Those standard policies for trip cancellation likely won't cover you because of that exclusion, but you'll still have coverage for travel delay and medical emergencies and anything else that may come up," Valdez said.

Will travel insurance help me postpone my trip?

Not necessarily to get you money back with hotels or flights, but many travel insurance providers allow you to change your policy dates within a certain time frame. Rebooking your trip without fees is up to airlines, tour operators and hotels.

This story has been updated to add new information.