Going to mexico

[otis]

My wife and I are planning a trip to Mexico from Vancouver, BC. We haven't decided yet if we are flying or driving. I would like to take my time and tow my 5ver but its all the way to the Cancun area. I would appreciate any feed back on how safe it would be to drive there and what to watch out for. The route would be crossing the border through Brownville, Texas, then around the Gulf of Mexico.



Thanks.

 

[Okie-Go]

I have walked across the bridge for a day trip with no problems. I did not take the truck across because I have been told US. insurance is null and void in Mexico. The thought of someone taking my cummins and using it to pump water out in a field is more thatn I could take. Check to make sure. I did see places on this side that sold insurance for travel to Mexico, don' know how much $ it costs or what it covers.

 

[hdtrukn]

Drivin or Flyin

From what I understand, kind of second hand knowledge.

My old roommate made the trip,Fla-Belize

Main roads are not bad,secondary roads are the pits

Fuel is not great, take a few extra fuel filters and know how to change them, good mech. hard to find.

Other than that B. C. to Cancun would be one awesome trip.

Might be temped to stay though

Enjoy

Scott

 

[RHamner]

Mexico

We've towed our 5th through Brownsville, down to Vericruz to Mayan ruins,and on to Cancun. We then traveled on to Belize over to Chiapas and back through Mexico city(skirt way around unless you are with the Green Angels) and central colonial Mexico. We did it once with a carivan tour and once as trainees, but didn't get back.



Buy Mexican insurance from a Mexcan company on this side of the border. Take rig titles,passports, and current auto insurance copies to obtain the permit. Go through the permit process($15). Get pesos from an ATM and travel.



Diesel is as good as ours IMHO and available only from Pemex. Roads are narrow, variable, but fair. Toll roads are better, but expensive, and you miss much of the culture. RV parks are not always available, frequently old, and in marginal repair. The people speak less english than on the west coast of Mexico, but try to be helpful.



If I were going again I would want to at least buddy up with one other couple for safety and enjoyment.

 

[baby.driver]

We have made numerous trips to Mexico since '83, being as my wife is Mexican.

On the mainland in the major cities quality diesel mechanics are not difficult to find.

I have not had any problems with their diesel, but always take extra filters in-case. If you need any gasoline however, buy only the best.

How long is the trailer?

The toll roads are the best but they are expensive. They count your axles and charge you like a truck!

We use the old roads that fairly well parallel the toll roads, some are good and some are not.

Coming from California, we cross at Presidio, TX. or at Del Rio.

The best maps are from AAA, but even they are too small and not detailed enough.

My in-laws are mostly in the state of Michoacan and we have been as far south as Playa Azul and east to Mexico City.

My in-laws have told me in no uncertain terms NOT to cross in the vicinity of Brownsville or anywhere near there, as they all lead to the same major routes south and these are inhabited by BAD people. They would not elaborate much, but made it clear it was dangerous for us to pass through that area.

East and south of Mexico City I cannot help you as I have not been there.

A little Spanish goes a long way and the people will go out of their way to understand you if you are prepared to make the effort. Berlitz phrase books work. Study up before hand. With an open mind you can get a real education.

If you want more you can E-mail me if you wish.



Jay

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

A few years ago I was in Chiapas for a couple months and drove the highways quite a bit in that state. For the most part the roads are in decent shape but are not that wide and often do not have much shoulder. I have also traveled about 1/3 of the way down Baja but the roads there were quite a bit worse than Chiapas.



If you take your time your trip should go fine. I wouldn't plan on an itinerary that demands covering a lot of miles in one day. I would say only 2/3 the miles per day compared to driving in the US. But when you start getting in the mountainous regions further south, the going is slower yet due to twisty roads and slow trucks. For example it took me about 4 hours to drive from Tuxtla Gutierrez to Comitan (about 140 miles) because of the long grade climbing out of Tuxtla.



Some of the scenery is definitely worth the trip (it is better in the south than the north, especially the mountainous regions). The best drive I took scenery-wise was from the Mexican border at Guatemala over the Pan Am highway to Guatemala City. I would love to do that again, however the road was much worse than most of the ones in Mexico and it took 9 hours to cover 230 miles. On the return trip we pushed it hard and the traffic was lighter and we cut the time to 7 hours. But to make that time I was passing on blind corners and scaring my passengers. I had some close calls!



As long as you stay on the main roads in Mexico you will do fine. However if you stray off the beaten path you'll never know what will happen. I made my way up some of the back roads of Chiapas and had some of the most interesting experiences of my life. But I'll have to save those stories for another post



Vaughn

 

[otis]

Mexico

Thanks everyone for the replies and great tips! Good idea on the extra fuel filters.



By the way, Baby. driver, our 5th wheel is 25. 5' weighing 7000 lbs so hopefully it won't cost us too much on the tolls. And thanks for the heads up in crossing in Brownsville.



Does anyone know where we could get more information on caravan tours?



Thanks again,



Otis

 

[The Sequel]

I have no idea whether or not this is what you are lookin for, but I found the ads in the back of Trailer Life.



Fantasy RV Vacations



or... .



Mexico's Copper Canyon

1-800-351-6053



I know nothing about them or whether they are any good or not. Just some info for your search.....

 

[RHamner]

Mexico

Vagabudos Del Mar www.vagabundos.com 800 8727897 club that sells Mexico insurance, has a newsletter and tours



Adventure Caravans www.adventurecaravans.com 800 8727897





Adventuretours www.adventuretrek.com 800 4558687



Quality RV tours 800 3516053





We traveled and worked with Adventure Caravans in 97 and 98. Caravan travel has advantages and disadvantages, but for less traveled areas should be considered. It's nice to have someone that knows where to go and what to see. We'd be glad to try to answer any questions.

 

[otis]

thanks guys

Unfortunately, after looking at the tours we just don't have that much of a time frame, but still very interesting.