The post Traveling to Mexico? Here is What You Should Know and Avoid appeared first on Footloose.

You have decided to go to Mexico. Great! Where are you going to? Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, or the tourist hotspots such as: Can Cun, Playa del Carmen, Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco? Wherever you go there are a couple of things you should ALWAYS keep in mind when traveling to Mexico.

First, here are some suggestions of things you should do:

One Don’t do anything stupid. It goes without saying, but chances are you are not an expert on the laws of Mexico. If you commit a crime in Mexico, unlike the U.S., you are not innocent until proved guilty. They assume you are guilty, then you pay your way out.

Two When traveling to Mexico, avoid flashing your wealth. If you can, put most of your money on your card, many places will take your card. If you must have cash, trade it into pesos as soon as you can, carrying or showing dollars make you more prone to abduction, or robbery.

Three Always know where you are going. Make a plan of your travel route. See the place you want to travel by day, and so when you travel it at night you will have some idea of where you are going. Also, make sure it’s well lit.

Four If you go to a tropical hot spot such as Can Cun, Playa or Acapulco, be on the lookout for weird situations, specially in places like clubs or bars.

Five Know emergency contacts. Find out the numbers for the police, hospitals and the like. Speak with the receptionist at the hotel about these things, they may be able to print you a list of numbers.

Six Buy a prepaid cel phone. They are very cheap and a great way to communicate with friends around town if you decide to split up. Remember communication is key, and can save your life in case somehting bad should happen.

Seven: Go in groups, the old saying “safety in numbers” is very true. You are less likely to be robbed, hurt or have anything bad happen to you if you travel in groups.

Now, here is a list of things you should avoid:

One: I mentioned not doing anything stupid. Here is what can land you in jail: public drunkeness, destroying property, breaking laws such as jay walking, making a scence, getting in a fight, getting in a fight with the locals.

Two: Carring large ammounts of cash (dollars or pesos). If you are going to be buying touristy things, make sure that you pay for them in cash, because many times you can make a deal with the merchants, specially on the beach.

Three: Dark places, very crowded clubs. Yes, it’s hard to avoid these two, specially if the club you go to is very hot. Watch out for the drinks. If you are going to get a drink at a club make sure you see the bartender open it up. Also, most bars are open bars, which means you get unlimited drinks, for this reason, if the drink looks suspicious, take it back or ask for another one, it’s no big deal.

Four: This one is funny, avoid time share dealers. In beach destinations avoid sales people who will want you to buy a time share. It’s not worth it. It sounds great, but you don’t want to get in debt when traveling to Mexico, you want to have fun.

Five: Avoid tap water. It is not like the U.S. Most tap water is non-potable. If you get water at a restaurant make sure it is bottled water. Many tourists report getting suck due to the water they have drank in Mexico.

Six: Avoid flashing jewelry, cash, high tech devices, watches, gold, silver and such.

Remember, always use common sense, don’t break the law, don’t get incredibly drunk, and keep safe while traveling to Mexico, you will enjoy the place even more. Have fun!

The post Traveling to Mexico? Here is What You Should Know and Avoid appeared first on Footloose.