Mexico Week Part 3: Planning A Trip to Mexico

The caravan from Colorado, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia

WalMart camping in Morelia

Jerry, Paula, and new California truck camping  buddies Kris and Ken

If you are planning a truck camping trip to Mexico or want to go there in the future, this is the article for you.  After showing us the beauty, tastes, and colors in “Mexico Week Part 1: Feast For the Senses ” and  “Mexico Week Part 2: People, Butterflies, and Architecture ”, Jerry and Paula Gale give us a look at the logistics of planning a truck camping trip to Mexico.

Planning the Trip

Paula: Before you go, gather your resources and talk to as many people as you can.  We went to Baja, Mexico in 2007 for five weeks, which was a good learning experience for our Colonial Mexico trip.  For part of our Colonial Mexico trip we traveled with a friend who owns a Bigfoot truck camper.  He has been down to Mexico many times and is very knowledgeable.  

Jerry: We also read the Mexico forum on RV.net and posted questions.  The experienced Mexican travelers on RV.net gave us excellent advice.  We also made a master list so that we wouldn’t forget anything.  We knew that we had to bring things that would be hard to come by.

Paula: There are also Mexican Travel Guides that are specific for each area.  We used The Traveler's Guide To Mexican Camping by Mike & Terri Church, Frommer's Mexico 2006 (perhaps a newer edition is out now), and The People's Guide to Mexico - Wherever You Go… There You Are!  by Carl Franz and Lorena Havens as resources.  Also, an excellent atlas to have is Guia Roji - Mexico Tourist Road Atlas (www.guiaroji.com.mx).  Be sure to order the book in English!

Truck Camper and Health Insurance

Jerry: We use an insurance agent who specializes in vehicle insurance for Mexico.  Before going on our first trip to Mexico, I did a fair bit of checking around by consulting other people who have traveled to Mexico.  The agent we use has an office on the Arizona and Mexico border, but we only communicate by phone or email.

The insurance that you get covers everything in the truck and the camper.  We took out a six-month policy.  It was cheaper to get it that way, then to get it by the month.  Six months ran us around $450 USD.

When we drove into Mexico we took off our Canadian vehicle insurance so we saved some money.  That offset the price of the Mexican insurance.  It’s crazy to go without insurance.  Down in Mexico they have Napoleonic laws, which means you are guilty until proven innocent.  You need to get Mexican insurance or else your vehicle is not covered in Mexico.

For health insurance you are on your own.  We are covered for sixty days outside of Canada. We added an extension for our plan.  There are all different health insurance plans out there, so check with your own company to see what they will do for you.

Border Crossings

Paula: We chose a nice, quiet border crossing before we got to Mexico. We crossed at Eagle Pass, Texas into Piedras Negras, Mexico.  You actually cross the border and then drive about twenty miles before showing documentation.  This helped to prevent congestion at the actual border.  It was super and everyone was good to deal with.  We recommend going early in the morning to avoid the rush-hour traffic.

Jerry: In order to cross the border into Mexico you need a valid driver’s license and a passport.  You will also need an original proof of ownership of your truck in your name (in Nova Scotia this is called your Certificate of Vehicle Registration).  If you are leasing you should have letter through that company granting permission to take the vehicle into Mexico.  Additionally, you need Mexican insurance, which they will need to mail to you and needs to be done ahead of time.  Finally, you need your own vehicle permit and a valid USA or Canadian credit card.

With all that information, you’ll get a tourist permit.  You’ll also receive a temporary Mexican vehicle permit, which is a big sticker that goes on the front windshield and is valid for six months.  There is a small charge for the tourist and vehicle permits.

On your return trip to the border, you will be asked to return your vehicle permit and tourist card before proceeding to U.S. Customs.  Make sure they remove the sticker from your windshield.  This proves that your vehicle is leaving the country and avoids problems should you return to Mexico.

Mexican Campgrounds

Jerry: Campgrounds in Mexico on average were about $15 a night.  Our boondocking experience was mostly when we hit the beach on the west coast of Mexico.  In Colonial Mexico, we only boondocked a few times, choosing our spots carefully and always making sure there were other campers around.

Paula:  In the campgrounds we visited, the majority of people were Canadian, American and European.

The quality of the campgrounds is varied.  Some have full services, some partial, and some don’t have any.  They all do, however, offer a measure of security, some more so than others.  The campgrounds are generally not up to the standards we are used to in the U.S. and Canada, but the experiences with other campers are just as much fun!  Often, hotels have parking areas for RVs, which allows the campers to use the hotel’s facilities.  This also makes for a safe place to spend the night.

The Traveler's Guide To Mexican Camping by Mike and Terri Church has really good recommendations for campgrounds.  We also asked people we met at campgrounds for their recommendations.

The camping area in Zacatecas was essentially a hotel parking lot, with electricity and a washroom.  It was very convenient for walking to the downtown and to the cable car and mine tour.  The campgrounds in Saltillo, Guanajuato, Guadalajara, and Patzcuaro required short bus or cab rides to the downtown.  Transportation costs are very inexpensive.  San Miguel de Allende has two campgrounds within the city limits that have sewer, water, and electric.  We heard the larger one might be closing.

Jerry: While you are in the campgrounds, you have to be careful with your power.  I used a surge protector all the time.  I recommend you run your fridge on propane.  In Mexico the propane is called butane, which could potentially freeze if you go into a cold climate.  We used the little green bottles of propane for our portable barbeque, which we brought from home as they can be tricky to find in Mexico.

Paula: We carried important spare truck and camper supplies in Rubbermaid bins in the back of our truck.  These were great for the supplies we knew would be hard to find, like toilet paper and holding tank chemicals.

Jerry: I also brought a spare water pump for the camper.  The water pressure is usually very low in Mexico and we used the water pump almost 100% of the time.

It’s also important to have your vehicle in good shape before you get down to Mexico.  I took two spare tires with us, one of which I put up on our camper roof.  I heard that E range tires are hard to find in Mexico.

Some of the campgrounds weren’t geared for bigger rigs.  At the last one we went to, I had to take the bikes off the front of the truck to make a turn.  It was tight.

Banking and Internet Access

Paula: A lot of places will not accept credit cards; they only accept cash.  The larger stores and chain stores will, but at most campgrounds and smaller stores, you need to pay cash. The bank of Nova Scotia is located throughout Mexico.

Jerry: There were lots of places to get money.  The ATMs weren’t hard to find.  We arranged to make all necessary payments from either Visa or automatic withdrawls from our bank account.  All we had to do was find an internet connection and pay our credit card bill. 

Paula: We didn’t have a phone while we were in Mexico.  That could have been an issue.  The way we were able to communicate was through Skype, where you essentially use your computer as your phone.  It’s two cents a minute and you can use it as long as you have a wireless internet connection.  We spent about twenty dollars on Skype the entire time we were away.  Another way Skype works is if both parties are online at the same time and both have Skype downloaded.  You are able to speak to each other through headphones or the speakers on the computer.  This is absolutely free.  Most of the time we used email.

Jerry: In Mexico you can get phone cards.  Next year we are going to do something different because people couldn’t call us.  We may get a phone in Mexico so people can call us.  We need to research that more.

Safety in Mexico

Paula:  The biggest question that we were asked after we were in Mexico was, “Weren’t you scared to go to Mexico?”  Most problems occur in the border towns.  And as I said earlier, we researched which border towns to cross. We didn’t have any problems at all because we chose carefully and picked a crossing that had a good reputation.

Jerry: Just like being anywhere unfamiliar, when you don’t know your surroundings, you just have to be cautious and use common sense.  The truck camper made getting around much easier in both the large cities and small towns.  It is so much easier to turn around if you make a wrong turn.  

Paula: People advised us not to travel after dark, so we made sure we were in the campground well before the sun went down.  As we mentioned previously, there are frequently animals roaming free on the roads.  You really need to see clearly when you are driving.

Speaking Spanish

Paula: The bigger the city, the more English you would hear spoken.  Young adults, cab drivers, waiters, and vendors are most likely to speak some English in the mid-sized towns or cities.  Also, the more upscale restaurants most often had menus in both Spanish and English.  However, even in Spanish, many dishes are recognizable to most people such as tacos, quesadillas, and burritos. 

Jerry: In the small towns there was virtually no English spoken.  It’s just like going to any other country.  If you know some of the language, it certainly helps you get along a little easier.

Paula: We have been to Cuba twelve times on winter vacations, which definitely helped us.  Plus we took night classes and carried a dictionary.  The Mexican people appreciated our limited Spanish vocabulary.

Jerry:  In April, at Radio Shack, we bought a hand-held translator computer device.  We can type something in Spanish or English and it will translate it.  This will be a plus on our next trip.

Final Thoughts

Jerry: On January 6th, 2008, we left our home in Nova Scotia and headed south for Mexico.  We traveled about 3,000 miles to the Mexican border.  On the trip this past winter, we put about 10,000 miles on our truck.  We returned home after the Mid-Atlantic Truck Camper Rally on April 25th, 2008.

In Mexico, diesel was about 59 cents a liter, which is about $2.25 USD a gallon. Gasoline was about 73 cents a liter, which is about $2.75 USD a gallon.

Like anything, the second trip to Colonial Mexico will be even easier for us.  You learn from your experiences.  We are really looking forward to going again this winter.

Paula: You’ve got to have an open mind.  Whatever shortcomings or inconveniences you may encounter in Mexico are far outweighed by the sights you will see and all you have to discover and experience. 

Jerry: From the cool mountain evenings to the sunny, warm days, the climate in Colonial Mexico makes it a perfect place to explore, especially with a truck camper.

Jerry and Paula are on RV.Net and NATCOA as “JerBear”.  You are welcome to send them a private message if you have any questions.