Traveling to Mexico, Tips

Moving around Mexico

To travel into Mexico, you can do it by plane to any of the international airports throughout the country, in which Cancun airport is the best connected with international destinations, followed by Mexico city. Though there are many other minor airports which operates also some international flights to touristic destinations like Los Cabos, Baja California, Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco, Cozumel and others.

If you come by land, you can do it thru our northern border with the US or our south border with Guatemala and Belize.

Once in the country, depending on the route or destination you will go, you can choose driving your own car, rent a car or use public transportation which also offers a wide range of destinations all through the country.

Actually, besides the car, the bus is the most common way to go from one place to another.

The Mayan Train

This is a new project taken by the federal government that built 1460 kms of railroads to connect the main cities and touristic destinations in the Mayan region of Mexico, from the Yucatan peninsula to Palenque Chiapas. 

Driving yourself

Most of Mexico can be done by car and either you rent one or you drive your own, these are some advices that will help you to have a safe and pleasant trip:

Always drive during day light.

As a traveler myself, I always do the driving in the mornings, so you are sure that you will be at your final destination in the early afternoon at most.

Respect the traffic laws and speed limit

In Mexico the traffic rules are not often clear or there is lack of signalization, though generally the speed limits at city centers or towns is 40 km/h, at main avenues can be 60 - 70 Km/h, at secondary roads 80 Km/h and at highways the maximum speed limit is 110 Km/h.

Often Gps that in some countries they mark when you pass the speed limit, in Mexico often it doesn´t mark anything as rules can change from one state to the other. So, you must always be prudent and try to avoid speeding.

Have all your personal and car documents in order.

Always carry with you your driver´s license, the transit documents from the car, and a copy of your passport.

Renting a car

When renting a car always use the well-known companies as Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar, dollar and others… Do not go for the cheapest option and always get the full coverage insurance the company offers.

And do not forget to check the car with all detail and don´t hesitate to take pictures or video of scratches and other details in the car and mention it to the car rental company so they mark it on the documents.

Dealing with the police:

This uses to be a big concern for all drivers, not only for tourists, but of course, if you as a traveler do not know how it works here in Mexico, the following advices can be helpful:

First, as said before, be sure to have all your documents in order: Valid driver’s license and the car documents.

As anywhere else, if you drive along as all the other cars and respect the traffic signals, you won´t attract the attention of the police, however, if this occurs and you are stopped by a police, don´t worry, be kind with the officer and listen to what he has to say.

If in effect, you committed a traffic fault, the officer will put you a fine, which you are obligated to pay at the local transit police offices, sometimes even they can hold either your driver´s license or car document, and this will be given back to you, once you pay the fine. And yes, this procedure can interrupt your itinerary as, although with the fine you receive you can still drive the car, finally you need to have your documents back.

Generally, the officer will tell you you’re your failure was and how much it costs the fine, sometimes this sounds like a discrete insinuation to solve it right at the spot instead of giving you the fine.

Be kind with the officer and ask him if there is anything you can do to avoid the ticket, let him know that you are aware of the failure and that you promise to be more careful.

Do not offer money to the officer explicitly, if he asks you for some compensation, maybe is a better solution to deal with the issue right away.

If you think that the officer is not acting properly, is making false things, let him know that you are well aware of your rights and that you have the assistance from your embassy and insurance to protect your rights, sometimes, the officer just gives you a warning and let you go.

Fuel:

In Mexico there are multiple brands of gas stations and prices may vary a bit between them, and especially those located along the roads can be more expensive than those in the cities.

There are 2 types of gasoline that you can find: Magna and Premium

You can also find diesel.  

At the gas stations generally there is always someone that will pump the fuel into your car, it is customed to leave a tip to the guy, $ 10.00 or $ 20.00 pesos is ok.

As for your airport – hotel transfer, the best way to avoid paying a high price to the airport transportation services and taxis, is to hire in advance your transfer to your hotel, my advice is not to go with the cheapest to avoid surprises and always check on the reviews of the company you choose. Of course, we, in We Go Mexico can provide you that service with safety and quality.

Taxis

Taxis are always an option and you have to make sure that you jump on a well identified taxi and the identification of the driver visible, and rule number one: Always ask how much it is going to be the cost before jumping in.

At some points like airports, bus stations or hotels, there are fixed local taxis that offer the service, though it can be a higher price from those taxis got directly on the street, it can be a more reliable service.

Uber

Uber is well used at some cities in Mexico but at some destinations, they have struggled to work freely along with the taxis unions, so, for example in Mexico city Uber it is well used but in Cancun, Playa del Carmen or Tulum, Uber has not got to operate freely yet.

Cycling

Cycling in Mexico is possible but sometimes is very far away than biking in Beverly Hills. I must say that generally in Mexico there is a poor culture in taking care of bikers, and not to mention that often streets and roads are not built considering lanes for bikers, so you must be very prudent to do so, or there are closed parks or sometimes on Sundays in some cities they close some streets for cars and allow only bikers.   

Though it is not mandatory to wear a helmet, it is highly recommended to wear one.

Motorbikes

As well as said in the cycling section, driving a motorbike in Mexico it is possible, but you certainly run a much higher risk of having issues than in your own country, so you have to be very prudent if you decide to do so.

Count on WeGo México as you travel through México! Come with WeGo México!