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
Concerned about the safety of driving in Mexico? Read Mexico safety comments (and road conditions) from real tourists who drove throughout Mexico and wrote me back.
Driving map from Laredo to Saltillo now available. I updated the Nuevo Laredo bridge crossings for 2012. Take Bridge 2, Bridge 1 no longer best option. I think the Columbia crossing is a waste of time since Bridge 2 is so much easier than it used to be. Have a map and road log through Nuevo Laredo.
Hotel / RV Park Escondida at the northern entrance to Cd. Victoria is closed until further notice. If you have one of my old road log maps touting it, alas, things change. New ones from Jan 14, 2012 no longer have it.
U.S.-style homeowner's insurance is now sold for your condo or house in Mexico. This is huge news to property owner's in Mexico. See homeowner's insurance in Mexico details here.
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.
Safety statistics updated and revised. Newly (Nov. 2011) added RV Permit (TIP) clarification. New GPS Map from BiciMapas introduced. It rocks and then some. 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? Why are websites quoting one incident a year old and condemning travel through Tamaulipas?
Mike and Bill safely drove from the border to Oaxaca, up to Guadalajara and Mike drove back to my home on the border again. In 3,400 miles, we once again proved that Mexico is safe for tourists. Follow my blog for the highlights. I don't blog much when not traveling. We drove from the Tamaulipas border, which is supposedly unsafe, to Veracruz state, which is supposedly unsafe and so on. Gee, you think sensationalism could be getting out-of-hand? Where you, as a tourist, are going to go is not where drug violence is happening. Please be fair to yourself and Mexico and come on down. To be fair to the naysayers, I agree that there are some specific areas one should avoid, but not whole states. Thus my trip-planning service will guide you where to go and where to avoid (he said shamelessly plugging his services).
Canadian and US citizens need passports to drive to the interior of Mexico. Review and compare Mexican auto insurance companies and choose the Mexico car, RV, motorcycle insurance for your drive to Mexico. I have a new shopping cart to buy maps and road logs, but the links on many pages are old, so please get your maps and roadlogs from here. Or just click, 'My Store' on the menu.
A really, really great hotel in Zihuatanejo, Gro. is Las Azucenas Suite Hotel. See my review of them - then go! But make a reservation, as even in this down tourism market, they fill up.
Driving Mexico is safe, and I am here right now to prove it. In 2010, I drove 5,000 miles, spent 5 weeks driving Mexico's 3 coasts, plus Chiapas & Oaxaca. There was not one dangerous situation. In 2011, I drove 3,400 miles with no problems. So if you are afraid to visit Mexico, please See blog to follow adventures and gather reassurance. 2012 will be a banner year for driving Mexico.
Medical tourism to Mexico is my mission. I work with general hospitals and with cosmetic surgeons in Guadalajara. Cosmetic and other surgery in Mexico is world-class. Medical care is more personal and costs much less in Mexico. Surgery or dentistry in Mexico will cost one-third of USA prices.
If you are headed to Pto. Penasco (Rocky Point) or Sonora or Sinaloa in general, my friends at SeaSideMexico can get you a good deal on a condo rental. If you own property in Rocky Point, Sonora or Sinaloa, he can rent your condo for you.
"Mexico" Mike's newest book, Modern Mexico Through the Eyes of Modern Mexicans is a social history where average Mexicans tell what their lives are like, how they live, take care of the elderly, their children and family values.
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 Mexican medical care, 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.
This is not some boring, site put up to make money with ads. "Mexico" Mike really knows and understands Mexico - good and bad. If you just want to know about cheap hotels or "best" beaches, leave now. If you want to discover lesser-known Mexico, especially driving destinations, welcome. I feed my family from my knowledge. Consider that when you ask me questions you can't get answered with authority anywhere else.
Central America sites. Spanish language immersion school in Puebla.
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