Mexico is often thought to be a dangerous country, but that depends on where you live and how you travel. There are bandits on some rural routes, so travelling by bus across long distances is usually inadvisable. However, regular life in Mexico is distant from the stories about drug cartels we often see depicted in the media. There is also a buoyant tourist industry with around a million American expats and half a million Canadian nationals living in Mexico. Most people residing in Mexico will never encounter serious crime, provided they pay attention to any areas considered a no-go zone, which is often reported on the news to ensure the safety of citizens.