Escape the winter! Everything you need to know about traveling to Mexico right now! [Holiday, Backpacking, remote work]
UPDATE 26.02.2021:
Very good news: Playa del Carmen and the state Quintana Roo went from “red” to “yellow” again! Clubs, bars restaurants open like before! Mask obligatory in bigger shops! Almost normal life!
UPDATE 19.01.2021 pandemic situation:
Seems like numbers are coiling up again worldwide. By now you shouldn’t really care to much and just go! Remember it’s a harmless flu nothing else!
Numbers are rising and more state lockdowns are coming. In Riviera Maya, where I recommend you to start your trip it’s still normal! Nothing changed since I’ve arrived in Mexico!
UPDATE 22.11.2020
- All hurricanes past the Caribbean coast! Get ready! More and more people coming, high season about to start in Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Tulum ))
- More and more countries are opening up for tourism. Check out this post if you want to travel like a PRO in covid-19 times!
Hello Guys, welcome back!
As I’m myself in Mexico in Playa Del Carmen right now and the Australian borders are still closed and will remain closed till probably at least June 2021, I have time to focus more on other countries finally!
In this post I will show you what things you need to know when flying to Mexico in 2020 during covid-19 times! Including actual Situation on the Caribbean coast, proper travel insurances for little money which cover covid-19 , info’s about visa/flights and impressions from Mexico.
Also if you want to know more, about my region check out this post and see for exxample how much I spend per month and what you can do in Riviera Maya.
Use the table of content on the left to find what you’re looking for in a quick manner like in all my posts!
Pandemic Situation, tourism and recent weather in Mexico
As one of the few popular travel destinations Mexico together with Brasil technically never closed (fully) for tourism during all the “pandemic” in opposite to all other countries across the Atlantic ocean. But of course also Mexico had and still have much less tourism than normal due to the covid-19 restrictions and fear spread by the government and mass media.
With that said NOW it’s time to go if you want to avoid the crowd and have for example the famous maya ruins and one of the new world wonders Chichen Itza and other ruins in Tulum on the Caribbean coast for yourself!
In the state of Quintana Roo on the Carribean coast masks are obligatory in all smaller and bigger shops, but people won’t force you to wear a mask unless you go to the big shops and chains like Walmart, Soriana, 7-11 and OXXO.
The majority of the restaurants, bars and even some clubs are open these days. They just check your temperature on the entrance and offer you a disinfection gel and that’s it! No masks obligatory and you can come as close to somebody as you want! No problem at all to dance or have an conversation with somebody you don’t know. The only thing is that some bigger clubs and stores are still closed due to lack of demand. The rest is business as usual!
Furthermore high season is just about to start in December!!! By December the “raining season” will also be over + strong hurricanes past already the Caribbean coast 2 weeks ago!
For me it doesn’t matter if it’s dry or wet season because in these regions it’s raining hard but just a short period of time unless a thunderstorm or hurricane arrives of course! Usually it’s raining between 5min-1h. After that the sun is shining again! And this can happen several times a day!
Take advantage of the situation now and escape the control mania and visit Mexico!
Proper Travel insurances with covid-19 coverage!
While it’s not required to have an travel insurance to enter Mexico, of course I highly recommend to get one for your travel to Mexico! Not only because of covid-19, but also generally it’s important to have a proper travel insurance just in case!
I can recommend you World Nomads* travel insurance in case you are a US-Citizen (just cover US citizens for covid-19), which is one of the best in it’s niche if you also want to do some activities like scuba diving or hiking. Moreover I recommend Heymondo* and SavetyWing* if you want something “lighter”. The latter I use myself for long time already!
The best: These three travel insurances are made for any kind of nomads, backpackers and travelers and thus flexible, which means that you can book them anytime online! Easy!
Furthermore Heymondo and SavetyWing include covid-19 coverage for almost all countries already! World Nomads covers covid-19 if you are a US citizen.
Click here to see more info for German Citizens (automatic translation is not so good…;))
Buy this peace of mind!
You still don’t have a proper credit card for your travels?? Than I can recommend you these credit cards I actually use myself right now in Mexico! [German citizens only]
All other countries check out this post if you want more information about World Nomads and SavetyWing!
Flights
Airlines currently flying for sure to Mexico (to Mexico City and Cancun) are the Spanish low-cost airline Iberia and Lufthansa. You might change the airline once you have an stopover in Mexico with Interjet or Aero Mexico. Usually you fly over Madrid and/or Mexico City if you book Cancun as destination so don’t be surprised. There are also some direct flights from Germany with Lufthansa for example, but more expensive of course (around double price). Just check out the prices in www.skyscanner.com from your country.
Same counts if you fly in from the US, but the states are very close to Mexico anyway and it’s a popular travel destination as the majority of the tourists come from there. Depends on where you live you can even go by car if you want to visit the West Coast starting with Tijuana and heading down to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. Alternatively you can travel to Baja California Sur and visit Los Cabos 🙂
Visa on arrival and Covid-19 online form QR-code
IMPORTANT:
Make sure to always have an flight out of Mexico in case the airline stuff gonna ask you at the gate or check in. It’s also called “onward ticket”. I’ve been asked just before boarding, if I have an onward ticket out of Mexico.
Not all airlines might ask you for an onward ticket, but there’s absolutely no reason to not have one just in case! You don’t want that stress reserving a flight ticket right before boarding, once you get rejected to board! I’ve seen this happening many many already while boarding. Just buy an onward ticket out of your destination country!
There are several websites where you can “rent” a continuation flight for as low as 10$ (US) and receive it in 5 min after booking. Usually it’s valid for 48h but you can get more in case you need more! It’s totally legit! My recommendation is:
https://www.toponwardticket.com/
About Money
Unfortunately similar to Turkey, Thailand etc. just to name a few, you have to pay an intern ATM fee or bring and exchange cash if you want to avoid that.
If you want to save some bucks and rather withdraw more frequently like me, here are one of the “cheaper” banks which offer ATM service:
UPDATE: In Santander bank I would withdraw FOR FREE with my Mastercard! Avoid all Santanter ATMS at shopping malls, shops and on the street though, because there you still have fees!!
UPDATE 06.02.2021: Cannot withdraw for free anymore! I have to pay around 34 Pesos now… Life’s a bitch
Banorte: Around 44 Pesos (~2 US-Dollar)
CIBanco: Around 29 Pesos (~1.5 US-Dollar) UPDATE January 2021: They raised the fees to around 50 Pesos!
Generally speaking just try to avoid ATMS on the street and go to the banks itself! Because even in Santander ATMS standing in shops, malls you have to pay a fee!
AND: Always decline their exchange rate and any “donations”. The might ask you this two things. Just always decline! Your bank’s exchange rate is always better than their shitty rate!
Check his post to see further common scams in Mexico and other sunny destinations!
Try to avoid the rest or just exchange cash for 20 Pesos for 1 Dollar! Keep in mind that exchange- among other fees depends on your bank and credit card payment processor (Visa, MasterCard, American Express)
Impressions from Playa Del Carmen October/November 2020
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