Driving And Living In Mexico
"Mexico" Mike Nelson is the authority on driving, spas and living and working in Mexico. "He coaxes visitors onto roads less traveled, to spots less obvious, than the beach resorts" -- The New York Times
Driving Mexico is safe, and I am here to prove it. I drive about 4,000 miles a year throughout Mexico. I have encountered not one dangerous situation. I felt uncomfortable only twice in the past 7 years. Border crossings doubled from 2011 to 2012. Mexicans from Monterrey and Nuevo Leon are driving to the beach resorts in Tamaulipas again. Mexicans from Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas in northern Mexico are driving to McAllen and Laredo, TX to shop again. People are less afraid and more willing to drive to Mexico. I let the increased traffic speak for itself.
Want to accompany Mike on a road trip down the Gulf coast, Tabasco and a little bit of Yucatan? See details.
This is not some boring "Mexico Lite" site put up to make money with ads. "Mexico" Mike really knows and understands Mexico - good and bad. My writing about Mexico has been published since the 1980's. I put this site online in 1986. If you just want to know about cheap hotels or "best" beaches, leave now. If you want to know how to drive Mexico, to discover lesser-known Mexico, or her people, welcome. I feed my family from my knowledge. Consider that when you ask me questions you can't get answered with authority anywhere else.
Worried about the safety of driving in Mexico? Read Mexico safety comments from real tourists who drove throughout Mexico. I made a roadlog from Laredo to San Miguel de Allende to the Arco Norte to the Veracruz bypass that will get you to Colonial Mexico, Yucatan or Belize using mostly toll or 4-lane roads. See my Central Mexico route roadlog / map. Don't write me to ask if it is safe. I cover that in this site. Read.
Banjercito now requires vehicle insurance to get permits. They sell high-cost, low coverage policies at border. You get better coverage and save money by buying from a US agent for a Mexican insurance company before you go.
NEW! GPS map update. The 2013 BiciMapas GPS map has enhanced water features, more topographic detail and Central America. Price remains the same. See GPS map details here. For those of you without GPS units, I now have a store on Amazon, too. (Link on GPS page).
There is a very interesting hacienda only a few hours from McAllen, run by an old gringo and a crazy cat and a lazy dog or maybe a crazy / lazy gringo and an old cat and dog. It is Quinta Tesora de la Sierra Madre and most welcoming and relaxing place to stay and to eat. Nature walks, birding and butterflies are some of the attractions. There may even be UFO's at night.
There are two kinds of people who should not be driving to Mexico. One is irrationally terrified of the whole country, believing the fear-mongers. The other is irrationally obsessed with "the fastest route" and ignores good advice from those who know the good and the bad. They look at a Google map and think they know it all. I can help you make better decisions.
See a really cool topographic / satellite / relief map of Mexico with rivers, mountains, towns and ocean depths. Coupled with this almost as cool interactive map of Northeast Mexico (Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon) from Reynosa or Matamoros. It is the first of many.
Carjackings in the USA are estimated to be 49,000 a year. So why do people freak out about the handful in Mexico that involve tourists?
If you are afraid of danger on the highways, do not come to Texas. The San Antonio, TX newspaper, The Express-News reported: From 2007 to 2011, police throughout Texas cited road rage as a contributing factor in more than 4,400 crashes that injured more than 1,950 people and killed 32.
Review and compare Mexican auto insurance companies and choose the Mexico car, RV, motorcycle insurance for your drive to Mexico. Get your maps and roadlogs here, or click, 'My Store' on the menu.
Mexican area codes, Mexican states and capitols and a self-guided driving (RV or car) trip planner (roadlogs) are on these pages. Mexican gas and diesel prices are here.
"Mexico" Mike has written articles and 15 books about living in Mexico and guidebooks for drivers There are 200+ pages about: driving tips, road logs and driving directions in Mexico, maps of Mexico, tips on moving to, doing business and living in Mexico. Travel sections feature Mexico driving destinations, hot springs. Mike has driven Mexico for 40 years, lived and worked in Mexico. He shares his understanding of the good, bad and inexplicable. Peruse y Disfrute! Visit my store for driving maps, road logs, trip-planning and consulting services. Click "Insurance" above for Mexican auto insurance quotes.
Since 1968, Mexico Mike has been driving all of Mexico. To really enjoy your trip to Mexico, drive. Mike's maps and road logs of Mexico will help you appreciate your Mexican road trip better. My road logs and maps cover most of Mexico, including Mexico's Gulf Coast, a map of Yucatan Peninsula.
Central America sites. Spanish language immersion school in Puebla.
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