David Simmonds

You’ve probably noticed that air fares aren’t getting any cheaper at a time when you don’t have as much travel money to spend as you did a couple of years ago. But there are still some good deals out there, and your travel agent will know how to find them.

Another good option, if you have the time and are leaving from a town not too far from the border, is to drive. Gas prices are under $2.00 a gallon here in the US and around $2.30 in Mexico. The thousands of miles of 4-lane toll roads (cuota) Mexico has built connecting most of the major cities means you can easily travel over a 1,000 miles in a couple of days, which can land you in Mazatlan from SoCal or in the Yucatan from Dallas in under 48 hours. The benefits of seeing the countryside and sliding into your Mexico attitude at a proper pace are immeasurable. The toll fares aren’t really cheap, but if you have 2 or 3 people aboard the per-head damage isn’t too bad.

Of course, you’ll need Mexican auto insurance. You don’t want to drive in Mexico without it.There are many options to check with for pricing and this web site will quote up to eight different rates from competing insurance companies. I did this and found 30-day policies ranging from $226 – $331 for a SUV a few years old on this site http://www.mexbound.com . The one year policies were $273 – $472. But the best rate I found was at Costco.com, if you are a Costco member. Here the 30-day charge was $163 and a year policy was just $213. This covers your car and $100,000 in liability.

So give driving to Mexico some consideration. I have personally driven over 30,000 miles in Mexico, mostly on the older free roads. The toll roads aren’t crowded (many Mexicans can’t afford them), they are well-maintained and safe, and you’ll see some amazing country.