Despite being one of the most visited countries in the world there is a lot people get wrong
about traveling in Mexico. After this video, you'll have my best tips for how to travel
safely in Mexico. For the best advice about traveling and living in Mexico, subscribe to
my channel and hit the bell to be notified when I upload a new episode every Thursday.
Hi, I'm Alex and I'm an American expat who's been living in and traveling around Mexico since 2017.
Just like every destination. There are do's and don'ts for traveling in Mexico
from important safety tips and advice for handling money to how not to get sick while
enjoying street food. The knowledge I'm going to share with you in this video will help you travel
around Mexico with confidence and ensure that you're able to enjoy your trip to the fullest.
If you're thinking about traveling to Mexico during the pandemic, be sure to check out this
video next, where I share my best tips for how to stay safe and healthy while flying to Mexico.
I understand that safety is a huge concern for people visiting Mexico, especially Americans who
receive a lot of negative news about this country. That's why I'm addressing this topic first,
is Mexico safe? I can only speak to my own experience in this country and I have lived here
for three years, traveled all over, both by myself and with my boyfriend,
I can honestly tell you that I have never felt unsafe. I've never even felt uncomfortable. Not
once. Now the city that I live in, in Mexico is very safe, Queretaro is known throughout the
country for being one of the safest cities. Generally speaking, tourists destinations
are safe to visit. Tourism is a huge industry here in Mexico. And the government is working very,
very hard to give travelers a positive experience and to keep people coming back to Mexico.
Of course, even when you're in those tourist destinations,
even when you're in quote unquote safe places in Mexico, you need to be aware of your surroundings.
That's advice that I give to travelers, whether they're coming to Mexico,
going to Europe, Asia, anywhere in the world, that is not your home. Whether you're a solo traveler,
a female traveler, or you're in a group with people that you trust, you should always make
an effort to be aware of your surroundings when you are in a place that you are not familiar with.
If you've never been to Mexico before, then you might not be familiar with the FMM,
which is migratory form that you fill out on the airplane and get stamped when you go through
immigration. Sometimes this form can throw travelers for a loop because they're used to
just getting their passport stamped when they visit another country but you will need to keep
track of this form the entire time that you are in Mexico. I like to keep it right in my passport.
So I know exactly where it is and it's safe. I also wanted to touch on keeping your passport
safe in Mexico. I know some travelers like to keep it on their person at all time, but in my opinion,
that is kind of risky. If you were to get your purse stolen, if you were to get pick pocketed,
then you're kind of out of luck. So I always ask myself where the safest place for my passport is
at any given time. So yes, sometimes that is your physical person, but other times it's going to be
a hostel locker, as long as it's locked, or a hotel safe, or I've even asked the associates
at the hotel front desk to keep my passport safe for me when I am going out in the city.
For those times that you don't have your passport on you, you want to have a color copy of the front
page of your passport that you can use if you ever need some form of identification.
In the event that you lost your passport, it's also really helpful to have a copy of it that
you can take to the embassy and it will make getting a new passport a heck of a lot easier.
Now, prior to come into Mexico, you don't need to worry about paying for an international cell
phone plan, because it is really easy to get a SIM card here in Mexico and you can even do so
at the airport. I always tell people when they fly into Mexico city, their first stop after
they get through immigration and baggage claim should be to an Oxxo to pick up a SIM card. You
will just ask the person working there for a Telcel chip, and they will get you all set up.
It is super cheap, and then you have data before you even leave the airport.
This will be very important just in case you need to use Google Maps,
contact your Airbnb host. Having data is a really important part of traveling Mexico safely.
I don't use money exchanges, I don't know anyone who uses money exchanges, currency exchanges. I
prefer to with draw pesos from the ATM, just like I would, if I were in the United States.
For this, I recommend having a debit card with a bank that reimburses you for ATM fees. If you're
American, I recommend checking out Charles Schwab, you can open up a high yield checking account
for free, there's a no minimum balance, and they will reimburse you for any ATM fees at the end of
every month. So that's even international ATMs. Along with getting your SIM card, all set up,
getting cash from the ATM is one of the first things that you're going to want to do
upon arriving in Mexico. You should do it right there at the airport because cash is
king in Mexico. Even though there are a lot of places that do accept credit cards,
do accept a debit cards. There are still a lot of places that don't, and even at those places that
do accept credit cards, it's oftentimes just a lot easier, a lot simpler to pay in cash.
For the most part here in Mexico, I use Uber. I have the app on my phone and order a ride just
like I would, if I was in the United States. When your Uber comes, make sure that you check the make
and model of the car, the license plate and the driver's name to what you have in the app. While I
definitely prefer Uber, I do just hail taxis right off the street from time to time here in Queretaro
and when I do that, I always confirm with the driver, how much the fare is going to cost to
wherever I'm headed. So I'll simply give the driver my destination and ask him how much?
[foreign language 00:07:26] He will give me his approximation of the fair, fair meters aren't
universal in Mexico so you will be able to see how much your ride is costing while your on it.
Instead of meters taxi cabs in Mexico often have a chart, usually on the window, and this shows you
how much different rides cost to different points, different zones in the city. But because this
chart is on the window, sometimes it is bleached by the sun and hard to read. So I like to always
confirm in advance with the driver, just to avoid any uncomfortable, any weird situations or getting
overcharged at the end of the journey. If you're planning a trip to Mexico soon,
I would love to know where you're going. Let me know in the comments below.
Lots of travelers, lots of tourists equate being on vacation in a warmer climate with
it being appropriate to wear flip-flops. I really recommend that you do not do that because
a lot of the streets, a lot of the sidewalks in Mexico are uneven, there are holes, there are
loose bricks and breaking your ankle would really ruin your trip. So it's better to wear closed
toed shoes, closed back shoes, something that is solid and you feel comfortable walking in.
So you want to talk about is Mexico safe? Well, Mexico can be very dangerous for your
skin. Seriously, the sun here is so, so strong, so, so intense. Even if you're one of those
people who never burns wear sunscreen. Obviously I recommend wearing it when you're at the beach,
but you also want to make sure that you're wearing it when you're out sight seeing, especially when
you're visiting archeological sites, places like the Tulum Ruins, Chichen Itza, those places do not
have a lot of shade so you are going to want to make sure you have that extra layer of protection.
Even if you are planning your trip to Mexico post pandemic or watching this video, once there is
already a vaccine for COVID-19, you should still bring one of those travel size bottles of hand
sanitizer with you to Mexico or buy one when you're here and have it with you at all times.
You should be using that before you eat anything, before you touch any kind of food with your hands.
Lots of people will say, don't eat the street food in Mexico, because it will make you
sick. But oftentimes it's the germs that people bring with them to the food stand that makes them
sick. I mean, just think about it, you're touching handrails, you're touching tickets, you're giving
people your credit card money, and then touching your taco. What did you think was going to happen.
Seriously, it would be a shame if you came to Mexico and only ate in restaurants,
some of the best foods, some of the tastiest food can be found in markets and from street vendors.
First, you want to make sure that the place is busy. If it's hard to snag a stool, if you see
lots of locals eating there, chances are, it is a good place. Two, cold food should be very, very
cold and hot food should be very, very hot. Ice is a good sign and if you're in doubt, as far as what
to order, order what is fresh, what is right there being made in front of you, the hotter the better.
Three, hand sanitizer. Now you already have your little travel sized bottle of hand sanitizer. So
you're good to go. But seeing a mega bottle of hand sanitizer at a food stand is a very good
indicator because if it's there, chances are the people who are working there are also using it.
Everything you have heard about the tap water in Mexico is true, drinking it will make you sick.
Most Mexicans, the majority of Mexicans, don't drink the tap water here. If you are traveling on
a budget, don't feel like you have to buy bottled water all the time. If you are at a restaurant,
instead of paying for bottled water, you can ask for a glass of water [foreign language
00:12:21] and this phrase will let your waiter know that you want a glass of water from the
giant jug of purified water that they have in the back. So again, this should be free of charge
if you don't want to pay for bottled water, you can ask for [foreign language 00:12:43].
Those for 10 of my best tips for how to travel safely in Mexico but there is a lot more that
I could say on the subject. So if you would like to see even more tips about traveling in Mexico,
including how to shop at the markets and advice for tipping, head have the link
in the description and check out this blog post with 35 do's and don'ts for traveling in Mexico.
If you have any questions about how to travel safely and Mexico, go ahead and leave those in
the comments below and I will definitely answer them there. If you found this video helpful,
give it a thumbs up, subscribe and feel free to share it with someone who you would
love to travel around Mexico with. I'm Alex from backpackingbrunette.com. Thanks for watching.