Thinking about a trip to Mexico, any info appreciated.

Question

where to go, ideas, advice, suggestions, websites, cheap rates, any advice or ideas at all would be appreciated. i never traveled out of the country so i pretty much dont know anything. i mostly wanna go to immerse myself in mexican culture and practice spanish, if that helps at all. thanks!

Answer 1

Why is it you people NEVER GIVE ENOUGH INFORMATION for anyone to give you an intelligent answer.

HOW LONG is the trip going to be.  You may need a FM-3 in which case you need your passport and $137 to cover the cost.  Then there is the cost of getting your car across with all the formalities.  You can EASILY rack up a $1000 expense BEFORE you can cross the border.  I can guaranteed that you WON'T be able to do it CHEAPLY because there will be people everwhere with their hands out for tolls, fees, licenses and processing documents.

Get a TRAVEL GUIDE for Mexico and READ IT then you will know what you can and can not do and about how much time and money it will take to do it... Including POSTING A BOND.

For some reason AmeriKans seem to think going to Mexico is like going to Iowa... and it's NOT

OH.. and you will NEED that Mexican Road map because the route in Mexico are poorly market and even with a good map, you will STILL get lost.

Answer 2

In my opinion dont go to any of the places these people told you to go those places are overrun by white people and you will never discover the real mexico. In my opinion you should go to San Miguel De Allende, Guanajuato it has a lot of Mexican culture and there is a lot of Mexicans and also has its fair share of americans. So its pretty evened out....Its beautiful colonial city in the heart of Mexico....walking down those streets reminds me of my trip to italy back in 1999...there is a significant american influence in that city but not as much as mexico city or puerto vallarta and cancun...you should research this place in depth so you know what you are getting yourself into. But in my opinion this is your best bet if you want to learn spanish and this is the closest to the real mexico you can get without going to torreon, coahuila in north mexico...(virtually no american influence) except for the blockbusters and walmarts...but you can easily go a whole day without seeing a white guy in torreon, coahuila but it may be harder to get around since there are barely any english speakers. So I would choose San Miguel as my traveling option and the food and items in san miguel arent ridiculously expensive like in other popular tourist destinations in mexico...so look into san miguel it will be an experiance you will never forget.

Answer 3

Don't go...it's not safe.

Answer 4

These are some things to expect outta your Mexico "immersion":

Expect to see goeurgeous mtns and beaches, trash in the streets , trash being burned.Everything is concrete. Expect to see rural villages that have nothing. Poverty. Insane driving , VW bugs . Children not in school. Resturants that are run by a family out of thier house. Parents spending time with thier children, Stray dogs and cats. Police with machine guns - Mad Maxx wannabe's. Open air markets. Questionable electrical connections.

Places to go - Cancun is overun with Americans - not mush Mexico left. Puerta Vallerta is not far behind. Ixtapa is for the wealthy vacationer. Zuhatinaho is next door and far more affordable. Acapulco is my domicillio so Im a little biased - it has its pros and cons but its home.

Besttime of year is comming up -Oct thru May. Far less humidity and mosquitos. No rain.

Dont go all inclusive and try to immerse yourself in the culture - cant be done.Ask taxi  drivers at the airport for good cheap hotels. Leave your bags in the car if the first one is not to your liking - he will show you more. You can find a hotel here in Acapulco 1/2 mile from the beach with a pool for $50.

Divide the pesos prices by 10 and thats the value in dollars. You dont tip in Mexico. Maybe a bartender, but thats it.Use taxi drivers and hotel staff for all the best transportation and food / resturants.

Dont eat ANY food being toted around the beach all day - enough said.

Bring a backpack - eiasier to pack and carry all your stuff. Rechargable batteries for your digital camera. You need and Ipod for the beach. Bring candy to make friends with the children.Pack a small english/spanish dictionary.

You might be a little surprised at what you see - good and bad - thats international travel. Keep an open mind, pay attention to your surroundings , always smile and say "gracias" and you will return a forever changed person in the way you look at the world .  

Answer 5

If you want to immerse in the culture, don't go to the famous tourist beaches, like Acapulco, Cancun, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, Cabos, etc., because you will only find foreigners. Mexico City is probably your best option because it is huge and you will not run out of things to do. There are wonderful restaurants, museums, shows, markets, libraries, book stores, public transportation, and people from all over the country (and the world). I would compare it to the equivalent to NYC for Latin America.

Do not drink tap water. You will get sick for sure. Only people raised in that city should be able to drink tap water without getting sick.

Answer 6

You should go to Zacatecas, Mex. it is a very beautiful city, colonial city, i have been there, but you should carefuly check the hotels, one is bad

Answer 7

Here's another vote for Mexico City as a good first visit.  Click the link below to read reviews of my favorite hotel in DF.  Click the second link to read reviews of 279 things to do in Mexico City.  The Metro (subway) is a good way to get around the city if you avoid the morning and evening rush hours--there can be pickpockets and gropers when the cars are packed.  

Answer 8

go to Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

its a great awesome place

the food there is the best