Osaka, Japan – October 10, 2026 – Travel content creator David Mondore is publishing a set of blunt warnings for international travelers, each drawn from something that went wrong on his own trips across Mexico and Southeast Asia.
David Mondore, an American expat based in Osaka who first built a following in cryptocurrency, was stopped at Cancun customs carrying personal graded sports cards and Pokémon cards. Officials assigned the collection an arbitrary $3,000 value and demanded a 20% “import tax” of $600 on the spot. “I asked if I could just refuse and leave the country instead,” he said. “They told me if I didn’t pay, they’d confiscate everything. There was no real option.”
“The people of Mexico are wonderful. The customs process is another story,” he said. “If you’re carrying anything visibly valuable, assume they can invent a number and tax you on it.” His advice is to minimize valuables in your luggage and understand that refusing payment can mean losing your property outright.
The second warning is about what you drink. During a recent World Cup trip, David Mondore and friends ordered micheladas made with ice shaved from a street vendor’s block and spent more than a week sick. “I’d been to Mexico City before and just forgot the rule,” he said. “Never drink the tap water, always buy bottled, and skip the ice unless you know exactly where it came from. Honestly, I just skip ice entirely now.”
Food safety, he says, varies sharply by country. Thailand earned his full confidence with two months of markets, carts, and restaurants, meals averaging between $1.20 and $1.60, and not a single bad day. Vietnam demands more caution, where he often saw raw meat and fish displayed uncovered at room temperature. “The food is some of the best in the region, but travelers who aren’t used to it should be very careful with the street stalls,” he said.
David Mondore still recommends Mexico enthusiastically, singling out Mexico City’s Roma Norte for its cafés, bars, and nightlife. “I want people to go,” he said. “I just want them to know what I didn’t do.” The complete safety and customs guides will appear on David Mondore’s travel platform at davidmondore.com.
About David Mondore
David Mondore is a crypto entrepreneur turned travel content creator based in Osaka, Japan, sharing firsthand destination guides and practical travel warnings across Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Media ContactCompany Name: David Mondore TravelContact Person: David MondoreEmail: Send EmailCountry: United StatesWebsite: http://www.davidmondore.com/
