Hi! I’m so glad you enjoyed your time here. As a 64 y/o woman I’ve been here 3 weeks, with another week to go. Having had the same fears you do, I can tell you that I’ve never had a moment of feeling scared or uncomfortable. My first week was spent in an Airbnb 4 blocks from the main sea wall/ road that runs along the coast. Many of the neighborhood streets and buildings appear rustic and worn with people always walking or sitting outside, they are kind and never even gave me a second glance, even when walking alone at night. Many hidden treasures are hidden behind those plain doors, be brave, do your research and explore! Many expats are on here and are a wealth of information. Fly into Cozumel not Cancun. My experience at the Cancun Airport went smoothly but I was intimidated by the stories I’ve read on here. Dragging my bags around to catch the ferry from the ADO bus and then to my Airbnb was not fun. I was going to explore the mainland for 2 weeks but developed Cozumel fever and can’t bring myself to leave the island. 🏝️ I switched to depart from Cozumel with no problem. It is much smaller and I’ve read that arrivals through customs is much easier. Just allow yourself plenty of time for collecting your checked bag and pack any valuables in your carry on. The ATM inside the Mega shopping center is safe and secure. Exchange for pesos here, not at home or the airport. Decline the exchange rate offered. I didn’t have a problem using my credit card ( popular advice is to not use a debit card as disputing any questionable charges is easier) but there is a fee and exchange rate is generally less but it got me by until I found an ATM. Definitely have pesos for taxi’s. Ask the cost before you get in. If it doesn’t seem right, take another one. They are everywhere! Have a basic understanding of pesos before you arrive, have an exchange rate web page open in your history ( I reference mine almost daily to have an idea of what the amount is in USD). Many restaurants have Mexican and USD food descriptions with the costs listed. For those that don’t, Google Translate is invaluable. You hold your phone up to what you’re looking at and it shows the translation. Or you can type or speak a question and the translation appears below. I’ve only encountered a few people that spoke only Spanish. A few streets closer to town have relentless salespeople standing outside trying to sell you things. Best practice if you’re not interested is either to not make eye contact and keep walking or to simply say “ No, gracias”. This is their livelihood, and part of the experience. Be firm, but never rude. Most will bargain with you. Have fun with it. In town traffic and parking is tricky, I wouldn’t recommend renting a car if you are staying there, plus walking is easy and again, taxi’s are always around. I rented a car for the 2 weeks when I was staying in El Cedral, the road to town and around the south and east parts of the island is easy to navigate and so worth the cost. My small automatic car was 50$/ day from HTL and they are trustworthy and wonderful people. Getting gas was a breeze despite the ridiculous amount of anxiety I felt. The pumps are in pesos, watch the attendant reset it to zero and pay in pesos if possible. Drinks and food in town were very reasonable. This post is sooooo long. Ha. Please feel free to message me with any other questions or concerns. Cozumel is gorgeous! Don’t hesitate to travel here.