Let me start with this disclaimer: I don’t like driving and I never really have. Even in my native Midwestern United States, where the highways are flat, wide, easy to navigate, and speed bump-free, I still don’t like driving. I guess I have always been a somewhat impatient person. so I never found myself able to just “sit back and enjoy the ride” of a road trip.
Living in Mexico, that hasn’t changed. When my wife and I travel around the country, which we do frequently, we have always taken either a bus or an airplane to our destination. But as I recently hit an important (albeit, slightly depressing) birthday milestone, we were brainstorming how to celebrate and an idea occurred to us: What if we took a road trip to some parts of Mexico we have not yet discovered? It seemed like a good idea; some places are hard to get to by bus or flight, and we thought we needed some downtime to just chat in the car on the road. So we did it.
How did it go? Well, we survived the trip and I am still married … but barely. Here are my top eight observations on taking a Mexican road trip:
1. Planning a road trip in Mexico requires a very different mindset than in the U.S. or Canada. Driving should be done during daylight hours and the distance covered each day will be significantly less. Every spring break, my family would pack up the family van in Wisconsin and drive non-stop through the night for a total of 20 hours to go on a ski trip in Colorado. You are not going to do that in Mexico — neither the all-nighter nor the ski trip!
2. Depending on the type of driver you are, you most likely will not find your time on the road in Mexico very relaxing. There are sudden lane changes, frequent toll booths, extremely sudden lane closures due to construction, speed bumps (of course!), sharp curves, and often double-load semis driving as slow as 10 mph. The result: You likely will not even want the distraction of music, a podcast, a coffee or a talking spouse, and will likely have your hands locked in the “10 and 2” position the entire time.
3. Baños, food stops and gas stations require careful planning. This is a very big difference from a north-of-the-border road trip. In the U.S. or Canada, we are used to multiple gas stations, restaurants of all types, and acceptable bathrooms at literally every single exit. A highway driver north of the border is rarely more than a mile or two away from truck stop hot dogs, trucker caps, decent bathrooms and junk food. In Mexico, we often would go for 30-plus minutes without a gas station and for several hours without encountering food I would want to eat, beyond Oxxo-type provisions or a baño I couldn’t ask my wife to use without fear of a divorce.
4. Highway driving in Mexico is generally safe, if you are smart and take a lot of extra precautions. Not all states and not all areas are safe. Smaller roads can be risky. Night driving is unsafe. Hanging out at truck stops can be unsafe. But if you are smart — drive in daylight hours, use your Google Maps app, and drive carefully at speeds much slower than you would up north — you will very likely be just fine.
5. Frequent comments I have heard from gringos to “beware of the federales” seem to me to be a lot of hyperbole. I do not and would not drive in Mexico City as I have heard many stories of traffic police shakedowns. But on this road trip, we never saw a police car “trying to radar-gun a speeding car.” In fact, we saw very few police cars on the roads the entire drive. In full disclosure, I have been stopped by Mexican police close to a dozen times in my nearly 30 years of driving in the country (always with rental cars driving short distances and most of the time because I did something wrong). However, not one single time — not one — have I been asked to pay a bribe or received a ticket. That being said, I am absolutely certain that my fluent Spanish has helped me get out of such a situation more than a few times.
6. The scenery on your Mexican road trip will likely be varied and quite stunning. Given the country’s many mountains, often rapidly changing climate zones and prevalence of microclimates, we would see incredible changes in trees and vegetation in just a few hours. What makes the actual driving stressful is precisely what makes the scenery so beautiful: Driving in mountains is never easy!
7. Toll roads are the way to go. Yes, they are expensive, very expensive, but they really are the only logical option. Our road trip of approximately 25 hours of total “time on the road” cost over US $200 in tolls. However, toll roads are much faster, much safer, and in case of a breakdown of any type, would be much more conducive to getting help. Note: I have gotten two flat tires in Mexico (actually both in the same 24 hour period) and in both cases got outstanding and affordable help despite not being on toll roads at the time. Another way to look at toll roads in Mexico to help “ease the pain” of the cost is to remember that they are a pretty good model of “those that use them, pay for them” versus charging higher taxes for everyone to help pay for them — regardless of the usage. Does this make for a better model? … I’m not sure.
8. I love my wife and have enjoyed every minute of our 21 year marriage, but that still doesn’t mean we are cut out for road trips. After this one, we found ourselves thinking that perhaps why we still love each other is precisely because we haven’t taken road trips together. We had a great time and will for sure do shorter road trips again, but definitely reconfirmed that we are more of a “bus and airplane” couple!
So where did we go? We started in our hometown of San Miguel de Allende, drove through the state of Guanajuato to Ajijic (Lake Chapala) in Jalisco. Then we drove down through Colima to the beach town of La Manzanilla, up the coast to Puerto Vallarta, over to Guadalajara, and then back home to SMA via León — all in 10 days.
I will write more on some of my non-driving observations of the journey in my next column.
Do you agree with my thoughts on driving in Mexico? Have you had similar good or bad experiences on the highways? Did you test a marriage or friendship with a Mexican road trip? Please share in the comments!
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.
In the first week of October I drove my 4x Tacoma solo from Joshua Tree CA to my home in CDMX, via Baja and the overnight ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan. I was very familiar with Baja, being a surfer from California, but a little nervous driving through Sinaloa, Nayarit, and Jalisco. It was amazing, no stops or shakedowns; the lakes, mountains, flower fields, and agave plantations were breathtaking and made me want to take more road trips now that I have my truck here. Next stop: Veracruz in spring.
I agree with others that the toll roads are expensive but worth it.
We have enjoyed several road trips on our many visits to Mexico – including driving around Mexico City! Travelling through the Yucatan is a fairly easy drive (although watch out for the many topes!) We’ve driven over the mountains from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido, and through Michoacan to Zihuatanejo. Once you learn the rules of the road driving in Mexico can be a pleasant journey (using the left turn signal to alert vehicles behind that it’s safe to pass took a while to get used to!) It’s a great way to get off the beaten path, and when you need to cut your driving time, the toll highways are a nice-to-have.
I have been road-tripping in Mexico for nearly 40 years. Highways have definitely improved over the decades. I agree with your recommendations to take the toll roads and avoid driving at night. The 2-lane, crowded, pot-holed federal highway north of Zacatecas, Zacatecas was the worst we encountered in our travels. Not for the faint of heart. Although bus service covers many parts of Mexico, there are definitely places we were able to visit because we had our car. A tip for those driving from the US—fill out your car permit online in advance and factor in a couple of extra hours waiting in line to return to the US. CBP Border Wait Times app is useful.
Thank you the reference to CBP app. Most helpful!
Yes you’re spot on I’ve been on many road trips. You’ve accurately described it. I might add that they Re constantly building new autopistas all over Mexico. Some of the new autopistas do not have adequate shoulders in case of emergency.
I mostly agree with you. As a freelance travel writer who has worked in numerous parts of Mexico, I put many thousands of miles on the country’s rental cars over a period of 10 years. Because much of my writing has been for guidebooks, I stick to the toll roads when possible but have had to drive a lot of local roads. They can be tedious and full of topes but also full of discovery about local life and history. I did get snagged into the dreaded “mordida” three times, all in and around Cancun — one time with a Mexican friend from Cancun who tried to talk the policeman out of it to no avail. I believe they target the highway between Cancun and the airport. They demand your driver’s license, then say you must go to the station in Cancun the following day to pay the fine and retrieve your license — of course you can’t do that if you’re on your way to catch a flight, and they ever so graciously offer to take the fine and settle it for you. But this was three times over the course of 10 years, and never outside of the Cancun area, so it’s not going to deter my driving in Mexico.
I agree with your descriptions Travis. My wife and I drove down from Naco, our Port of Entry from the US via Arizpe, Hermosillo, Guaymas, Ciudad Obregon, Los Mochis, Culiacan, Mazatlan, and Tepic to Chapala. We have been living in Chapala for the last 6 years. We have also made trips to Puerto Vallarta and around the lake to Ocotlan and over to Mazamitla and Sahuayo. All of that to say we have enjoyed touring all around. We returned to the US by way of Puerto Penasco. The stretch of highway south of that town was absolutely the very worst. There are more pot holes in that stretch than smooth pavement. It caused our car to breakdown and be towed to a mechanic by a very helpful and friendly man. I have also driven on the highway through Morelos and Guerrero to Cuernavaca, Taxco and Acapulco. We made a trip to San Miguel de Allende via Queretaro. All wonderful! Now, I am looking forward to driving to Aguascalientes, Zacatecas and Torreon then over to Saltillo and Monterrey. So much to see and experience.
Having lived here going on 17 years and taken numerous road trips on a motorcycle I can assure you road trips are very possible and very fun here. With some planning and preparation. There are few road side services other than gasoline between cities and in some parts those are scarce as well. Mind your gas gage and fill up before heading into more remote stretches.
Try to plan your trips around the most interesting towns as there are few to none roadside hotels between those towns. Pueblos Magicos are frequent and fun, with decent hotels and restaurants and stuff to see.
The libres are a lot slower but can be much more interesting than the cuotas. Research your planned routes before going to pick your stopovers and make sure you have enough time to see them.
From Cuernavaca we’ve driven several times to Acapulco (family business; there’s no other reason I’d want to go there). The toll road is the only way to go, but it’s not unusual for the casetas to be closed or occupied by demonstrators. A holiday round trip to Veracruz was just fine as were trips to Morelia, SMA and Puebla. The travel frequently to/from the CDMX airport, with the only worry being the frequent accidents along that route – and it’s a lovely drive. Once on the way to the Acapulco airport we were stopped by the “tourist police” for an unspecified infraction. We met his request for the driver’s license with an offer to present it at the comisario. On arrival he pulled into the lot and parked. We drove on to the airport without incident other than a fist shaking behind us.
The last time I was pulled over in La Paz I had only $30 bucks in pesos in my pocket thanks to the fact that my kids had helped themselves to my rather large stash earlier that day.
The officer looked at the crumpled bills then over his shoulder and accepted my “ fine”. As I drove away I chuckled “Mejor de nada.”
The other no brainer regarding the morbida is to use a different route. Those officers are creatures of habit as we all are….
Senor Magoo
I have done a few road trips in MX, and completely agree with everything in the article. I don’t enjoy bus travel in MX, but that’s just me. The restroom situation is horrible, on the road, having to bring your own TP and they are often very dark. Once you are at your destination, it’s always great!
One thing to be aware of is the possibility of slowdowns or outright stoppages on major highways because of angry villagers near the highway. My wife and I have been stopped while on a bus for hours while on the route between Puebla and CDMX as of a result of villagers from a small pueblo along the way after a young person was kidnapped and the authorities failed to help find the person. At other times we’ve had to take extensive detours because truckers were upset about thefts while on route. The truckers blocked the major highway for hours. At many other times we’ve had excellent experiences while traveling by roads and major highways.
Ray W.
Greetings fellow travelers and Happy Holidays. I probably am the newest expat resident living in Querétaro for six years but much prior experience traveling all over Mexico in my youth. Very enjoyable article Travis and I agree with Christine that the back roads and nacionales are wonderful sources of culture and wonderful sights, but not perhaps for everyone new to Mexico and road travel. We have experienced the mordida twice, once leaving the autopista going to the airport in CDMX and once in Mexico driving down the wrong way on a one way street. Our fault and only cost us $20 bucks, the other was over a hundred! Leaving the highway toward the airport the speed limit dropped considerably and we did not see the trap. Polite, smiling and playful, we were told that we needed to compensate all four of the oficiales or surrender our license plates, or go to court the next day to retrieve the plates. Fortunately we had the cash and they smilingly relieved us of it. A lesson learned. Mexico City is tough to drive and one must be very careful of the traps entering, especially with rental car plates!
For me, and I have driven in Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and many other countries…not to boast, but each country has its unique mentality which as a driver you need to recognize and respect. As mentioned, it’s a different head here and all my Mexican friends agree that Mexicans are terrible drivers and they tell you clearly why. I choose to see it as a cultural difference, among many, that must be respected as we are the guests.
We just returned from a road trip from Querétaro to Val’derico and on to Puebla for Halloween. Driving was wonderful and easy during the day and if you are patient and plan you trip well, it’s very enjoyable. I would like to close by stating that living here in Mexico has been wonderful, and if you driving with an open mind to cultural differences it will be even better.
Based on my experience here (living full time in Ajijic for 13 years, substantial travel within Mexico by car prior to that) I agree with the substance and details of the article. Key points: use the tolls roads whenever possible (how much are your time and safety worth?), don’t ever drive at night if you can possibly avoid it, stand your ground in terms of bribes (in my pretty substantial experience, they will not ask for one directly, but if you agree to a fine they will take your money (I have paid a fine only once, when I hit a motorcyclist who tried to pass me on the right when I –no helmet, no helmets and a bunch of beer cans–and I offered one, which was accepted
which was accepted, and most can’t do anything about this, speak fluent Spanish which I do. They are really taken aback when an obvious gringo lets lose with a barrage of Spanish.
Ted
We have done over 15000 miles towing a small trailer on both coasts, the interior, to the Guatemala/Belize border, and up and down the Baja. Never had a mordida problem. Always used cuotas when able. Never drove at night. We could park the trailer and explore with the 4×4 truck. We also used buses and domestic flights. Our Spanish is good enough to get by. Heading back in February.
Excellent article! My wife and I have done a number of long, 3-4 week road trips around Mexico, starting from our home in San Miguel de Allende. We’ve traveled through the states of Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Chiapas, Hidalgo, Campeche, Tabasco, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Vera Cruz, Puebla, Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, and San Luis Potosí. We’ve driven to Mexico City a number of times as well, which can certainly be a challenge, but is certainly doable. We try to stay on toll roads and drive only during the day. We paid a small Mordida of $50 pesos only once, in the Yucatan.
The mountains of Mineral de Chico and the drive up, through and over the mountains along the Juarez Highway between Oaxaca and the east coast are wonderful drives and there are so many more! We can hardly wait to go on another road trip!