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5 Travel Mistakes In Mexico Not To Make

December 19, 2018 By Jimmy Huss 3 Comments

Mexico is a charming country. It’s thriving with a unique culture and history. Mexico jumped on the list and became the sixth most visited destination in the world. With there being so many places to see its hard to believe in 2013, it was at number 15. When we arrived in Mexico we based ourselves in Mexico City Traveling in Mexico for the first time can be challenging and of course, there is some mistake we made as first-timers. Make sure you avoid making these simple travel mistakes as we did.

Table of Contents

  • 1 What I should pack for Mexico City
  • 2 The cheapest way to get around in Mexico City
  • 3 Avoiding crowds in Mexico City
  • 4 Long term rentals in Mexico City
  • 5 Do I tip in Mexico?
    • 5.1 You Might Also Like

What I should pack for Mexico City

When we packed our bags before the trip to Mexico we were so excited for some nice warm weather. Little did we know that Mexico City is so high up that parts actually get snow. Mexico is a big country, therefore the weather varies. Some states are indeed perpetually hot, but in some areas not so much. Central Mexico has a high altitude and so temperatures vary throughout the year. Don’t expect tropics everywhere you go. Lots of first-timers turn up in their prettiest beachwear looking for palm trees and balmy days. They’re often disappointed to find that Mexico City sits 7,000 feet above sea-level which results in a cool, dry, alpine climate and thin air. This may leave you suddenly winded while climbing stairs. or going on hikes (Don’t forget to drink plenty of water; it’s important to stay hydrated at higher altitudes). That’s not to say it’s cold here, but it certainly isn’t hot in the winter. Rainy evenings and chilly nights and mornings are common, even on the warmest days. So bring layers.

The cheapest way to get around in Mexico City

Public transportation is incredibly cheap in Mexico City. You have four common options: Buses, Subway, Cabs, and Uber. In most cases, a lot of people avoid local buses and cabs. Uber and Subways are the most common way to get around. Uber can be cheap but in times of traffic, it can be drastically expensive.

The Traffic is completely insane in Mexico City and can take hours to go only a short distance. In most cases, when there isn’t a lot of traffic and you want to travel about 15 minutes away your ride will cost around 60 Mexican pesos ($2.91 USD). For the subway, your ride will always be 5 pesos ($.24 USD) no matter how far you go or how long you are on the subway. This is why the best way to get around is the subway but again I would avoid all public transportation during rush hour.

— Want a discount on Uber? use code:  jamesh80799ui when you signup!

Avoiding crowds in Mexico City

Most times if you want to avoid the crowds in Mexico City you just have to avoid 6-8 am and 5-7 pm. BUT this is not always the case here in the city. We have noticed another huge rush hour in the city is 1-3 pm. The reason for this is that most people in Mexico City take a super late lunch. The lunch hour traffic is sometimes just as busy especially if you are trying to get something to eat. I would suggest going out to eat for lunch around 11 am-12 pm this way you can have eaten and paid before the rush even begins.

**If you are traveling to Mexico Via land crossing in the USA check out these tips for a smooth crossing** 

Long term rentals in Mexico City

After traveling full-time for a while now we imagined it wouldn’t be that difficult to get an apartment in the capital city of Mexico. Boy was we wrong. It was one of the most difficult places to rent we have ever been to. The reason we say this is that there were a lot of requirements for you to be able to get an apartment. You needed a cosigner or someone to vouch for you. You also needed one month to rent upfront in case you broke anything or didn’t pay. I understand why these requirements are in order but most places we traveled never required this before. We just don’t feel comfortable handing over an extra 800 USD to someone we could possibly never see again. This is why we highly suggest using Airbnb. This is the only choice we really had. The only suggestion I would give is if you are going to use Airbnb I would suggest you Rent for two days and then go see more Airbnb’s that are available before you rent long term. You want to make sure the place looks like the pictures online. It’s not bad renting if you are under a month because you can rent Airbnb or hotels and its not bad if you are renting six months to a year because you can put a down payment down but when it comes to one month you are kind of in a tight situation. If you do plan on using Airbnb  you can use this link when signing up for $40 off your first trip 

If you plan to rent a car make sure you check out these great tips!

Do I tip in Mexico?

Mexico’s tipping culture is less pronounced than the United States, but it is common courtesy to include at least 10 percent of your bill for the waiter. When we first arrived we did not know that. Coming from Asia where there is no tipping culture we had heard that you don’t tip in Mexico but this is wrong. You should always tip at least 10%,  this rule applies for restaurants, cafés and even bars where you will pay for drinks when you are billed at the end of the night.

All in all, have a great time on your trip to Mexico, just keep some of these simple things in mind when traveling. If you want to check our FULL VIDEO GUIDE we have that on our YOUTUBE CHANNEL showing you an in-depth guide to all the best and even some of the most unknown local spots!

If you are planning a trip make sure to check out our Must know and travel essential Packing list that is completely free! DOWNLOAD IT HERE

Mexico travel knowledge and packing essentials

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Filed Under: Central America, DL Blog, Mexico

About Jimmy Huss

I left my career in the military to become a full-time traveler, documenting my memories along the way. Kicked off traveling in September 2017 with $4000 in my savings account and first started publishing my journey. Traveling and being able to work wherever I love ( as long as there are Wi-Fi and coffee)

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About Us

I left my career in the military to become a full-time traveler, documenting my memories along the way. Kicked off traveling in September 2017 with $4000 in my savings account and first started publishing my journey. Traveling and being able to work wherever I love ( as long as there are Wi-Fi and coffee)

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Travel is bigger than just us taking a trip. ⁣
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To me It’s about helping people, learning about the cultures, and sharing them with the world. When I first arrived on a Sunday I was walking the streets of #istanbul🇹🇷 and couldn’t find any businesses open, actually after talking to some locals they said the only businesses allowed open were government-run restaurants, shops, and stores. The locally run shops weren’t allowed open on weekends and The local Turkish people weren’t even allowed outside on Saturdays and Sundays only the tourist were. ⁣
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It was was their best effort to stop the spread of Covid. A street that receives 3 million people a day is now a ghost town(swipe right). I was really worried that it would be like that the whole trip. ⁣
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Now that Monday rolls around you can see life in the city again smiles in the streets, children playing and helping their siblings (swipe right). Just know that this series coming up is more than sharing what I learn but helping people that need it in a time that’s hard for everyone.⁣
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Support local business, help a friend in need and be kind to everyone. You never know when you will need help.⁣
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Love you all and thank you for being here supporting this community. ⁣
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Went to see the sunrise and saw a snowstorm.⁣
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First time in my life I got to see a snowstorm and in Asia and Europe all on the same day! Did you know this was possible?⁣
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In the last 30 days, I have completely filled up a brand new 2TB hard drive. These two series are the most in-depth ones yet and I am so happy that I got to see snow and sunshine in both Serbia and Turkey all in one trip. Most of the time it takes two trips to see both sides of a city but we got to see snow in both. Ironically both snow days were on my last day in each country.⁣
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📸 @whichchris_⁣
Some of the best things are the things you least e Some of the best things are the things you least expect. I have a feeling 2021 is going to be the best year yet. 🎉⁣
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Serbia blessed us with snow on the last day of the trip I’m hoping Istanbul will do the same!⁣
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Feeling fresh, excited, and motivated. With the first trip of the year under the belt, I’m excited to get back home and continue to push out these two series.⁣
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Where should I travel to next?⁣
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@jrherrm and I will be in Puerto Rico soon so as long as things go as planned you can expect at least one video from there but if it doesn’t open in time where should we go?!⁣
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A trip to Europe is even more beautiful with some A trip to Europe is even more beautiful with some fresh snow!⁣⁣
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Do you travel for warmth? Most of the time I avoid traveling to cold places but honestly, this was exactly what I needed!⁣⁣
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I didn’t expect to see snow this trip, with the weather forecasted for rain i was going to make the most out of it and see as much as I could. I really was super lucky catching the first snowfall of the year in #belgradeserbia⁣⁣
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Well, Serbia was full of surprises, from the food, people, and places It was a country I really need to see more of. Check out the newest video on Serbian food in Belgrade now live on the tube (link in Bio)⁣
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Holidays in Europe are something special⁣ ⁣ Ne Holidays in Europe are something special⁣
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Merry Christmas!⁣
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Did you know Christmas is January 7th for Orthodox?⁣
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Happy New Year!⁣ ⁣ Like most places in the wor Happy New Year!⁣
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Like most places in the world, Serbia is doing the best they can to help control Covid 19 so although New Years is normally spent staying up till 12 and ringing in the New Year with good drinks, friends, and loved ones. The cities shut down at 6 pm. ⁣
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How did you spend your New Years Eve and Day?⁣
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