Travelling Jellies: Any tips for Mexico travel?

My neighbours are off to Mexico next week for a 2wk holiday, that’s all I got…except to say i’d avoid the Titty Twister, nasty.

I have never been to Mexico, but I could offer some very general tips for people who have never traveled, or not been abroad. I’m inclined to suspect that a stay at a popular Mexican resort will be pretty damn similar to staying at a hotel in the U.S., however…

-If you take medication, bring enough medicine for the whole trip plus a month, all in the original containers, and bring extra copies of all prescriptions. Pack all medication in carry-ons.
-Drugs are illegal. Prostitution is legal, but regulations vary by state, and soliciting prostitutes under 18 is illegal everywhere.

There are many web pages listing travelers’ tips for Mexico. This one looks pretty comprehensive, and might give you some idea of the most important points to include.

They should not wear flashy jewelry or otherwise make themselves targets for bandito’s, and if anyone ventures out of the resort, I suggest hiring a private driver. They know there way around the cops there and they can put a cooler in the van and drive ya’ll around, getting loose.

It’s a good time and you stay safe. And don’t go asking for mota (weed), the cops and locals wait for that specifically then bust you, and you have to give up a lot of money, if not all your money to get out. That’s all I got.

Oh and keep all your valuable on your person and guard them well, do NOT use the safe’s in the rooms, even at nice resorts.

Don’t eat anything from street vendors. Avoid drinking anything that does not come out of a bottle. (Touristas will be the result.)

Walk in groups in the towns. Stick to main streets and tourist areas.

On a similar note to @marinelife‘s point, travelers should even beware of what seems to be bottled water. In India, I’ve fallen prey to knock off bottled water that was probably filled at a pump.
On a short trip, it might be wisest to only stock up on bottled drinks from the resort itself.

Also, be careful drinking mixed drinks as the ice is made with tap water and believe me, you’ll have diarrhea your whole trip.

Make sure:
All your vaccinations are current
Get anti-malaria meds ( use them according to directions )
Passport goes through 30 days after their return date.

And if anyone buys any illegal scripts, don’t take them back across the border…lol

Do you need a passport to go to Mexico? I went there about 20 years ago and I don’t think I had one – but I’m not sure.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_5815.html

I wouldn’t travel to Mexico now. Drug cartels have more money than the government does, so you know what that means.

That said, for the people in your company who may be going, they should not leave the resort. With a driver like @KNOWITALL suggests, even one with a gun, they’d do nothing against a shootout.

I see also from site I linked that you do need a passport to travel to Mexico.

Passport required for entrance and exit for US citizens on airplanes and cruise ships (@Seek_Kolinahr is in Florida I think ;?} )

@jca guns are problematical in Mexico and can be carried by a bonafide bodyguard, not just a cabby.

@Tropical_Willie: My point is that the drug cartels have more than just guns, and one body guard is not going to do much against a shootout. Read the link I cited (and many current newspaper and magazine articles will tell more details). In addition, they pay off the local politicians, judges, and law enforcement.

The cartels are active in the transportation area along the borders. Kidnappings have been high profile individuals.

I’m not talking kidnappings necessarily. I’m talking shootouts. Read the link and read current articles on it. I’ll try to find some. It’s mid-Mexico as well as northern.

@jca Our driver is a local and older man who knows what places are safe or not, and he did tell us when we asked for somewhere he felt was not safe. There was a police checkpoint that he was waved through and not stopped, maybe it’s a ‘good ole boys club’-type deal, I don’t know, but it was great and I will never travel another way in future.

I didn’t see any guns on him, but thanks to the cooler full of beer, I wasn’t really looking for that. We went to the swap meet, the grocery, drove by a ho-house so I could see one, took us snorkeling, a jungle tour of a ‘zoo’, it was too cool.

I sent your question to @_bob.

At this time, the cartels are not targeting tourists. They are the lifeblood of the country. That being said, if there is a crackdown on the cartels, they may just make the officials pay by doing just that so, just keep an eye on the papers and don’t get too overly concerned. Like one friend on the border said when we asked about visiting Ojinaga. “Don’t worry, they only shoot people they know”.