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TRAVEL SERVICES
AIR AND GROUND TRANSPORTATION
There are 3 ways to
get around in Mexico: by bus, by plane and by car.
For distances above
500 km we recommend taking a plane: the cost will be the same as
by bus, but the travel time will be significantly shorter. For
shorter distances, choose road transportation. Not only will
the cost be less, but travel time will be the same or less! Think
twice about driving in Mexico!
Busses
Domestic Flights
Driving/Buying/Renting a car
Busses
For transportation
between cities and states less than 500 km away from each other,
the best and most effective way is road transportation, using the
extensive network of bus lines connecting all Mexico.
There are 3 bus
classes: "Ejecutivo", "Primera Clase" and
"Segunda Clase". Unless there is no alternative,
we suggest not taking "Segunda Clase" busses as
they are not air-conditioned, they are slow,
their drivers are not well-trained, and they
might be unsafe.
Use "Ejecutivo" and
"Primera Clase" busses instead. These are newer
busses and are driven by trained and experienced
drivers. Besides, they use toll roads (much
safer) and only drive from terminal to terminal,
reducing significantly the risk of robbery as
they do not pick up passengers on the roadside.
Larger Terminals in Mexico have strict security
measures in place, similar to the ones at
airports…
Domestic Flights
Mexico’s domestic
airline industry is booming after the government
sold its 2 state-owned companies, opened the
market and made it possible for new airlines to
emerge.
The Mexican
Transportation Authority oversees airlines
effectively, guaranteeing that air travel in
Mexico is safe. Most airlines are not older than
5 years and operate brand new airplanes.
Mexico’s main hub is
Mexico City and its alternate airport in Toluca.
The second hub is Monterrey.
When flying
domestically, you will have to take into
consideration whether you want to fly from/to
the Mexico City airport or Mexico City’s
alternative airport in Toluca. The Problem with
Toluca is the fact that it takes up to 1 ½ hours
to get into Mexico City and even up to 2 hours
to the Mexico City airport. If you have a
connecting flight at the Mexico City airport, do
not use the one in Toluca…
However, be aware of
the fact that only AeroMexico, Mexicana, Click
and Aviacsa serve Mexico City. All others serve
Toluca.
Airlines:
AeroMexico. Mexico’s
biggest airline. Connecting all Mexico with
several daily flights. Extensive network to and
from the United States, Canada, Latin America
and biweekly flights to Asia and Europe.
www.aeromexico.com
Mexicana. Mexico’s
oldest and second biggest domestic and
international air carrier connecting all Mexico
with several daily flights. Extensive network to
and from the United States, Canada and Latin
America.
www.mexicana.com
Interjet.
Connecting major Mexican cities with Mexico City’s
alternative airport in Toluca.
www.interjet.com
Aladia. Connecting
major Mexican cities.
http://www.aladia.com
Aviacsa.
Connecting major Mexican cities and Las Vegas
with Mexico City and Monterrey.
http://www.aviacsa.com
Magnicharters.
Connecting Mexico City, Monterrey and
Guadalajara with Mexico’s most important beach
destinations. Please be aware of the fact that
Mexican aviation authorities closed down this
company once for breaking safety regulations.
www.magnicharters.com.mx
Alma de Mexico. Connecting the north and Cancun with
Mexico City’s alternative airport in Toluca.
www.alma.com.mx
VivaAerobus.
Flying from Monterrey to major Mexican cities.
They use Cuernavaca as Mexico City’s alternative
airport.
www.vivaaerobus.com
Volaris.
Connecting major Mexican cities with Mexico City’s
alternative airport in Toluca.
www.volaris.com
Click Mexicana.
Mexicana’s low cost carrier. Connecting all
Mexico from the Mexico City airport…
www.click.com.mx
Driving a Car
If you feel
comfortable driving outside the highly regulated
highways of North America and Europe, you might
be interested in driving in Mexico. If not, you’d
better forget about it!
You can either
decide to bring your own car into Mexico or to
buy one in Mexico. Renting one is an option, but
only for shorter stays…
It is OK to use your
national driver’s license in Mexico. However, we
recommend getting an international driver’s
license anyway…
Buying a car
There are no
difficulties in buying a car as a foreigner.
However, you have to make sure you comply with
the following rules, regardless of whether the
car is new or used.
- “Tenencia” tax.
This is an annual tax payable in the state where
the car is registered. The rate is 2% of the
value of the car…
- Insurance. It is
not mandatory in Mexico… However, we STRONGLY
recommend purchasing a full insurance policy…
- Cost: Between USD
400 and 1500, depending on the car and coverage.
Please note that the sums insurance companies
pay for damage are often limited. Make sure you
purchase an insurance policy with coverage above
USD 100,000.
- “Verificación”.
Depending on the state where the car is
registered, you will need to take the car to the
“verificación” center, where the car will be
inspected for CO2 emissions. We believe this is
more a tax than real concern for the environment,
but anyway…
Buying a new car
If you have the
funds, you can buy a brand new car. Most brands
are available in Mexico. However, not all
carmakers have a nationwide dealer network,
which complicates getting your car fixed! There
are also cheap new cars available, which are
often old models not sold anymore in the “1st
World”. This is the case of GM’s Chevy (based on
the second generation Opel Corsa), Volkswagen’s
Pointer (based on the 1st generation Golf) or
Nissan’s Tsuru (based on the 2nd generation
Sentra)… Chinese FAW also entered the market
recently with cars at USD 7,000…
Buying a used car
Be extremely careful
when buying a used car. If you unknowingly buy a
stolen car, you will be considered the thief and
will go to jail for several years!
Some tips:
- Make sure the car
has not been stolen. Buy a car with local
license plates and go to the local police
station. Ask the police to check their dBase to
make sure the car has not been stolen.
- Make sure the car
has not been involved in an injury or death-causing
accident. You can verify this with the police
too.
- Make sure the last
5 years of ‘verificaciones’ and ‘tenencias’ have
been paid. If not, you will need to pay those!
- Make sure that the
seller identifies him/herself.
- Make sure you
obtain written agreement to prove you paid for
the car. Pay through a Mexican cashier check or
wire.
Renting a car
Almost all
international car rental companies operate in
Mexico. We recommend renting cars only from them
and not from small local companies in order to
avoid problems… You should also make sure that
the insurance has enough coverage. Rental fees
often include basic insurance, which does not
cover enough… Reserve a rental car
here
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TRAVEL INSURANCE
Travel insurance information and purchase:
COMING VERY SOON
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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
If you are planning to visit Mexico, you might
be interested in keeping in touch with your
folks back home...
REBTEL.
If you decide to have your
own landline or cell phone in Mexico, this
service offers very attractive rates...
Click here for purchase or more information.
PINGO Calling Cards.
If you decide not to have a
landline or cell phone, you can use
international calling cards from any public
phone. Attractive rates of USD 0,18 per minute.
Click here for purchase or more information.
Mexican SIM cards.
A new law requires that you
identify when buying a SIM card, so the only way
to get a SIM card is purchasing one yourself
upon arrival in Mexico at one of the 3 cell
phone operators:
Telcel,
Movistar
or Iusacell.
Details about each operator
here.
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THE WEATHER IN MEXICO
PASSPORTS &
VISA
Information about Visas for Mexico can be
checked
here. For passports, you will need to
contact you local authorities.
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ACCOMMODATION
Information about
accommodation can be
checked
here.
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