Travelling to Mexico - Before you Go !

by Don Saigle on Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 2:57pm

 

Many thanks to those that made this possible - Dan & Carol, Warren & Gale,Terry & Jeri - hope this helps anyone that reads it to make the trip a little smoother!

1) Call your home insurance carrier to discuss any clauses that may limit or exclude coverage. Policies differ and have different requirements that need to be fulfilled if the home is not occupied continuously.

 

2) If you are leaving a second or third vehicle at home, consider cancelling your registration and insurance. Take out a storage only policy. This may save you money.

 

3) Check into cancelling/suspending/deferring your home and cell phone service / cable / internet / satellite service. Again, this may save you money. Make arrangement for your mail delivery. Cancel the paper.

 

4) Set up all your monthly expense payments on pre-authorized or credit card payments

 

5) Check with your vehicle insurance provider as to increasing liability coverage ($5 million) as you will be driving through the USA.

 

6) Keep receipts of any and all types, which will show when you entered and departed Mexico. You can use this to show your insurance company the dates you were out of Canada/USA for a prorated rebate on your insurance premium.

 

7) Have your vehicle checked out – get a tune-up, change/check fluid levels(oil, transmission, radiator, windshield washer fluid), air conditioning, tire tread and condition, check brakes, windshield wipers, battery - install a locking mechanism on your spare tire if stored ‘outside’ of the trunk ( ie: truck under mount)

 

8) Check the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada website for LOTS of useful information. http://www.voyage.gc.ca/index-eng.asp

 

9) Consider ‘registering’ your stay on-line with Foreign Affairs. https://www.voyage2.gc.ca/OLRPUBLICDFAIT/olrportal.aspx?Page=Start&LanguageCode=4105

 

10) Plan your trip – know your travel tolerances, how many hours do you want to drive, where are you going to stay. BCAA has great maps/travel books/TripTik.

NOT recommended to travel in Mexico after dark – live stock, wildlife, pedestrians, no road shoulders or guard rails in many places.

 

From Vancouver Island, our trip took us onto the very early and first ferry from Departure Bay and crossed into the USA at 0800 hrs., then South down the I5, spending the first night in Ashland OR.

 

Our second day, we stayed on the I5 until the Sacramento area, switching off onto Hwy 99. Following into Bakersfield, Calf., we turned onto Hwy 58, stopping at Tehachapi for the evening.

 

Day three: we headed across the Mojave Desert, following Hwy 58, onto Hwy 40 into Needles. Then South on Hwy 95 to Blythe, East on Hwy 10 to the junction of Hwy 85 at Perryville, South to Gila Bend and then East on Hwy 8 to meet up with Hwy 10 again. This bypasses Phoenix. We stopped for the night in Tucson.

 

Day four: continue South on Hwy 19 to the border City of Nogales. It is easier to take the ‘truck route’ crossing into Mexico. The by-pass will veer to the West before you get too far into Nogales.

 

Once over the border, you’ll approach an area for customs which still commences with a ‘red light, green light’ selection process. You drive up to what looks like a set of traffic signals and press a button. If the light turns red, you proceed to customs; if green, carry on!

 

The majority of your official interaction (immigration, tourist card, vehicle import sticker) will take place approx. 20 km. South of where you entry Mexico. Plan to make payment is via credit card; otherwise you’ll need to leave a deposit. You’ll need a photocopy of your vehicle registration, proof of citizenship (birth certificate, ID page from passport), drivers’ licence, and tourist card. You can photocopy all of your documents for a small fee at this location. We arrived around 1000 hrs. and were about 1.5 hrs., going thru the process. May be quicker if you’re earlier.

 

VERY IMPORTANT: The name on the vehicle registration AND credit card MUST be the same. In other words, if the vehicle is registered in your name, you MUST have a credit card in your name.

 

Remember, these processes do NOT happen at the actual border

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Stopped at an ATM in Santa Ana to get Mexican pesos and continued into the seaside town of San Carlos on the ocean and had a short travel day. If you wish to travel further, many folks continue into Navojoa before stopping. We have been advised that your bank card may not work in Mexico (we use Presidents’ Choice Financial and never had a problem).

 

You’ll want to have approx. $3,000.00 pesos to pay for tolls/fuel/meals. There are only PEMEX gas stations and they ONLY deal in cash. Use the Magma (green pumps) selection of fuel. It is customary to ‘tip’ the attendant. It is also customary for the attendant to ‘show you’ that the pump has been reset to zero, so watch for this. They do not issue receipts.

 

UPDATE: Information as of Feb. 16, 2009 indicates that if you inquire with the clerk before fuel is pumped, you MAY be able to pay with credit card inside the store. It is believed that VISA is acceptable.

 

Day five: up and travelling the toll highways. They are very well maintained and traffic was light. The ‘libre’ or ‘free’ (no toll) roads are not of the same standard and not recommended. Total cost of tolls in 2008 was $1100.00 peso (approx. $110.00 Cdn). We turned off the highway just before Mazatlan – road sign leading you to ‘La Playa Mazatlan’. Watch for it because it’s easy to miss! Nice little Holiday Inn there.

 

Update for 2009: Ensure you fill up with fuel in Mazatlan. If you are travelling the toll highways, there are NO gas stations until Tepic ( approx. 4.5 hrs. away )

 

Day 6: easy drive into Bucerias (approx. 6 hrs. )

Bring your own motor oil and filter (next to impossible to find 5W30 oil here). Good idea to also bring a spare engine belt(s).

 

The figures:

1998 Ford XLT F150 (roof mounted kayaks and two bikes hanging from the trailer hitch)

Distance: 4860 km.

Costs: $1260.00 (fuel, accommodations, meals, tolls, ferry)

 

Update for 2009: La Quinta Inns are pet friendly and offer many convenient locations along this route.

 

11) You will need specific vehicle insurance while in Mexico. This can be applied for and obtained ‘on-line’ – lots of info on the web or at the processing center where you obtain your temporary vehicle import sticker.

 

It is usually less expensive if you buy a 6 mth. Policy even if you are staying less time. Be sure you contemplate your entry date into Mexico so that it coincides with your coverage.

 

12) You can also apply and obtain your Temporary Vehicle Import sticker ‘on-line’. If you chose this method, you need 6-8 weeks lead time to allow for delivery of the sticker to your residence. You will pay a premiere price for the service. You have to stop at a processing center in Mexico for other documents (tourist card); do this at that time.

 

13) Obtain your out-of- province/country extended medical coverage. Again, look into this early as policies and coverage vary. Some policies require medical conditions/treatment to be ‘stable’ for a minimum of 90 days prior to departure.

 

14) Advise your credit card companies that you’ll be travelling in the USA and Mexico and the duration that you’ll be away. Otherwise, you may be denied service by merchants.

 

15) Make photocopies of your documents: passport ID page, drivers’ licence, birth certificate, credit cards, health cards, vehicle insurance documents. Leave one copy of all documents at home and take the other with you.

 

16) Make 3 extra photocopies of your driver licence. It is not recommended to ‘surrender’ your original drivers’ licence if stopped by police. You can show it and then give them a photocopy.

 

Update for 2009: Unfortunately, corruption continues within some police agencies. Some police officials will stop you and accuse you of some traffic violation. The ‘Transito Police’ (traffic police) is most likely to attempt this. They demand your drivers’ licence and threaten to hold onto it as a means to extort money from you. Demands range between 800 & 500 pesos. Some drivers will laminate a photocopy of their drivers’ licence and present only that. You are not holding this out to be an original; if questioned, explain that you are cautious and do not carry the original documents.

 

If faced with this, it is recommended and encouraged that you demand they write the ticket, obtain their name/badge number if possible, photograph them if possible, obtain the number from the police vehicle, time & date and lastly, ensure you follow up with your embassy representative.

 

17) If you do not have a laptop – buy one! It becomes your communication / entertainment / record management center. Set yourself up on a VOIP ‘phone’ system such as SKYPE. Very convenient way to ‘phone’ home for about .024 cents a minute. There are other providers so check it out ahead of time.

 

18) Know your ‘statement dates’ and ‘payment dates’ for your credit cards. You can manage your payments and banking on-line very safely and easily.