Mexico City is one of my favorite capitals in Latin America an intoxicating, passionate, and culturally rich place with (still) a largely misunderstood reputation.
In this Mexico City travel guide for first-timers, you will have 21 Safety Tips For Traveling To Mexico, I tried to share all the must-visits and essential travel tips to make your stay the best it can be! Mexico’s capital, CDMX, can be overwhelming regarding the sheer number of things to do, but I’ll help you check out the best stuff even if you have limited time available.
21 Safety Tips For Traveling To Mexico
1. Credit Card vs. Cash
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In a lot of places you can use credit cards especially the bigger chains like malls and big restaurants, you can use credit cards for the most part but it is very necessary to have pesos on hand as well, why because if you’re going to be taking a taxi if you’re going to be eating at a taco stand small places small restaurants often times don’t accept card because it charges them huge fees, it is good to have pesos on hand, So you should use pesos or US dollars if you’re an American Citizen, now oftentimes in tourist towns you can get away with using us dollars but I wouldn’t recommend it by any means.
PAY USING MEXICAN PESOS, NOT US DOLLARS
Because every restaurant souvenir shop gets to dictate their exchange rate.
2. Don’t carry excessive amounts of cash
You can see many military checkpoints, unofficial roadblocks, police stops, and uncommon things on the road in Mexico. if you get stopped you are likely to be checked, so do not carry a lot of cash to avoid the trouble, they may ask a lot of questions from you or want some money from you, so only carry a few hundred dollars in your wallet and keep the rest of your money out of sight.
If you want to explore Summer destinations please check out our recommendations: Top 12 Underrated Summer Travel Ideas In USA
3. Tipping Etiquette
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Tipping is customary in restaurants, with the standard being 10-15%. we tip way more than we need to, let me tell you, you do not need a tip in a taxi, or at a street food stand.
A 10-15% TIP IS STANDARD in MOST PLACES, don’t feel bad about not tipping 20, it’s not normal, it’s way too much, so don’t feel bad. Of course, if you can afford to tip somebody who does an amazing job a little more I’m sure that would make their day, but it’s by no means necessary.
4. Avoid ATMs on Paydays
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AVOID ATMS ON THE 15TH AND 30TH OF THE MONTH
The 15th and the 30th of the month are the paydays in Mexico, and it’s a disaster there’ll be lines you have to wait like 30 minutes you might not even be able to get your money out because they’ll run out of money, best to go any other day.
And remember one thing always hit a decline on the conversion rate, DECLINE CONVERSION RATE AT THE ATM, when you go to the ATM you’ll know, and you’ll select the amount of money that you want to take out.
You’ll see that there’s a fee for using the ATM that’s all normal then you’ll get to a page that says the conversion rate that they’re offering and you can hit accept or decline, always hit decline because guess what that rate is awful it’s whatever the ATM’s bank rate is that they’re offering. and usually, they’re trying to make a quick buck from you, it is much better to hit decline because it’ll use your home bank’s conversion rate which is so much better.
5. Order Taxis from Designated Stations or Use Uber
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ORDER TAXIS AT TAXI STATIONS (OR USE UBER)
If you’re going to be ordering a taxi try not to hail it off the street it’s a little bit less reliable than you never really know what you’re going to get and often in most cities there’s some sort of union of taxis that are safe and reliable.
Most of the time in public areas at airports there’ll be a taxi stand you can go to they’ll get the taxi for you and they will standardize the rate for you.
In Mexico, I prefer Uber because sometimes I’m going to an area that I’ve never been to before I don’t even know how to describe how to get there so setting that in the map on Uber just saves a huge headache it’s pretty cheap too, you can get a ride for like two dollars across town sometimes, so i prefer using Uber.
6. Negotiate your taxi fair before the ride
To avoid being overcharged try to Negotiate your taxi fare before the ride, in this way, you will not be overcharged or taking the long way.
Always try to get an authorized taxi vehicle, it is better to to have your resort call a local business on your behalf to request rides.
7. Tips to use Bathroom
You’re going to notice a lot of the bathrooms have a letter either “H” or “M”.
So look for “M” for Mujeres (women) and “H” for Hombres (men) when using public restrooms.
PREPARE TO PAY TO USE PUBLIC BATHROOMS
That’s very helpful also it’s typical in public places that you will have to pay to enter the bathroom it’s usually just a couple of pesos so it’s good to have some coins on hand most of the time the bathrooms are very well maintained if they cost money they’ll be somebody who will hand you some toilet paper when you enter, but it is also good to just carry around some kleenex in case they don’t have any toilet paper.
8. Keep Immigration Card
DON’T THROW AWAY YOUR IMMIGRATION CARD!
If you are traveling on a tourist visa make sure you keep the immigration card that they give you, they’re going to slip it into your passport it’s a small piece of paper about the size of your passport.
You need to hold on to that because they’re going to collect it from you when you leave the country otherwise you’re going to have to pay a fee, they don’t tell you this when you go through immigration so make sure you hold on to that piece of paper.
9. Take your license out, not your passport
Always keep your license instead of your passport when you go out especially when exploring the nightlife in Mexico, because it will not be easy for you to return home if you lose your passport, but your ID can easily be replaced once you return home.
10. Be selective with street vendors
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Always be selective in your food choice, especially with street vendors, and avoid street food or from the open-air market.
11. Don’t be afraid of the Ice, and Fresh Vegetables
You don’t need to worry, ice here is filtered, so enjoy your cold drink, as far as washing vegetables most of the time they use disinfectant drops to make sure that vegetables are completely clean so you don’t need to skip out on a salad either.
12. Greet Servers and Use Polite Phrases
Make sure that you greet anybody who is serving you
you should greet your server for example saying “Buenos Dias” which is a good morning, and “Buenos Aires” which is a good afternoon, make sure you say please and thank you Gracias and they’re going to respect you a lot more, it’s kind of rude to just start by ordering so make sure you’re being polite.
13. Access to Medical Services
Getting medical services and being diagnosed by a doctor is extremely easy, so if you’re sick nothing to fear, one unique thing about Mexico is that the pharmacies here have an on-site doctor available whom you can have a consultation with, in particular, Pharmacia similares has a doctor on-site most of the time, where you can just walk in for a consultation, it’s usually cheap maybe like 20 US dollars, Doctors appointments, hospital visits aren’t as expensive.
14. Use Mosquito repellent
Use Mosquito repellent throughout your stay in Mexico, because Mosquito-borne illness is still prevalent in Mexico, including Zika and Dengue fever.
You can even use mosquito-repelling wristbands, they are wearable easy to use, and safe for kids, They are mostly reusable and water-resistant.
15. Bartering at Markets
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You should learn to barter and have fun with it don’t be afraid a lot of the local
vendors love it when you try and barter and have fun with it, when it comes to bartering in Mexico at the little souvenir markets if you have a particular item that you’re shopping for I recommend getting a couple of price points first before you start bartering on the actual item.
When you start your bartering process they will quote you a price I recommend returning with a price at about a quarter or 30 percent of what they originally offered, that way you can negotiate back and forth and if you get somewhere about 50 of what they originally quoted you you know you got a pretty good deal, and remember they won’t sell you anything if they can’t make money off of it, so don’t feel bad for bartering it’s fun and they love it too.
16. Hydration Tips
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One of my most important travel tips for Mexico is staying hydrated, you can’t drink the water from the taps here you’ll always be buying bottled water it’s very cheap but if you’re not used to the heat or the humidity make sure that you stay hydrated.
So always buy bottled water there are oxos at every corner this is their 7-eleven however, I do recommend that you look out for electrolytes, you probably know them as Pedialyte, we prefer drinking the electrolytes just because they have very little sugar in it.
17. Bring hand sanitizer
Always keep a compact hand sanitizer with you, and be sure to wash your hands more often, especially before you eat something.
18. Buy a Local SIM Card
You should buy a local SIM card for your phone so if you don’t want to pay the roaming fees for your carrier at home you can buy a cheap SIM card in Mexico at any of the oxos, so look for the tell cell sim cards, you can buy cards anywhere from one to six gigs of data and that also includes calling and texting they activate it for you at the store so you can buy three gigs of data for 200 pesos that are valid for 30 days and it’s super convenient, the wi-fi isn’t going to always be reliable especially when you’re off the resort or out of a restaurant and you want to look something up on Google Maps you will always have internet it’s fast and reliable.
19. Be aware of major Mexican holidays
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Cities will be busiest and highest in crime in Mexican holidays, some major holidays when you should avoid visiting Mexico are:
- Independence Day (September 15/16th)
- Semana Santa (7 days leading up to Easter)
- Cinco de Mayo (May 5th)
- The Day of the Dead (November 1st and 2nd)
- Christmas (December 24/25th).
20. Secure your valuables with luggage locks
Don’t forget to Secure your valuables with luggage locks all the time during your stay in Mexico, especially when you go out from your hotel or resort be sure to lock all your luggage and check everything when you get back to the hotel.
21. Don’t keep valuables in your pocket
Make sure that you don’t keep all your valuables in your pocket or wallet, you can use a neck wallet instead that is much safer than the usual wallet you carry in your pants back pocket.
Final Thoughts
These travel tips for visiting Mexico are valuable, that can enhance your experience when you travel to Mexico. By prioritizing cash payments in pesos, understanding local customs like bartering, and staying hydrated, you can navigate Mexico with confidence.
From managing finances to communication and cultural etiquette, these tips give you value to make the most of your time in this diverse country. Whether it’s your first visit or you’re a seasoned traveler, these tips will help you enjoy all that Mexico has to offer while staying prepared and respectful of the local culture.