I am finishing school at the end of april and would like to backpack through mexico for a month to 6 weeks. I am a seasoned budget traveller and dont mind staying in dirty places (to an extent) and eating off the street. I am planning at crossing the border at San Diego/Tijuana and going overland for as far as my money will take me. Any suggestions on areas of mexico that are cheaper than others?
my spanish is just enough to get simple request through, but i learn very quickly .
Thanks!
Reply to this Are you kidding? This is the best, the safest,the funnest, the most memorable experience one could ask for and not to mention, the cheapest. I went in in 1972 exactly like you want to go and came out six weeks later with money in my pocket. I'm a geezer now, but I still go every year for 2 weeks- twice. That means I've been going to Mexico on the cheap for 36years... Get out of town and get on the road. Start with the bus. (Train in my day - boy was it fun) Once your beyond the boarder you can thumb if you want -I think, but things may be different now. You decide! Still, look at the travel blogs and figure out where you want to go. I found it to be more fun with a companion of the opposite sex, but whatever works. GO! The farther you get from the boarder the cheaper. You're not going 'til April, so just watch the blogs on anyone traveling the west coast and see what they say. Shoot for Oaxaca at a minimum. It's still nuts.
Reply to this hey john, i agree with jake completly. it is a great country for backpacking, it is cheap and has great trransport system.street food is one of the best things about this countrywith cheap and tasty eats on most corners. id stay away from the more expensive and less authentic tourist traps (cancun, vallarta, etc etc), dont miss central mex such as queretaro, guanajuato etc . i wouldnt hitch unless with mates, we have but only accepting the back trays of trucks. def try get down down to oaxaca coast and chiapas if money permits. have fun its a great country
Reply to this hi john,
if you are travelling on a budget mexico is a great place to do so and i recommend going to this next places:
Isla Mujeres, Oaxaca,Zipolite/Mazunte, Tulum, Playa del Carmen if you need more info on what to do in each place you better check out http://www.trekcafe.com/Travel-Destinations/?action=MX they've got good tips on how to save money too
Reply to this John, Listen to me! I live in Mexico and have for quite a while. Listening to someone who was in Mexico 26 years ago is ludicrous. Mexico has changed drastically in the last 2 years. And I mean drastically. When I have more time I will give you my thoughts. Hitchhiking is O-U-T. But the peso is undervalued by about 34% so that means if you have USDs your money will go 34% further. Dirt cheap right now, But you need to know the cautions you must take. Later.
Reply to this the way i read jakes post is he travels to mexico twice a year, since 1972. i wouldnt say hitchhiking is out! depends where and with who.....we just arrived home yesterday after hitching from yucatan to leon, took some time but met some great people. i dont think there is any extra cautions you need to take here in comparison to any other country. as mika says zipolite is def worth a visit, although personally i found playa, isla and tulum packed with cruise shippers and tourists in general and therefore is a bit more pricey....that said there is some amazing places in the area if you want to get away from that.
Reply to this hey everyone,
Thanks alot for all the great tips! as far as hitchhiking goes, of course there are times when it is safe and times when it is not. I have been to some very sketchy places on earth and found hitchhiking a breeze. one more question, has anyone in or been to mexico recently? have the prices of things such as accommodation, transport and food dropped due to the economic downturn? thanks alot and keep the tips coming, they are very helpful 😊
Reply to this hey, im in mexico now but havent been here long enough to know, so i put the question to my wifes family (oviously they are mexicans!).....according to them, food is going up and has been for a while, so is public transport......petrol is only up a bit because of government help. accomodation has stayed about the same, but depending on where......the places accessable by plane have apparently risen. but else where remains the same. when we have looked for accomadation in the lp (few years old, think last edition) the prices in the book are generally cheaper by about 10%.
having said that it is still a very cheap country to travel in especially if you are spending us dollars.
hope that helps......
Reply to this You can go to San Miguel de Allende, there are a lot of hostals and hotels and small and nice restaurats for budget travel.
Reply to this Do you know how hard it would be for a girl to backpack?
Reply to this cool thanks everyone, and francia, i think it would still be very easy for a girl to backpack. but i have seen girls get hit on alot by mexican guys, they seem to be relentless at times, expect alot of whistles and nasty comments
Reply to this Thanks and good luck! Maybe we'll bump into each other in Mexico!
Reply to this Do you know how hard it would be for a girl to backpack?
Not so hard, that I wouldnt do it again. As John said, you will get too much attention from the local men, especially if you happen to have blonde hair. Not so sure about nasty comments though. I mosly got asked if I want company, which got annoying after a while.
Reply to this Guatamala to Costa Rica is better, more interesting, less gringos. Better check out US Advisory to Mexico.
Money is better, peso has gone from about 11 to 15.5:1 But Mexico is expensive compared to South America.
Columbia is very cool again. Ecuador is good but kinka like Columbia use to be with the thieves.
Check you airfares to Central America. Guatamala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica are cool.
Recently bought a round trip ticket LA to San Jose for $ 250, then backpacked.
Stay out of all cities. There are rat nests. Lots of cool coastal places to find. The best ones are not listed.
I recommend an REI water filter. I filter even the bottled water.
Reply to this I had a great time in Mexico and used www.wayakbus.com might not be the way you like to travel but it makes Mexico easy.
Simon
Reply to this If you are backpacking I wouldn't cross at San Diego. Head east and cross in Arizona, then catch a bus south through Mex. Then you can go Central Mex or Pac coast Mex. Depends on how much culture you are looking for. Central Mex has a lot of options and cheap hotels are abundant. But I do put the Yucatan as the best place for Backpacking. Matyan ruins, hitoric churches and Haciendas, great food, and supreme beaches.
Reply to this Mexico is the greatest. I backpacked through Mexico City, Taxco, Oaxaca, San Cristobal and Palenque before going to Cuba, highly recommend.
Reply to this Mexico City's night life is like all other aspects of the city; it's huge. There is an enormous selection of venues: clubs, bars, restaurants, cafes, and variations and combinations thereof to choose from,so get set go and enjoy the fun.Thanks.
Reply to this We are two mom's in our 40's and want to backpack in Mexico for about a week. Any recommendations on where we should go.
Reply to this Well you want it easy, go to Puerto Villarta area, Jelapa is a nice place on the beach.
Puerto Escondito. Women should be careful at night in Puerto Escondito. Stay in well lite tourist areas.
If you want more adverture go to Chiapas then into Guatamala.
Stay out of most areas
north of Mexico City, it's bad especially Morelia, Michoican (too bad it nice, but the drug guys are shooting
up the place.
Baja is OK below Santa Rosalia. I would forget Cabo San Lucas and Cabo San Jose.
The Yucatan close to Belize border should still be nice.
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