Scams, dangers, and annoyances

Molten Lava on Volcan Pacaya, Guatemala

Dangers & Annoyances - general tips

An unfortunate reality of traveling in Latin America is avoiding theft and dealing with corrupt officials.  We've got you covered in our dangers and annoyances section, with everything from general tips to keeping your vehicle secured, a step-by-step manual for avoiding bribes, known scams, and location-specific warnings about corrupt cops. Read more about dealing with corrupt police and location specific corruption in related articles.

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Dealing with corrupt police

We'll walk you through the typical bribery scenario: getting pulled over, description of the (likely) bogus infraction, threat of a multa (fine), request for a bribe, and how you can avoid paying the bribe.

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Location specific police corruption

Included in this article are detailed descriptions of police corruption that is specific to a certain location.  If you have encountered a specific scam that is not included here, please contribute that information, leave the information as a comment, or contact us so we can include it for you.

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