We're putting the finishing touches on this year's Christmas trip, which got me thinking about last year's trip to Mexico. And while I did share tons from that experience, I never quite got around to linking it all together, so here it is..."the great big everything you need to know to take a road trip around mexico" post.
Well...maybe not everything you need to know. But at the very least, it includes our itinerary, tips, and budget.
The Itinerary
This was a first time visit to Mexico for both the husband and I. And thinking back on it, it was kind of crazy to pick and take off to road trip through a country that has had quite a bit of turmoil. But we made sure to chose a safe area with deciding to road trip through the yucatan peninsula. And you wouldn't believe how much natural beauty, history, and culture is packed into this area. It was the quickest trip with being over Thanksgiving last year, but it was life changing.
Day 1-2 Travel
We flew to Mexico via Florida, but first drove 8 hours to Florida. Sounds a little crazy, but the costs of domestic flights during Thanksgiving is outrageous. So the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, we hit the road, driving most of the night, then spent Wednesday morning sleeping in a hotel before catching a late afternoon flight to Mexico.
Day 3 Thanksgiving in Tulum
Our crazy travel plan was worth it to wake up on the beach Thanksgiving morning and spend the day lounging and exploring the Tulum Maya ruins.
Day 4 Chichen Itza
It's a wonder of the world...need I say more?
Day 5 Climbing Coba
This hidden gem was by far our favorite Maya Ruin. We hiked, climbed, and biked our way through the tropical paradise of Coba. All this before heading to vibrant vallidolid to explore the city center.
Day 6 Elk Balam & Gran Cenote
After spending a day exploring the Maya Ruin of Elk Balam, we spent some of our last hours snorkeling in a cenote...an underground cave with fish swimming in the water below us and bats flying through the air overhead. It sounds a little eery, but is actually quite serene.
Day 7 Travel Home
Tips for Road Tripping through Mexico
Renting a Car: Renting a car in Mexico is the same as renting a car in the states. There are two things you need to be sure of: 1.) Go with a reliable company AND 2.) make sure you're covered with insurance. Since we were out of the country, we did an extra liability coverage just in case. Knowing the traffic rules before you go is a definite must. We also recommend downloading google maps onto your phone ahead of time to allow for on demand directions even if you don't have cell service in Mexico.
Speaking the Language: Husband knows maybe 8 words words in Spanish and I'm being generous. I speak enough broken Spanish that I could get us around with navigating everything from directions to menus. But I really think that someone could follow our itinerary without having a knowledge of the language. Even just learning a few key phrases would make a major difference.
Cash is King: I'm one of those people who NEVER carries cash and barely remembered to get Mexican currency before we left the states. Mexico is less developed in many areas, so cash will be your only option. Even when cards are accepted, it's safer to use cash to ensure that you're not charged more than you bargained for.
The Cost
A big part of why we chose Mexico is because we wanted to visit a place rich in culture, but cheap in price. Mexico offered unique experiences without breaking our tiny grad student budget. All the costs listed below are for two travelers and have been converted to USD currency.
Transportation $475// As you might imagine, getting to Mexico was the most expensive part of the whole trip. Our drive to Florida & back only set us back a few tanks of gas ($75). Because we booked at the last minute and were traveling over Thanksgiving, our flights from Florida to Mexico added up to $1k. We managed to bump $800 off the total cost with travel credit card rewards, so we only paid $200 out of pocket for our round trip flights. Our rental car in Mexico for 4 days + gas + insurance totaled to $200. We probably could have spent less on the rental, but went with a pricer American company that we knew we could trust.
Accommodations $289 or $48 per night// We stayed 1 night in Florida and 5 nights in Mexico. But here's a little secret about Mexico. If you stay in a resort, you will be paying American prices. But if you stay in a boutique 4 star hotel, you will pay Mexico prices. So we found ourselves at some pretty swanky places (that we could never afford stateside) for roughly $40 bucks a night. Not to mention that we cashed in on a free nights stay with rewards. A cabana steps away from the beach.....a 4 star hotel in center city. It was amazing. Truly.
Food & Drinks $207// We ate like kings in Mexico with gourmet and local meals. Tom and I still talk about how amazing the food was...the mojitos, fresh squeezed watermelon juice every morning, the mole, and of course cocos frÃos (cold coconuts) every chance I got. And I will never forget the best steak dinner I have ever had in my life that cost us a whooping $7. Everything was so fresh and well done. The four days we spent is Mexico is the best I've ever eaten. And considering that we ate 4 gourmet meals a day + snacks and drinks, I was surprised our bottom line wasn't higher when I added it all up.
Excursion Adventures $98// We paid entrance fees and private guides for 3 different Maya ruins (including a wonder of the world), rented bikes, lounged at beach clubs, and snorkeled in a cenote all for less than $100. I spent more than that at Target last week, so I will say our excursions was definitely money well spent.
For 7 days for 2 people, we spent $1,109. I actually think this bottom line is a little much for Mexico, but we couldn't help but splurge. Because we thought to ourselves, when else would we be able to stay in 4 star hotels every night, eat gourmet for every meal, indulge in all the adventures? A similar trip would have cost closer to $4k in the states. But we weren't in the states, we were in another country where we definitely made the most of our time.
This trip to Mexico wasn't a trip at all. It was an experience...a reminder of why I love to travel so much. We were completely transported into another world and I never would have guessed how gorgeous Mexico could be. But we ate the foods the locals do, learned more of the language (well, I did-Tom, not so much), and walked the same paths as the Mayas did thousands of years ago. I love that we replaced giving each other material Christmas gifts with this experience instead. And I cannot wait to experience this year's "christmas gift" to each other. In the meantime, everything I've shared from Mexico can be found below.
More on Mexico:
I love that you road tripped through Mexico! I don't think I've heard of anyone doing that before. That picture of you jumping is so fun! Sierra ~ Beautifully Candid
ReplyDeleteYea everyone thought we were crazy when we did this and made the worst assumptions about it being unsafe, but it worked out so well.
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