Think about contracting travel insurance, planning
a budget, consulting the weather forecast and getting maps.
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 Insurance
It is recommended that you obtain a travel-insurance
policy. It will cover you in case of cancellation of the trip, lost
or robbed luggage, medical fees and eventually an emergency flight
home. Check the detail of your policy with your insurance company.
You could have some surprises ! Check also with your car or home
insurance about an eventual travel extension of the policy. Some
air companies and travel agencies provide insurance packages when
you buy your tickets. Same possibility with your credit card.
Double-check all your coverage :
The medical fees for minor problems are cheap in Mexico
but it could be really expensive for a serious problem, especially
if you need a medical evacuation. You need to remember that your
usual coverage might not cover you abroad.
We advise you to write down all the insurance information and keep
it a part from your other documents.
Some helpful sites :
www.aaa.com
www.Insuremytrip.com
(The travel Insurance Comparison Site)
Budget
 Mexico
is a cheap country in spite of inflation. There is a multiple choice
of places to stay : choice of comfort as well as financial choice.
There is something for everyone : You need to add some fees to the
prices : 2% IVA (Valor Agregado) taxes and 15-16% hotel
taxes (10% in Cancun)
and also 15% over every restaurant, shop and excursion bills. You
could ask if this tax is included or not (Es incluido el impuesto?).
Go log onto the web site www.xe.com
to find the exchange rate. Think about 200 to 700 mxn $ for a room
for 2. Prices are 30-50% higher during vacations and holidays. Book
ahead !
In autobus, the average price to ride 100 km is 70 mxn$ in second
class (segunda), 100 mxn$ en first class (primera)
and 120 mxn$ en deluxe class (deluxe). The second-class autobuses
stop whenever you ask and are slower but useful if you want to visit
some remote villages or sites. The first class autobuses are very
efficient, fast and comfortable. Because of the computerization
more than 2 billion annual trips are done throughout the country.
There are so many departures that you could go the bus station (terminal)
just before the departure time except during the holidays when it
is better to make a reservation ahead.
Car rentals : It is quite expensive
: about 700 to 850 mxn $/day with insurance. Check the policy. It
is highly recommended to take the full coverage insurance in order
not to have trouble. Any way, many rental car companies will make
you take the full coverage. Unleaded gas price: about 8,3 mxn $/liter
(april 2010).
About the restaurants, you could count on a meal
between 80 mxn $ (standard restaurant) and 250 mxn $ (upgrade restaurant)
with extra 10-15% for tip. In some areas and depending on the time
of the year, the prices could rise.
Maps
You’ll find free cities and regional maps
in tourist centers, or you can buy them in specific bookstores and
newspaper stands in Mexico. The INEGI (Instituto
nacional de estadística geográfica e informática)
is located :
Centro de Consulta y Comercialización Aeropuerto - Local
C11 - Col. Peñón de los Baños, CP 15621
(55) 5786-0212 - 7days/7days - 8AM-8PM
Biblioteca Gilberto Loyo - Balderas # 71 - Centro CP 06040 -
(55) 5130-7900 Ext 7502 y 7503 ext. 7502 - 7503
Fax: 7504 - Monday to Friday - 9AM-4PM -
www.inegi.org.mx.
The INEGI gets an information center in each state; log on to 
to know more.
For the owners of the AAA card, you could obtain free maps at the
“Association Mexicana Automobilista de Mexico" office
located on Avenue Chaputelpec
(Metro Insurgentes), Avenida Orizaba #7, in Mexico
City,
(55) 52 42 02 22.
There are six other offices in the country (Cuernavaca,
Puebla, Querétaro,
Tampico, Tijuana and Veracruz). The AMA or AAA card gives you discounts
for some activities (visit of parks, etc...).
For free telephone information outside Mexico
City :
01 800 911 0262 for sales and
01 800 010 7100 for assistance, and
for Mexico City 5242 0222 for sales
and
for Mexico City 5242 0262, Monday-Friday
from 9AM to 8PM.
In your country, you could find maps in bookstores specialized
in travel.
You could purchase maps in the following web sites :
Calculate the distances between the main cities
:
Climate
 It
is possible to travel to Mexico at any time of
the year. There is always a place where it is nice. The average
temperature is 18°C above 2000 mètres (Mexico),
24°C under this altitude, 25-30°C on the Coasts, in the
Northern part, cold winter (10°C) and hot summer (30°C).
If you were looking for beaches and sun, you wouldn’t go to
the Sierra Tarahumara
and Baja California between December and February.
Rains are unevenly distributed. There is a lot of rain along Mexican
Golf, with an average of more than 1000mm/year. Between 300 and
600 mm in the Northern States and between 600 and 1000 mm in the
most populated areas from the Southern High Southern Plateau (Guadalajara
and Mexico). Don’t forget that
the hurricane time is from August to October in Mexican Golf and
Yucatán. Mexican Golf and
Yucatán are more exposed
than the Pacific Coast.
In general there are two seasons : the rainy season from June to
October (often it is only late afternoon showers that last about
half an hour and make the sky and nature more beautiful) and the
dry season from November to May.
Bring light and comfortable clothes for tropical climates along
with a sweater because of the eventual chilly evenings in high elevation
(more than 50% of the land is over 1500 m). Comfortable walking
shoes are necessary for hiking, visiting archeological sites and
walking the cobblestone streets.
Go
log on to the Geography chapter
for more details
Consult the sites :
or
Meteo of Holbox and Cozumel Islands :
V.A.T.
Since June 2008, the Valued Added Tax (VAT) will be reimbursed in
the airports of Mexico,
Cancun, Guadalajara,
Los Cabos and Puerto
Vallarta.
It will apply to those foreign tourists who can prove that they
made a minimum purchase of 1,200 pesos (about US$118), including
the VAT, in Mexico and that they are returning
to their country by air or sea.
 Subsequently,
this reimbursement will also be available in the airports of Monterrey,
Cozumel,
El Bajio, Mazatlán and
Morelia and later,
it will be available in the other airports of the country as well
as the seaports.
In order to make the visit to Mexico more attractive
and to make it the ideal destination for international tourists,
the Tax authority (SAT) granted concessions to three companies
to administer the reimbursement of VAT.
The VAT (IVA) will be reimbursed to the foreign tourists that
can show a minimum purchase of 1200 pesos (about US$100) including
this tax and are going back to their country by air or sea. Note
that this reimbursement doesn’t apply to services like hotel
rooms and food like in every other country where this measure
is applied.
The foreign tourists need to pay for their purchases by credit
card or by cash if less than 3000 MXN$ (about US$250). The purchases
need to be made in stores or businesses affiliated with a concessionaire
chosen by the SAT. To be reimbursed, the tourist can choose to
get 50% of the total by cash as soon as the amount is under
10000 pesos (about US$850) and the balance will be sent electronically
within 40 days. Foreign visitors need to go to the tax reimbursement
booth with proof of their purchases given by the store, a reimbursement
request form and a bank statement if necessary.
0% VAT for International Congresses, Conventions, Fairs and Exhibitions
It is the possibility to calculate 0% VAT for
international congresses, conventions, fairs and exhibitions when
these are carried out by foreign meeting planners.This means that
those events organized by foreign companies shall not be imposed
the VAT corresponding to the services specified in the Miscellaneous
Tax Provisions Act. The Miscellaneous Tax Provisions Act published
on May 30, 2005 increases the supplementary services, among which,
the most representative is the inclusion of meals and beverages
provided on a group basis to attendants at the involved congress
or convention.The denominated “Incentive trips” granted
as performance award to some persons or due to any other reason,
independently from the denomination or name designated thereto
are not yet comprised in the items of this rule.
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