New to Mexico vacations? Here’s What You Need to Know

Hello traveler, if this is the first time you're on a trip to México and don't know what to expect, don't worry, with this simple guide you will be thoroughly prepared at the time you land in this mysterious and enchanting country.

Language

The official language is Spanish, and that's what you will hear most of the time, although in Mexico there are 364 indigenous spoken languages. And depending on the zone of the country you are likely to notice different accents.

Nevertheless, don't worry, as in the main tourist destinations, close to 50 % of the people speak English, and some occasions they are trilingual, speaking French or Portuguese, so communication won't be a problem there.

We also recommend you to learn some words while you're visiting, some of the most helpful, wherever you go, are numbers 1 thru 10, the words: YES, NO, Where, Food, Good morning and Thank you, I can guarantee you this will take you a long way.

Food

One of the strong characteristics of our culture, without a doubt, is the gastronomy, as its one of the vastest in the world. A lot of dishes are artisan made and with unique ingredients. Definitely, you cannot visit Mexico, without trying the delight of its food.

The three main ingredients are Corn, Beans, and peppers, in their different presentations and combinations, with many other ingredients as the imagination can allow you.

Each state has different dishes and traditional drinks, make sure you ask which ones are the main ones at the place you visit, and don't leave without trying them. Just beware with the amount of hot pepper they have, as it could be very spicy, ask your waiter how hot is the food.

Another thing you won't want to miss is to visit a Farmer's market, they are places where you can find all sorts of traditional food, and candies, also some local gifts to bring back home, at a fair price.

The Kindness of its people

The culture and good manners are something that characterizes us the Mexicans, very warm and open to having a pleasant conversation, and also a drink with you, don't be strange if after a while they start calling you compadre (comadre)

Mexican people are very apprehensive, and they have 4 ways of saying hello: the traditional handshake, The kiss in the cheek, a wave at you from the other side of the street, and the kiss on the right cheek and hug, this is proportional to the level of confidence you have with the person.

Drinking water

The tap water, is drinkable, however, because each body is different and the PH changes from country to country, we recommend for you to drink bottled water, with the whole purpose to avoid any tummy ache, during your vacations.

Electric outlets, in Mexico the standard American power outlets are used, even tho, sometimes there is an extra entry in the outlet for the land connection, the voltage is 120 Volts 60 Hz, our hotels have also been changing the outlets to include USB ports(to be able to charge personal electronic devices )

How to go from one place to another

Like every place you visit there are different ways to move from one place to another, and when you stay at the hotel, you can always rent a car, either when you land by plane, or directly with one of the rental car desks inside the hotel, is most convenient when traveling with the whole family.

If you are the adventurous type, and want to explore, depending on the city the public bus system, can be a good choice, its extremely cheap and you have direct contact with the locals, unless you're in Cancun and traveling only in the hotel zone, there 80 % are tourists on the busses.

For long distance trips, to get to know nearby places, the Bus, is very convenient and comfy, and with the necessary services, like plush seats, AC, and WIFI.

Weather and diverse surroundings

When traveling to Mexico, in the same destination, or nearby places, you can find a whole variety of landscapés, such as Beach, rainforest, desert, mountains, and mangroves, research the zone, to which you want to travel, and verify what available things you can explore.

Weather, the temperature on Cancun is warm, most part of the year, with the exception of the so-called Hurricane season, that is most noticeable because of the Tropical storms and rain, in the winter time, the temperature drops a couple of degrees down, beginning the night, but comes back to normal during daytime, thanks to the Sun. Remember the summer months are sweltering and humid that'd translate to sweating a lot.

At Los Cabos, because it's a destination, very close to a desert, the temperature drops a lot during the winter time, so make sure you bring a light sweater if you're traveling between November and March, here you live summer differently because of the same desertic weather , the heat is dry, and burns, so we recommend you always bring sunblock with you.

Culture and History

México, has a diverse cultural background, throughout history, and some of the remnants still survive in several locations of the country.

You might have heard of the following cultures: Mayan, Aztecs, Zapoteca, Toltecs Olmecs, purépechas, chichimecas, tlaxcalteca, huasteca, and Totonac, if, it's difficult for me to pronounce them and remember, I can imagine your pain.

The most important and better preserved archeological sites you can see in méxico are Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, Tajin, Monte Alban & Palenque, most of them in the heart of the country.

Like we mentioned before, we have a significant diversity of food and people, depending on the region, this is something that exists worldwide.

Currency

The local currency is the Mexican peso, and in the primary tourist cities, they accept American dollars ( verify exchange rates ) it's always convenient to know what's the conversion rate, and always bring local money, it can be useful to pay for bus rides, tips or to purchase a local gift, not everywhere they accept credit or debit cards.

Tips, like everywhere else, are optional, the average tip is 13 % or more, depends on the quality of service, as I mentioned before, not all places have ATMs or swipe cards, that's why, is always better to ask your waiter before, or carry extra cash that can cover the bill.

Now if you travel to one of our hotels, the tips are already included, only if you consider giving out an extra tip to someone, then the option is doing it with cash.

There are exchange rate booths and banks where you can make the conversions to pesos, nowadays a few hotels offer this service, so be advised.

Want a pleasant trip, without troubles? Avoid doing the following :

Don't bring jewelry, like rings, pearls, or diamond earrings, first of all, you will avoid losing them, and on the other hand, you will prevent thieves trying to steal them ( like in every place of the world )

Avoid using clothing, that in its design contains religious images, Usar prints of your flags country, or offensive messages, avoid having a confrontation, with someone who does not agree with the message.

Don't Scream or demand, be moderate, nobody likes people shouting trying to communicate, like giving orders, be kind, and people will respond the same way.

Do not assume everyone, has to speak the language you do, remember, you're a visitor here, and this is their home country, even tho, more and more people talk English, Spanish is the second spoken language in the world, only behind mandarin.

Visit our lovely country, with an open mind, and enough memory space on your camera, so you can treasure all the great memories of your trip. Fell in love with the culture and architecture that we have, and most of all, enjoy the experience of traveling.

Now that you know, when will you visit us in México?