For those adventurous folks who drove to Mexico!

What tips do you have to share? We don't want to waste much time on the road having breakfast and lunch, so I'll try to always have snacks and sandwiches, drinks and a flask of coffee to hold us up until we stop for the night.

We DO NOT plan driving at night, and have more or less narrowed down the areas we will spend a night at with the exception of Palenque where we'll stay two nights.

I know some public bathrooms don't always have toilet paper and soap so we're planning for that

Throw in any advice or tips that worked for you. I'm open to suggestions.

[Ginger]

Wow, where to start. I dunno...I guess I'd start with the advice I received from Michael Holmes that was great and make sure you have a case of water in the car, some trail mix, etc. so you don't have to stop so much. Carry extra belts and hoses for your car just in case, you don't want to spend a week or two in a small mexican pueblo waiting for the fedex guy Watch for the signs ahead of time, and remember the signage isn't always well posted, and almost guaranteed you will have to stop for directions at least once.

Make sure your map is up-to-date. We bought a map at the border in Matamoros, didn't find out until Veracruz city that it was years old, and we had missed a few newer toll roads, and wouldnt' have gotten so lost in Veracruz if we had had a newer map.

Always watch your maps for ways AROUND the cities...going through can add a lot of time (and get you lost).

Don't try to make it to the next town before filling up on gas..just ask Michael Holmes. You never know how far that may be!

When you are stopped by the guards when crossing states (or otherwise) just show your car permit and don't try to speak any spanish, don't try to understand them.

We were told by a local that when on the highways outside of cities not to stop for any car other than black and white Federales, even if blinking lights. Never had a problem with this anyway.

Read up on Mexican road rules, what left signals mean, flashing headlights, etc. There are some sites out there, you'll find them if you google.

Make sure you have enough cash for the toll booths, you don't want to have to go into a busy town just to have to hit an ATM.

If I think of anything else I'll let you know! You could also read my trip journal, the link is in my signature. Somewhere near to the beginning I detail our drive through Mexico from Matamoros to Playa.

[Ginger]

Oh, and don't drive a minivan with limo-tinted windows and foreign plates through state crossings at 3am because apparently you may be mistaken as a drug trafficker... But if you do, when a bunch of armed guards escort your husband out of - and away from - the vehicle, just get mad, raise your voice a bit, tell them your kids are sleeping in the back, and refuse to get out and apparently they back off right away and leave you alone! At least that was our experience.

[Jesus]

Get the virtual maps at: www.sct.gob.mx they are good.
Read and print (and carry with you on the trip to PdC) the long threads (you can edit them, don't print every single message) that Michael Holmes and Ginger made of their trips.
Enjoy.

[JAH]

Good maps can also be found at International Travel Maps and Books(ITMB.com). They are very accurate and inexpensive.

And speaking of bathroom facilities in Mexico, here's a fun thread.

Ginger, Jesus and JAH thank you all so much for all the tips. I'm printing this stuff up. Those maps are AWESOME. I think I'll be saving my toilet trips for the bushes

Ginger, why shouldn't I try to speak Spanish with the border patrol guys? I thought that might make things easier...

[Ginger]

Mariposita, just to make sure, I did mean the checks that you'll go through as you pass through each state, not at the US/Mex. border.

If you speak spanish, it makes it easier for them to communicate things to you, such as fines, costs, rules, etc...

So to avoid having to pay "fines", certain "costs" of driving the roads , or what have you, if you just speak in perfect english, the faster the better, always maintaining you don't understand them, getting them confused and appearing more and more confused yourself they'll get frustrated and hand you back your papers and just tell you to "go..drive away!"

We heard from our sensei Michael and also James in how to do this, and it worked twice for us. One time it was quite obvious the Veracruz State Security (whatever THEY are) stopped us and I could understand from his spanish that he wanted us to pay a "fine" of some sort. I didn't let on that I understood; we did what I described and ended up driving away, no less money in our pocket.

[JimmyMN]

We had two blowouts while making the journey in March. One was caused by high road surface temperatures passing through the state of Campeche on Highway 186. The daytime temperatures then were about 110(F). If your tires are marginal, buy new ones all the way around, including a real spare. If you're pulling a trailer, make sure you have a spare (with air in it). Be sure to have a star wrench for getting those lugs off quickly and test run the jack(s) before you leave. Having a flat in Mexico is dangerous because most roads have no shoulder.

The most dangerous aspect of traveling at night are the 18-wheelers pulling a double. They're quite aggressive and pass on curves, on hills, when it's foggy, etc, just because they can. We were staring at a runaway trailer coming towards us in the middle of the night... quite eerie.

The next time I make the run from the Brownsville area to Playa del Carmen, I'll find a hotel on the US side and get a solid night of rest and then start out at 4am or earlier. This way, you can make it all the way to Veracruz before nightfall. There is a cuota (tollroad) that circles Tampico... that one will save you time. The CUOTAS are not very well marked so you need to be constantly scanning for them when you start closing in on a city. By the way, the roadway from the Texas border to Tampico is excellent.

When you look at your Mexico map, make special note of the town called Tuxpam. You want to avoid it!! Instead, take the road through Alamo which is much smoother and will take you directly to Poza Rica. The section of roadway just preceding Naranjos, through Poza Rica, all the way to Veracruz is hilly and winding and will consume more time per mile than any other stretch. It's probably the most varied and beautiful stretch of countryside, including a few glimpses of the gulf. Be sure to purchase one of those 64oz glasses of orange juice the tope vendors will be selling as you pass through Naranjos.

When you near Vera Cruz, you need to start looking for the cuota. You don't want to miss it!! If this is the end of your first day of travel, try to find a hotel or Pemex on the outskirts prior to the cuota. This will be the most important and longest cuota of your trip and can be safely driven at night. This is the equivalent of a US freeway (two-lanes in each direction) with a normal shoulder. Gas up before you enter this cuota because it's the longest stretch without a Pemex. It'll take you just shy of Villa Hermosa, a sizeable city (complete with Walmart & Sam's Club) with a mini-freeway running right through the center of town.

The total distance from the Texas border at Brownsville to Playa del Carmen is roughly 1,450 miles. It is driveable in 48 hours with minimal stopping and napping. If you nap at a Pemex, position your vehicle out front and keep your doors locked. In the area east of Villa Hermosa, the roadway leading to Chetumal crosses in and out of the states of Tabasco and Chiapas. At night, we found the Pemex stations to be hotspots for hookers (male & female) and drug dealers. Be sure to keep your awareness level high while you're in Chiapas.

Oh yes, bring a few rolls of good 2-ply toilet paper and some decent paper towels!! As Ginger says, play stupid and pretend you don't understand any Spanish at the military stops. If they ask too many questions, I just hand them my Spanish to English dictionary to really frustrate them! If you can find some good second-hand girlie magazines to take along like Playboy, Penthouse or Hustler, they do wonders as gifts at the military checkpoints...

Jimmy

[Michael]

The essential advice is already posted.

Route. Read the other threads, and what Jimmy said. The pdf files (you can save them to your PC and if you are bringing a laptop computer they may be a handy study aid before you set off each morning. GPS is wonderful if you can afford it.

Your vehicle. A vehicle with big truck tires and wheels makes the journey easier, though is not absolutely necessary. In 1,400 miles you are bound to hit a tope or a pothole. New tires are a great idea. I thought there was plenty of life left in our tires. Rose decided we needed new ones for the journey. After making the journey (Rose had done this a few times) it was obvious she was absolutely right. A new battery is another consideration if your present one is not a recent purchase.

Things to bring:
Baby wipes.
Toilet paper.
Plenty of water. (We brought a case of water from Costco and finished it off just as we got to Q Roo).
Earplugs.
Eyeshades..

I'm soooo glad you guys posted. We hadn't even thought of a new battery, but we're going to get one tomorrow. We just replaced two tires about a month ago (Branson trip) so we'll take the advice and get another two.

Why ear plugs???

Jimmy, I had some knee surgery for a torn meniscus just 6 months ago so we are planning on stopping in a few cities to sleep along the way. We'll spend 2 days in the Palenque region to break up the bordeom of driving as well - sort of a mini break. Don't know how you guys could make such a long trip in 48 hours?? BTW, we're coming from Tulsa so we have some extra driving just to leave the States.

Michael, we are taking the laptop so that was a good idea too.

Ginger, my husband laughed so hard at your advice re not speaking Spanish. I never thought of that! I always thought that showing I was willing to communicate in their language would make them nicer to me...looking for the dictionary as I write

[Jesus]

Mariposita, what is your planned route? If my Alzheimer is not too strong you planned on driving through Mexico city.
What are your planned stops?

[Anna]

Also, a warning about speed bumps - topes - is in order. They can seriously damage your car. They are often un-marked and vary immensly in shape and height.

[Melissa]

I just drove from Texas entering Mexico at Nuevo Laredo. It was a breeze. The border can be confusing since you don't have to stop there. You need to check in on the Mexican side of the border, follow the signs that will eventually lead you to a one stop shop. First immigration. Then a copy center where you will need copies of everything. Then to register your car. Insurance is also available at that location, I found it to be very convenient. Exchange your dollars in the border towns, because when you get into Mexico, dollars will not be accepted at toll roads or gas stations. It caused us a few worries. Our worst exchange was somewhere between Veracruz and Tabasco and they gave us an exchange of 8 pesos to the dollar at the toll booth. Before you know it, you pass through several states and taking it for granted that the dollar will be accepted is a mistake. We just ran out of pesos with all the gas and tolls and didn't happen upon anywhere to exchange it. Silly, I know. Also, do not drive at night unless it's a new toll road, which is likely to be free of potholes and topes. We took the backroads on the gulf coast and they were tough to navigate in daylight, night driving would not have been an option. If you do go through Tuxpan (we did) the food (seafood) is great there! It was my boyfriend's birthdday and we had an amazing lunch at a place called Quinta....email me and I'll get the name for you. Some people say not to go that way, and it's true, it's much slower, but we enjoyed it. Lots of trucks, passing, hills, windy roads. Fun stuff.
The toll roads were excellent. The entire trip was fantastic. We drove 4 days from Nuevo Laredo, through Tampico, then Miniatlan, to Palenque and finally Playa. It was a breeze. We also had our windows tinted right before our trip which was great, but we could not roll them down for 3 days which made passing the tolls and military/police checkpoints a little tough, getting gas, etc. On our last day, we could finally use the windows and we let the breeze in - it was great! Our maps were also outdated, which we did not know until we were driving. I suspect, many of the new toll roads are not shown on the maps anyway. We found it to be a wonderful experience and went so much faster than we ever expected it to. Everything was easy, the hotels were great. We stopped in Palenque on our 3rd day on the advice of my parents who drove the truck from California to Texas. We had to drive 7 hours that day anyway, but we stoppped at 3 and were able to enjoy the ruins, lunch in the jungle and the fabulous Howard Johnson's hotel which was half price: $400 pesos with a/c and a pool where we had pina coladas and excellent food. I suggest ordering room service for breakfast and dinner, our room service food was surpisingly really yummy. I'd do that trip again anytime. Bring windshield wiper blade replacements, books on tape/cd, and take pictures along the way! Enjoy.

Melissa, why did you choose to go through Tampico? We're planning on stopping off in Palenque. What did you think of the ruins? Was it terribly hot? I'll look into the Howard Johnson. I've been checking out other hotels in that area and a couple of them had some bad reviews.

Jesus, the plan thus far is to leave Tulsa (where we live) and drive to San Antonio and stop off that night. Next day we'll try for the border and hopefully get things fixed up quickly enough so we could make it into Saltillo for the night. Then it's on to Queretaro, Veracruz, Palenque and Merida before finally getting into Playa.

We're printed up your directions for getting through DF and also been looking at the map site you gave me.

Will keep in touch on the road when I find an internet cafe so you guys can follow along

Melissa, another question. When you left Palenque, which route did you take? Did you go thorough Chetumal or thorough Merida? BTW what are the gas prices there these days?