Winter Road Trip
 

Hey folks.. anyone from the MN,IA,SD,ND,NE,WI area interested in doing a road trip with a fellow FT member to escape from the frozen northland a couple weeks? :) I'm thinking a couple weeks or so end of dec. into jan. over new yrs.. My plan is to drive down to Cancun Mexico and back, I already have a route planned out and have done lot of reading on the matter of driving in Mexico. I've also known and met some people from MN who are Snowbirds down in Cancun area who've driven down to Cancun every year since like the late 70's. I'm not planning on staying exactly in Cancun however. My plan is to stay on Isla Mujeres, where i've stayed twice before, but have flown down. This time I want to drive down, just looking for someone to share the costs with and some company to enjoy the beautiful scenery down to Mexico. Anyone with serious interest, please drop me a line and we can discuss particulars. I can give all the details.



The plan is to break the trip up into several stops overnight to get down there.. i was thinking stop first night in Oklahoma city.. next night.... mc allen/pharr,tx.. next night... tampico, mexico. next night villahermosa, mexico.. then finally cancun/isla mujeres (must take a car ferry to the island :)

Unless you are very knowledgeable about driving in Mexico and its trouble spots, I doubt you will get too much interest on this. IMO, far better to fly into CUN (from the perspective of someone who is both of the above, having driven in most of Mexico since the 1960s).

By the time you pay for everything, including insurance for your trip (you will need auto insurance in Mexico - your US / Canada / anywhere else insurance will be useless in Mexico, particularly as your insurance company in Mexico is your bailor and buffer with the authorities if you are in an accident, etc.), accommodations (you certainly do not want to be driving anywhere at night in Mexico), etc. you will likely find it cheaper and less stressful to fly.

If you insist on driving, I would still check the Mexico Forum, and other BBS about driving in Mexico (not to mention the US Department of State website), such as "Mexico" Mike Nelson's site .

I've already done my research.. and ive known people whove driven to mexico for years.. that route is the same route they take every year driving down there. and its a very safe route.

To put it bluntly, what utter bull excrement.

Driving down years ago is no indication that it is safe to do so today.

Canadians are warned: "Avoid non-essential travel to the border areas. Avoid travel by land to or through northern border states. Travellers are advised against crossing Mexico’s northern border by land and should do so only if it is absolutely necessary, after making appropriate arrangements to ensure their personal safety."

In addition, your quoted route down to Cancun goes through Tamaulipas state where you are suggesting an overnight in Tampico! Both the US and Canada caution "against all non essential travel" to this area, and specifically mention things like heavily armed gangs, illegal road blocks and kidnappings.

State departments don't make decisions lightly, and you would be incredibly foolish to ignore their advice.

The people i know just drove down there again this year and the past 20 years every year they said they never had any troubles ever

I'm in San Antonio, Texas... there is no way I would consider
driving into Mexico given the drug problems down there and the
stories I have heard from my Mexican friends.

Safer bet is a direct flight into your vacation location and keeping
your wits about you while there.

Putting aside the safety issue, why would you want to do a road trip in winter? Driving that long, there's almost a guarantee you'll hit a winter storm either coming or going or both along the way before you hit mid/south TX.

+1. Typically the resorts/touristy areas are fairly safe.

suggest moving this post to the Community Buzz forum www.flyertalk.com/forum/communitybuzz-380

I've done road trips in the past in the winter and never had a problem. I did a Minnesota-California road trip over Christmas/New Yrs of 2009/2010 with a friend of mine from Germany,, all went well. Also, thats when I am usually the least busiest and have the most time available to go somewhere, and I like to escape the cold for a few weeks :P

Please reconsider your approach to this vacation. Not worth the risk, just fly.

Taking such kinds of risks is an adventure which I do on weekdays. It becomes more interesting in winter as I becomes dark soon and you've to stay inside. My next trip is planned to Sam's Town RV Resort in Las Vegas.

I've got a few friends who spent time in Kabul and weren't shot or kidnapped. Doesn't mean that I would assume I would be ok to take a road trip through there. It is plain stupid to ignore US / UK / Canadian (and other reputable foreign office guidance) advice to avoid ALL non-essential travel, because 'you had some friends who did it and were ok'. Aside from ANYTHING else, YOU have no experience. \

Do you think driving through a war zone is a good idea? Because most SOLDIERS I know would rather not if they can avoid it! Because that part of Mexico is described as indeed that, albeit the war being over drugs and territory rather than politics etc.

Huh?
 

No one has noticed that this is a Northern hemisphere trip to occur in a week (June) but is called a winter road trip.

Yokes on the responders, me thinketh?

No, we just know how to read.