Can someone help me with a Mexico trip?

Question

I have been seriously thinking about doing a backpacking trip all over Mexico. I dont want to stay in big hotels and be in towns with a bunch of dumb American tourists walking around with cameras to they're faces. I will be going with about $1500 dollars, and thanks to Greyhound they have tickets to Eagle Pass Texas for $99, and after Eagle Pass I take the bus to Mexico. I will be packing a small one person tent, but will be primarily looking for hostels. Does anyone know a good route to take through Mexico, and have any advice and/or suggestions about safe traveling, and whatever else. I will also be packing an acoustic guitar. Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

I have traveled in Mexico,Central and South America for years and I believe I do it as inexpensively as anyone.Hostels in Mexico are few and far between but they do exist. There are also plenty of low cost hotels.

Unless you are thinking about  doing a lot of hiking/trekking in the mountains or other very rural areas the tent,regardless of how small and light weight it is will probably be of little practical use to you. I woud leave it at home.If you can't find a reasonably priced hotel you can sightsee during the day and  take a night bus to your next destination and sleep on the bus as many budget travelers do.

I completely understand what you are saying about tourists and I  try my best to avoid them and any place they frequent.

From Eagle Pass you will cross into Piedras Negras where you will need to clear Mexican immigration and pick up your tourist card/visa. They are free going in (and usually issued for 90 days( which should be enough) but you will pay an exit  fee and turn in your visa when you leave Mexico.Don't lose it!The exit fee is between $25 and $30 (make sure you hold that much in cash back).

The bus station (Central de Autobuses) is about 3 km. southwest of the 'centro' on Echeverria Sur.This is where you will begin your journey.You should try to find a decent folding map of Mexico for your trip.You can find them at the retail booksellers such as Barnes and Noble,Books A Million,etc

I have a permanent map in my head. If you want help and advice on planning a route and where to stay, where to eat, what to see, etc. you can contact me through the link on my profile page.There is not enough space here to do something like that in any detail..You would have to open your link so that we could communicate.It's up to you. If I don't hear from you,I hope you have a great trip,I think you'll really like Mexico,especially if you stay off the gringo trail.

http://www.mexicofile.com/parachoguitars...

http://stevefilipiak.com/mexico/paracho/...

Buena Suerte

juan23

Answer 2

The Pacific Coast is really great: From Mazatlan, all the way down to Puerto Escondido. My favourite stop along this journey was a little town called Sayulita, half an hour from Puerto Vallarta. The pacific coast has really beautiful beaches, although don't worry if you skip Puerto Vallarta, and Acapulco. Miss Ixtapa too, but make sure you stop in the town 3kms down the road from it - Zihuatanejo. It is really awesome.

As for inland towns, don't miss Morelia, 3 hrs from Guadalajara. It is a great, cute little quaint town, with so much preserved culture and is very pretty and well kept, but without the tourists.....I'm sure it will be discovered soon. Of course, just the other side of Guadalajara is Tequila - a really interesting town, but make sure you go there during business

hours, so you can see inside the real Jose Cuervo factory.

Answer 3

I live in Mexco, but know nothing about backpacking here.  Here are a couple of sites that might be helpful.  I hope you have a great trip.

Answer 4

in mexico is not very common to travel the way you describe, hostels, are rare, you have small towns you can visit up north, you have durango, monterey, chihuhua, which is nice, baja, guanajuato, san miguel de allende, salamanca, just get a map and se what you want and roue and look for hostels, but there you will find tourists

Answer 5

Visit the following site, you will get all the required informations.

http://www.travellerspoint.com/forum.cfm...

Answer 6

More college aged Europeans go the backpack way in Mexico, so it can be done.  One of the tricks is to get into a town early enough so you can walk to several hotels to check out prices.  I think it's still a law that the room rates must be posted be the front desk (it may be a small 3 by 5 card in a frame).  So you can walk in check the rates and walk out--then you go back to the one with the lowest rate.

I would start my trip at Hostel Mundo Joven Catedral in Mexico City (click link below).

From Mexico City, go to Puebla to see the large Pyramid at Cholula. From Puebla, go to Oaxaca and see the ruins at Monte Alban and Mitla. From there head to San Cristobal de las Casa--while there visit Na Bolom. From there head toward Palenque, but along the way stop in Ocosingo to view the ruins at Tonina. After Tonina, if it's hot you can stop for a swim at Agua Azul. From there, it's 69 kilometers to Palenque. Get a room in Palenque town and save the ruins for the next morning. After visiting the ruins at Palenque head north to the main highway. At the Pemex station turn right and head to  Campeche. Then between Campeche and Merida you can see the ruins at Edzna, Kabah, Labna and Uxmal.

After a night in Merida, head to Chichen Itza. There was some cheap hotels in Piste (the town next to the ruins) if I remember correctly. The town of Valladolid would be a nice stop on the way to Cancun.  You might find some cheap hotels in the "old town" section of Cancun--definetly not on the hotel strip. Or head down the coast to Tulum, I think there are some inexpensive hotels there (check to TripAdvisor site).  South of Tulum is Chetumal--it doesn't get many tourists, so room rates should be cheaper.  From there I would go back to Campeche and start working my way up the Gulf Coast back to Texas.

Another way to save on room rates, is to take the bus from city to city overnight and sleep on the bus.

Answer 7

Beware, obviously, only to drink purified (mainly bottled) water in Mexico. The last thing you want is to get sick during your trip. I would also be wary of traveling through bad parts of cities at night. People there can recognize you as American and try to get money out of you. Also, days in Mexico will be very hot, even in the mountains, but at night the temperature in the mountains could get could. Good Luck!