Top 10 Tips for Driving Through Mexico
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
- Join our journey on Patreon: / hourlesslife
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Welcome back to Hourless Life where we are driving around the world!
In today's episode, we share our top 10 tips for driving through Mexico.
Mexico is a fascinating country, rich in diversity, culture, beauty, and history. This is our third driving/overlanding trip through the country since the beginning of 2019.
We've learned a lot through our experiences and hope this video is helpful to you, if you are considering making the drive.
In this video we give you our personal insight while answering the following frequently asked questions:
1. Which border crossing should I use to drive into Mexico?
2. What if I don't know Spanish?
3. Is Mexico safe?
4. Will my overlanding vehicle stick out in Mexico?
5. Should I wait until my kids are older before driving through Mexico?
6. What should I know about driving in Mexico?
7. Is there dispersed or wild camping in Mexico?
8. Should I be worried about the drinking water in Mexico?
9. What about COVID-19 in Mexico?
10. Where should I start if it is my first time visiting Mexico?
If you have a question we didn't answer, then feel free to drop it in the comments. We'll be happy to respond with our insight.
📲 Related resources:
10 Food and Water Tips for Overlanding: hourlesslife.com/food-water-t...
Stimulating Your Child’s Growth Through Travel: hourlesslife.com/stimulating-...
Baja archives: hourlesslife.com/tag/baja/
Interior Mexico archives: hourlesslife.com/tag/interior...
Documents for border (as of 10/2021): Passport, copy of driver's passport, driver's FMM and copy, original vehicle registration and copy, driver's license of driver, cash or credit card for payment, Mexico insurance policy, vehicle title OR letter of permission from lien holder
🥰 Thank you to our Patreon supporters:
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Robert & Michele Daharsh
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Eric & Tami Johnson
TheRVQueen
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Mark Griggs
⏱ Real-time updates: / hourlesslife
💻 Our blog: hourlesslife.com/
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🌎 Who we are and what we’re doing:
We’re Eric + Brittany + Caspian Highland, and we’re driving around the world! On October 9, we crossed the southern border from the United States into Mexico. Over the next 10-15 years, we intend to drive across all six habitable continents on the planet. We started traveling full-time in February 2014 and have never looked back.
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🎵 Music:
Con Queso by AEROPLANES
Used with permission
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We're driving around the world and community is really important (and necessary) for us! Unlike most people, we can't just call up a local friend and say, "Hey you wanna grab a coffee?" We're essentially out here by ourselves. So we ask you to join our small but growing community that helps us navigate life as friends. If you would be willing to invite us to the equivalent of a cup of coffee once a month, we invite you to join our Patreon here: www.patreon.com/hourlesslife
We'd love to get to know you and to have you as part of our special community that helps us get around the world. ~ Eric + Brittany + Caspian | Hourless Life
Cute little boy!! “As soon as you can.” That’s what I want to do soon!!
He loves Mexico so much. In our latest video we talk about leaving Mendoza, Argentina to fly to Santiago Chile. During that flight we had a layover in Mexico, and Caspian asked if we could just stay in Mexico. ~ Eric
Thanks guys! On my way tomorrow from Nogales 💫
Awesome! Let us know how it goes. ~ Eric
Your Video is right on point! I have been driving and visiting in México for 25 years before Apps like overlander or GPS or cell phones at all. It is much easier with these tools for sure! One thing I would add about driving on two lane highways is the local Mexican rule of using the LEFT turn signal. Many times you will come up behind a truck or vehicle and they will turn on their left turn signal. It does NOT mean they are turning left, it is instead a signal to YOU that it is safe to pass them. So you also must be careful turning on YOUR left turn signal when you want to turn left from a two lane highway since a driver behind you will think you are signaling them to pass. Many accidents can happen if the guy behind decides to pass you on the left if you are turning. It is best to pull off to the side and let the car behind to go by, then turn left when safe. Also you may want to add about the one way streets and how they are marked… or not marked when driving in the city.
Sounds like you have quite a bit of experience. We love this country and are so glad to be here. ~ Eric
Great information guys, my wife and I plan on driving from Atlanta to Playa del Carmen in 2 weeks.
Right on MrMC. Good on you both! Enjoy the trip, take your time if you can. There is so much goodness in interior Mexico. Oh and the food... my gosh. You guys are in for a treat. Even after 2.5 years driving through Latin America all the way down to Peru where we are as of this writing, interior Mexico is still our favorite and we talk about it all the time. Enjoy! And if you need anything or have questions, don't hesitate to reach out. Happy to be a resource for you guys. ~ Eric
@HourlessLife Question, my wife is a little scared to drive cause we have to pass through Tamaulipas, on the Eastern side of Mexico. Every map shows red for do not travel. Do you think it's wise to drive through that state or do I need to go around which will make our trip longer?
@@MrMC-xg8qp I would follow all the current advisories. Just like in the States there are areas you would exercise extra caution in, there are areas like this all over the world. Mexico is not an exception. Talk to the locals before you take a route as sometimes there are real time things (landslides, weather, and yes, bad actors to be aware of) Note that typically the city of Chicago will have more carjackings in a year than the entire state of Veracruz Mexico. So there's that. Having said that the advisories are there for a reason. I would encourage you to visit San Luis Potosi if you can manage it on your drive down. Both the city and the Huasteca Potosina. Beautiful areas. We have several videos on Mexico including those areas. Bottom line, take your time, listen to locals, trust your gut, and follow the advice I gave in this video. Know that we've driven all the way to Peru with only one concerning incident that happened in Colombia. Which you can also see in our video entitled "Our Jeep Was Almost Stolen" we will always be open and transparent. But I don't want you to be a bit afraid. The people down here are generally kind, and hospitable and helpful. Enjoy the journey!
Great Video! I also want to compliment you on giving your son a FAR SUPERIOR education by exposing him to travel than any other type of education you could give him. Keep up the great videos and safe travels.
Thanks JC. Appreciate the kind words about our video and our son's education. Glad you are part of our community. ~ Eric
Omg. So much great information 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
So glad it was helpful to you. Please don't ever hesitate to use us as a resource! We're happy to share what we've learned if it will inspire, empower, and encourage others to pursue their dreams! ~ Eric
Thank you so much for this video. I knew half of it already and i confirm your information...❤❤❤
Right on. Glad it was helpful, and that you can confirm it for others too. It gets a bit different as you head further south into Central and South America, but many of the main principles discussed here remain the same. ~ Eric
Thanks for taking the time to post this! For those of us just beginning the Overlanding adventure, this really helps.
Bach, happy to be a resource. If we can ever be of help to you as you are starting your own journey, don't hesitate to reach out. Also check out our playlists. We have an entire Overlanding 101 playlist that we hope will be helpful for folks new to the lifestyle. ~ Eric
Awesome info! And the ever-present safety? was handled perfectly :) All of the people I've talked to about driving in MX agree with you. TY for hitting the top 10 questions. Now I need to go back and save your links :)
Thought of you when I was making this video Candace. ❤️ ~ Eric
Thanks guys!
Glad it was helpful! ~ Eric
Hi Eric Brittany and Caspian…. What a great video and so kind of you giving out all that very good advice.
I’d love to think I was coming to Mexico any time soon but just can’t see it though.
Thanks to your videos I’ve seen how beautiful it is and how great the food is.
However, I’m sure there are many people very grateful for this wonderful information.
Thank you again for doing this to help others.
Happy and safe travels 😊
Thank you Marilyn, we are so glad that you are getting to experience this journey through our lens. So much more to come. I hope to go live here in Guanajuato on Thursday. So be watching! ~ Eric
Hi guys, thank you so much for making this video! We (me, wife, dog) are driving from Denver to Nayarit and crossing the border tomorrow. I just watched this again to freshen up our driving skills! Thanks again for all the helpful information and happy travels!
Ryan that’s awesome! Good on you guys. Make sure to get youR TIP! Not sure if you are going through Baja or directly into interior Mexico on your route but either way you MUST get your TIP at the border as we mentioned in this video. Safe and fun travels to you three!! ~ Eric
Love the channel! Had to subscribe. One thing I would like to see, if possible, would be for you guys to make a video showing the sleeping situation in the roof-top tent. Im super interested in how that works and is set up. I'd really enjoy that. Keep up the good work and safe travels!!
Hi Connor. Welcome to our channel. So glad you subscribed for the ride. We actually did a video we called A Day In The Life of Full-Time Overlanding where you can see our sleeping set up really well. Hope you enjoy it. ~ Eric ua-cam.com/video/i004_h4H95M/v-deo.html
Great video guys, thank you very much. I just subscribed to your channel...
Welcome! Thank you for subscribing to the channel. We upload a new video every Thursday internet allowing. Glad to have you on the global journey with us. ~ Eric
Thanks for this awesome video. We’re Southbound!
Boom! You guys are awesome! We’re still in Lima. Hope to see you when yall pass us haha! ~ Eric
Great successfully travel videos sir
Glad you enjoyed it. Welcome to our channel. ~ Eric
Hola guys! Great vid. Very useful information for travelers at any level. Just a minor clarification to avoid some possible confusion: first stop for incoming land travelers is Mexican Immigration (INM or Inmigración) for the tourist permit (FMM) then Aduana (Customs) for all imports. The military bank (Banjercito) issues the vehicle permit under the authority of Aduana and handles all payments/deposits/refunds at border facilities. After Banjercito issues the vehicle permit (TVIP) and accepts payment for it and the FMM the traveler then might encounter an Aduana agent to inspect everything. So, INM first for the FMM tourist card then Banjercito for the vehicle permit and paying all fees then, hopefully, the green light to proceed otherwise the red light for secondary inspection.
JD! Solid info brother! Thank you for your thorough explanation,. You have been instrumental to us on this journey and we can't thank you enough. Your experience here in Mexico is expansive and we are so grateful that you take the time to share. Also, thank you for becoming a Patreon Supporter of our journey. That means so much to us and we're glad to have you there behind the scenes with us. ~ Eric
@@HourlessLife Cool! Thanks for the kind words. Looking forward to my return to Guanajuato.
A legit goldmine of information, guys. While your "travel & experience" style videos feed my fantasies, these practical tips and information are perfect for preparing to turn those fantasies into concrete realities. Such great info. Regarding needing the lienholder's permission to cross into Mexico, is that something that is usually freely given without issue or is it often a challenge, generally speaking? Edited to add: Brittany's water guide (linked above in the video description) is absolutely worth a read too.
Hey Brian. Thanks for that. This is our biggest hope when it comes to our channel. To inspire, empower, and encourage. So glad to hear that you are considering making your own dreams a reality. Happy to be a resource for you as questions come up. As far as the lienholder permission letter, that depends on the financial institution holding your title. We had no issues when asking for ours in 2019 (it took them awhile, so we had to do it months in advance) but zero issues. They just wanted to make sure we had a proper insurance policy for Mexico and provide proof. Other than that, easy peasy. Some people have reported that they were declined however. So I think a lot of it has to do with how you request it. I would keep it simple and to the point and show them proof of coverage. I think that will streamline the process for you. Also thanks for the kind words on Brittany's articles, she works diligently at them. ~ Eric
Great video! Thank you! Heading to Baja next week. How much water do you suggest carrying? Is water easy to buy in small towns?
Awesome Melanie! Enjoy your trip. So we cover water extensively in this video: ua-cam.com/video/xTZANr5UKbo/v-deo.html starting at minute 2:35 of the video is where you can find that subject. Water is really easy to buy all over Mexico. We have a TON of articles about Baja on our website at hourlesslife.com as well. Hope they are helpful to you! ~ Eric
merry christmas
Merry Christmas to you and yours Albort! ~ Eric
Hi guys thank you for the information, what Mexican insurance did you use?
Hi Alfredo. We used Radcliffe Insurance for Mexico. If you send us a private message on Instagram, Brittany can connect you with our agent. ~ Eric
First time I saw a Gladiator going through Mexico, very cool. Im in a crystal granite as well. Do you happen to know if taking a couple dogs with you would be the same as many other countries. International dog paperwork?
Nice! Great color isn't it? We're really happy with ours. So as far as pets, we don't have any so we've never experienced it. But we do have friends who have been through to South America with them so I know it is possible. Though I don't know these folks personally and can't attest to the accuracy of their information, they have put together an article that may be of interest to you on the topic of traveling with dogs into Mexico. Here you go. ~ Eric www.travelingwith2dogs.com/driving-to-mexico-with-dogs/
Great info, Mexico is one of those places we would love to pull our RV and explore. We just don’t know what we don’t know. Great video!
Awesome! If we can ever be a resource for you and your family don't hesitate to reach out. ~ Eric
Thank you Eric and Brittany! This was so helpful, I am about to explore Mexico in May and then drive down in July. So this was super helpful. Thanks for the group recommendation! Safe travels my friends!
Glad it was helpful to you. Thank you for taking the time to let us know and for following our journey. Happy to be a resource for you as you make your way into Mexico. Please don't hesitate to reach out. ~ Eric
@@HourlessLife Thanks Eric this is David btw :).
Really nice presentation. Hopefully my wife will feel calmer about driving through Mexico. Thanks a lot.
That is our hope too. Please tell her that if she has any questions that she'd like answered from a woman's perspective that my wife Brittany answers all of the direct messages on Instagram. If there is anything we can do to help ease her concerns, she is welcome to reach out directly. Appreciate you being part of our online community and happy to be a resource! ~ Eric
If you think driving in MX is crazy, try the Philippines.
Who knows, someday we may make it there. I'll say that so far, Colombia and Peru have been the most difficult for driving in Latin America. ~ Eric
I was really worried about standing out in my rig especially as a young solo woman but I’m feeling confident after this video! Thank you and safe travels southward!
You got this Loui. Just do your due diligence, talk to locals, never drive at night and be wherever you are going to camp by 3pm. Enjoy your journey and we're always happy to be a resource for you! Keep us posted. ~ Eric
One thing I wander about is what do you do for insurance/healthcare.
~ Kevin
On a global journey it really depends on the country itself. I'm a retired veteran of the USA so I have some global benefits that help us out. But for example we went to the dentist here to get a teeth cleaning and it was cheaper than most co-pays in the US. So it's kind of flexible Kevin. Sorry there isn't a better answer, but at least it is an honest one. ~ Eric
I've been in Costa Rica for almost 2 months, and all I've got to say is...Latin America is a whole new level of inefficiency.
LOL Bill. I just read your comment to Brittany and she busted out laughing. I've thought of making a t-shirt that has an outline of Mexico, Central America, and South America with the text: "Could be organized better" it really is a difficult thing to come to grips with. ~ Eric
18000 subs and counting!
Wow. We're really blown away by the community that has come around us for this journey. Thank you for not only being a member of our community here, but also on our Patreon. We enjoyed our time with you on your visit with us in Guanajuato. So glad you made the trip! ~ Eric
@@HourlessLife such a great time. Our conversation at Clave Azul will impact me for a long time. Thank you Highland Family.
where can i find the best map with safe roads. driving from las vegas to pdc .thank you so much
Hi Chef, the "best" roads often change depending on current situations. My best advice to you on this specific topic would be to join the On The Road in Mexico Facebook group and ask someone who has RECENTLY and that is the key word done the journey you are looking to do. Anyone who tells you this is the best road, or that is the best road that did the trip years ago is giving you information that is outdated and unreliable. So go to that group and ask there, I've found them to be very helpful. ~ Eric
Do you know the exact words that should be used on the letter if you have a lien on your vehicle and you are going into Mexico?
I don't recall any exact phrasing sorry. But I do know that the bank will probably be familiar with the letter. I would just ask your financial institution. Sorry that isn't more help. But we own our vehicle outright so we don't have one that I can look at for current phrasing. ~ Eric
Where do you suggest to look for reputable companies to purchase vehicle insurance?
So each country has its own vehicle insurance requirements. So I can't really answer that question unless I know which country you are referring to. Hope that makes sense. ~ Eric
@@HourlessLife Specifically Mexico. Sorry I didn’t put that in my question.
Do I need Mexican auto insurance even though I am only going to be in Tijuana for a day? Just to clearify I need the following documents: U.S. passport, license and vehicle registration?
Super easy. You do need a Mexican liability policy to drive your vehicle to Tijuana. But because it is within the 62.5 miles from the US border in Baja you won’t need to get a temporary import permit. This applies if you own the vehicle. If you are still paying on the vehicle you’ll want a letter from the lien holder saying you have permission to take it into Mexico just to be on the safe side. As far as documents for Tijuana you’ll want your passport, license, and registration and the Mexican liability policy. I’d also recommend you go by AAA and get an international drivers license and never hand a police officer your real US issued license. Enjoy your trip! ~ E
A basic rule for driving in downtowns in Mexico is that when you are in an intersection the crossing is one by one, other think you must have in mind is that the pedestrians always have the preference for crossing the streets :) I live in San Luis Potosí, hope this tips helps you when you come to our country!!
We love your city Arturo. Spent a month there this trip. For those of us from the USA, the idea of not having some sort of sign to tell us which vehicle has the right of way is foreign. So it can be a bit challenging for those not used to it. Appreciate you providing local insight. ~ Eric
🙂☝👍
🇲🇽❤️ ~ Eric
Hi guys, I live in Guadalajara, and if you need something like a place to stay or anything you need please do not hesitate to contact me and it will awesome to meet you
Mauricio, would you mind sending us a private message on Instagram? We'd love to have you in our contact list. Thank you! Muy agradable. ~ Eric
Last time I was in mexico visiting family cartel vehicles with guns pulled us over and wanted money so we gave them some and they let us go no other problems from them though.
There were 1415 carjackings in Chicago in 2020. Still we never recommend people don’t visit Chicago. Also their pizza is pretty decent there.
Sorry this happened to you. Glad nothing else happened. But as I mention in the video, it is easy to point a finger and generalize a different nation than our own based on real incidents.
The issue that I bring up is that crime happens all over the world. This is just a fact of life unfortunately. But we must be cautious and hopefully hesitant about putting unwarranted fear into people about a specific country or culture due to a real incident that honestly could happen anywhere in the world. ~ Eric
I am new to going to a new country period. And i want to visit and vacation in mexico. Can you assist. I will be traveling alone too
Love that you are visiting our favorite country so far on our global journey. We fell in love with Mexico. Happy to be a resource for you. Easiest way for us to help you would be if you messaged us on Instagram @hourlesslife Feel free to ask any questions, and we'll be happy to help! ~ Eric
I traveled around the world and as far as safety goes, use common sense and trust your gut.
Solid advice. Glad you've got a chance to see the globe. What has been your favorite don't miss location? ~ Eric
Is funny because for me is pretty sure that water issue it's a myth,
Results there actually are water treatment infrastructure, on the contrary is imposible to get a fun in the river like before, and then, never mind recognize the country for the beaches because most of those rivers flows to coastlines, probaly the poorest regions lack of it, But not the rest, so people don't drink it may be for ignore the facts I previously mentioned or simply they are accustomed, according the case...unless for me is a better explanation.
Also, some specific regions like the tropical ones in the south, people don't drink directly, but not for human irregular activities (that problem is in África or south Asia), is more like natural affectations, for be "agua pesada" or heavy water, cause concentrates many natural minerals (underground) or be the habitat of mosquitos.
Thank you for watching our video. ~ Eric
Driving at night in Mexico is more of a car breakdown in the meddle of nowhere, I'm more concerned about general crime in the U.S. then Mexico
Yeah it’s just a different world here when it comes to driving. The topes, potholes, and animals at night just are not conducive to an easy and safe drive. ~ Eric
@@HourlessLife I have driven a few time many long miles, I just drive in the day time so I can see, avoid these problem by driving the toll roads all the way down, which you can drive at night you also have protection in case of an accident and there usually toll road service trucks who will if your broke down will help you for free, that's part of the toll road use