-
Road trip in Mexico #3: Tulum, Playa del Carmen & the Cenotes
In order to enjoy Tulum and the cenotes in the area without wasting too much time in transportation, we decided, exceptionally, to rent a car for 2 days. I’ve told you in more detail about the points to pay attention to when renting in Mexico here (insurance, corruption etc.). We were warned about the ultra touristic side of Tulum, Playa del Carmen and Cancun and the presence of algae so we basically have very little waiting for these destinations. Note: this article is part of the series of articles for our roadtrip in Mexico. You can access the 1st part here and the 2nd part here Part 1: Travel Diary…
-
[Travel Guide] Car Rental in Mexico: Insurance, Scam, Credit Card
I have read a lot of conflicting information about car rental in Mexico. Today, I will make you a small, easy to understand guide to avoid the most common pitfalls. Thank you Karen and Karl, who spent a vacation in Mexico this summer, for helping me write this guide, we then supplemented it with our own experience. To make it easier to understand, this guide will be in the form of FAQs. I hope I have brought you the necessary information. Follow our adventure in Mexico & read our different guides about Mexico here Road trip in Mexico #1 : Chichen Itza, Cenote Ik Kil, Valladolid, Cenote Zaci, Ek Balam,…
-
Road trip in Mexico #2: Cobá, Mayan Ruins & View from the top of its pyramid Nohoch Mul
If it is no longer possible to climb the Great Pyramid of Chichen Itza, be aware that many high and challenging pyramids are still open to tourists, especially the one in Cobá (located between Valladolid and Tulum). It’s while viewing the photos & videos taken from the drone by an instagrammer that I tagged Cobá in my list of ruins to visit in Mexico. And unfortunately, Instagram isn’t always the best place to plan your trip🙂 Here is the post that made me dream… There are two ruins in the middle of the jungle easily accessible from Valladolid: Cobá and Ek Balam. I hesitated a lot between the two, but…
-
Road trip in Mexico #1: Chichen Itza, Ik Kil, Valladolid, Ek Balam, Cenote X’canche
This year, we chose Mexico to spend our Christmas vacations: 17 days of roadtrip by public transport (bus, colectivo). OK, there is a smallcar rental for 2 days and some cabs, but we had a lot of fun. If you followed the adventure on our Facebook and Instagram page, here is the blog version. Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Day 0 We fly from San Salvador to Merida (Mexico), with a stopover in CDMX (Mexico City). I strongly advise you, if you take the same flight, to pay for a seat near the window on the right side, because I could see all the…
- America, Around the world, Country Guides, During the World Tour, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, TDM, Tips
Border crossing in Central America – Entry fee, Exit ticket: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama
Here is a summary of the entry and exit fees for Central American countries. These countries like to use the US dollar very much. Some of them use ONLY US dollars, so plan on using dollars before coming here (or get some from distributors who also offer dollars). Some countries require proof of exit from the territory (Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama), it is better to think about it in advance. A bus ticket will suffice. Mexico Entry: When you enter Mexico, you will be asked for your proof of exit. You can simply buy a bus ticket on the ADO website (e.g. to Guatemala) and exchange it afterwards. You can…
-
[story time] Becoming a Host Family for a Cat Association, my return from experience
Christmas is approaching and this is the period when associations receive the most requests for adoption… to give a cat or a dog as a gift. Every day, I see on my Facebook “such and such an association no longer accepts adoption requests before Christmas. Animals aren’t objects. Do not offer animals for Christmas etc.” Having been part of a cat rescue association for more than 3 years, I totally agree with this speech. You don’t give away an animal. We adopt it! I will reveal to you behind the scenes and tell you about my own experience as a foster family for a cat protection association. Well, if you…
-
Total transport budget Round the world 2017 – 2020 – 29 countries crossed in 3 years
For the 1st round-the-world trip, I have listed all the transportation costs between cities/countries of the 21 countries here.For this 2nd round, I will do the same thing. I hope that it will help you to organize our trip and/or estimate your transportation budget as accurately as possible. You will see below some actual costs The estimated cost is 6000€/person to cross 29 countries, at a cruising pace (1 month/country minimum, and little travel within each country because we have to work instead of being unemployed as before). Here is the final list of countriesUpdate: March 2020 Poland – Czech Republic – Austria (short stay) – Hungary – Romania –…
-
Shuttle between Concepcion de Ataco (El Salvador) and Antigua (Guatemala)
Last week, we took a shuttle between Concepcion de Ataco and Antigua. I’ll tell you how it happened. We booked the trip on a whim the same day and we contacted gekkotrailsexplorer.com in a hurry on Whatsapp. They confirm very quickly that there are still 2 places available. Then I have to: either make the reservation directly on the site and pay a deposit with PayPal (10$/person) either give the info via Whatsapp and I receive an email with a link to pay the deposit via PayPal (10$/person) The appointment is taken and at 1:30 pm, a driver comes to pick us up and drop us off at a service…
-
Antigua (Guatemala): Fuego volcano erupting & Hobbitenango
In the previous episode, we were quiet in El Salvador where we were supposed to stay for another week when we heard about the Fuego Volcano in Guatemala, on the verge of eruption. Neither one nor two, we gathered our things and left ASAP in Guatemala, precisely in Antigua. Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary How to get there? Concepcion de Ataco – Antigua We simply went through gekkotrailsexplorer.com. Given the urgent departure, I contacted them via Whatsapp at 9:30 am, everything was settled in an hour: the deposit via PayPal, appointment taken at 1:30 pm to take a private car to a gas station…
- America, Around the world, Country Guides, During the World Tour, El Salvador, Our Itinerary, TDM, Tips
[Travel Guide] Itinerary 8 days in El Salvador: Budget, Transport, Digital Nomad in El Salvador
We just spent a week in El Salvador and fell in love with this beautiful country. The landscapes are beautiful, everything is green, easily accessible, the people are very nice. We don’t really understand why a bad reputation sticks to it, because we onlyhave good things to say about El Salvador. Why go to El Salvador? Because you will be the only tourist in the village. Quite simply. The trip becomes much more interesting all of a sudden. What about security in El Salvador? Despite the highest rate of intentional homicide in the world, the crimes are mainly committed by gangs (or victims of gangs who refuse to pay a…
