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alkrohn

Apr 19, 2010, 12:10 PM

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Driving with kids

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Looking for some information? Advice? Someone to crush my fears? We are trying to plan a year long family trip (through vs. too) Mexico. We have traveled to PV, Maz, Playa, Can, and we would like to end up in Playa for the last several months. Wondering about driving with the family? By car will be the best way to see everything but I am more then a little scared. The best place to cross the boarder? Things to think about when bringing in a car?

Thanks for your thoughts, ideas, and energy

A

Reefhound

Apr 19, 2010, 12:42 PM

Post #2 of 16 (7554 views)

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Re: [alkrohn] Driving with kids

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What specifically are you scared about?

Best place to cross the border depends on where you are coming from.

For young kids, bring a pee bucket (they can't wait until the next stop), snacks and drinks (they can't wait until the next stop), and plenty of paper towels for messes. And toilet paper.

If you aren't willing to let them roam the vehicle then plan on frequent short stops. Kids don't do well strapped in for hours on end unless sleeping. Ipods and DVD players help.

What kind of vehicle? If not a common model in Mexico then bring spare parts like fan belts, headlights, etc. I keep an emergency kit that includes basic tools, flashlights, 12v air compressor, power inverter, jumper cables, tape, rope, etc.

Rolly

Apr 19, 2010, 1:11 PM

Post #3 of 16 (7550 views)

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Re: [alkrohn] Driving with kids

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There may be a significant problem with your year-long plan. The new FMM tourist permit that goes into effect on 1 May is good for 180 days (almost 6 months). Things are still a bit murky about the new rules, but it looks like that one can get an FMM only once every 365 days. You should visit the nearest Mexican consulate to get a firm answer.

Rolly Pirate

Papirex

Apr 19, 2010, 3:20 PM

Post #4 of 16 (7527 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] Driving with kids

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I will second and third the idea of having a DVD in the car to entertain kids and keep them happy and quiet. My wife got a new van 3 years ago, it has a flip down DVD screen above the center seats. The sound is delivered through the radio speakers. She took a niece and her 2 young kids from México City over to Puebla a couple of years ago. They were happily occupied the whole trip watching cartoons.

No squirming, no noise, never heard the eternal question, “Are we there yet?”. I thought it was kind of silly to get a vehicle with a built-in DVD system, but I now know if there are any kids in the family, a DVD in a car is a good thing to have.

Another niece used to have a 120/12 volt portable TV with a 9” screen and a integral VHS tape player in it to entertain her 2 girls when they were little. When she got a van with a built-in DVD she sold it to my wife. It is now in our bedroom. I never watch TV in the bedroom, we never watch VHS tapes anymore, but if they still make them, a portable TV with a DVD player might be worth considering, or maybe a stand alone DVD player if they make a 12 volt powered model.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

Peter

Apr 19, 2010, 7:43 PM

Post #5 of 16 (7501 views)

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Re: [alkrohn] Driving with kids

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We have traveled to PV, Maz, Playa, Can, and we would like to end up in Playa for the last several months.
_____

I guess Parangaricutiromicuaro is not a scheduled stop.

La Isla

Apr 19, 2010, 9:05 PM

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Re: [Peter] Driving with kids

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That's a good one, Peter ( : . I've always thought that Nahuatl place names were tongue-twisters (it took me ages before I had Popocatepetl rolling off my tongue), but place names in Purépecha really take the cake!

Peter

Apr 20, 2010, 12:33 PM

Post #7 of 16 (7441 views)

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Re: [alkrohn] Driving with kids

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We are trying to plan a year long family trip (through vs. too) Mexico. We have traveled to PV, Maz, Playa, Can, and we would like to end up in Playa for the last several months. Wondering about driving with the family? By car will be the best way to see everything but I am more then a little scared. The best place to cross the boarder?
_________

You didn't say where you were coming from NOB but you mention Maz and PV so it wouldn't be out of the question to think you may want to enter around Nogales and head down the 15 toward those places. Your first stop at the coast along that route would at Guay. That is a pretty little spot, to me, and I've heard it said that it is the number one destination for people driving into Mexico.

From there it is a long haul into Maz with not much in between, however, turning off at LoMo to the port town of Topo there is or was ferry service out to Paz which might be the best way to visit Baja. You would need to check prices and availability of the ferry as it may not be in service all year. In Baja you could drive into Cabo to have a look-see but would have to return to Paz for the ferry and take that into Maz. Also possible you could ferry out of Guay and skip Topo altogether. You would need to check availability of those ferries before making any plans. The AAA could probably help you out with that and their Mexico travel map has some information about them and contacts numbers for more current info.

You state you are familiar with Maz and PV, and from there you might consider continuing on to Manz as they were widening the highway and well underway in February when I was there to make travel along the 200 a snap from Manz into Ixta/Zihua. That would let you breeze through the desolate coastline of Michoacán. While there are services along there and many coastal pueblos you may wish to bypass those as there are no acronyms you could make that anyone would recognize.

Before and after Ixta/Zihua the Guerrero coast has some beautiful fishing and camping spots but no major tourist areas until Aca. There are some cautions about that formerly ultimate beach resort in Mexico but they say after a dark period of decline it is returning somewhat to its former glory.

Continuing south I do not know the area much at all but you might want to check out Puesco as it is a very popular surfing spot that is growing and the hippie surf bums put out a lot of cool 60's energy. From there you could take the highway to Oaxaca if you are interested in that or continue down the coast to hook up with the highways that will take you over to the peninsula into Can, Coz, and Chet that you are already somewhat familiar with.

Happy travels.

Hound Dog

Apr 20, 2010, 2:23 PM

Post #8 of 16 (7430 views)

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Re: [alkrohn] Driving with kids

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The best place to cross the boarder?

Never cross the boarder.

La Isla

Apr 20, 2010, 4:27 PM

Post #9 of 16 (7409 views)

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Re: [Hound Dog] Driving with kids

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In Reply To

The best place to cross the boarder?

Never cross the boarder.

Or he might not pay his rent!

alkrohn

Apr 21, 2010, 7:46 AM

Post #10 of 16 (7362 views)

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Re: [La Isla] Driving with kids

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Funny, funny.

alkrohn

Apr 21, 2010, 7:55 AM

Post #11 of 16 (7363 views)

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Re: [Peter] Driving with kids

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Thank you for all of the input. As you can see we have been to the many tourist areas of Mexico, but we started to fall in love with the small towns we would come across, the people, the food, the weather. We decided to take a family leave of one year. What better way to see the country and learn more spanish.

Any and all information would be wonderful. I have been researching this for over a year and have a pretty good idea. But information from people who have done it, live there is always better.

Anne

geri

Apr 22, 2010, 4:55 AM

Post #12 of 16 (7309 views)

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Re: [alkrohn] Driving with kids

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Well, if you've been researching for over a year, you've scoured Rolly's site and you know that you can't live in Mexico for a year without an FM-3 and to get that you have to have an address in Mexico. I'm not sure if you are looking for one place to live or you are just going to wander around in your car? Mexico is a big country as you know, with customs, law (or at least law enforcement) varying from area to area, even town to town. Sound exhausting to me to spend a year going from place to place, always having to learn new ways, make new contacts, etc. Great way to spend a month, but a year? Am I getting old or what?

alkrohn

Apr 22, 2010, 10:06 AM

Post #13 of 16 (7282 views)

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Re: [geri] Driving with kids

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Our plan is to take 30-60 days getting to Playa from Minnesota. I have a few contacts and friends there. Live in Playa for 9-10 months and drive home, that is if we decided to go home. A question that I can not seem to find a straight answer (or maybe there is none) is this-

Can we drive into Mexico stay out 180 days or less, fly out to visit friends, family, the caribbean and fly back in for another 180 days? Or when you fly is it just 90 days?

Anne

Rolly

Apr 22, 2010, 10:23 AM

Post #14 of 16 (7277 views)

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Re: [alkrohn] Driving with kids

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The new FMM is always good for 180 days no matter were you get it.

There are two problems in this fly out and return. Leaving your car behind is against the rules and could cause you a very big problem depending on how carefully the government checks their computer records.

Second, as I warned you to an earlier post, it seems likely that a visitor will be restricted to one FMM each 365 days.

Again, I urge you to visit your nearest Mexican consulate after May 1st, to discuss your plans with them.

Rolly Pirate

yucatandreamer

Apr 22, 2010, 1:05 PM

Post #15 of 16 (7258 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Driving with kids

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I certainly would check it out. The potential problem for those in the Yucatan Peninsula is if you decide to wait until your visa runs out and exit to Belize in hopes of renewal you may have to ship yourself and your car home. It is one thing to drive to the U.S. border in hopes of a second tourist visa and quite another to try to get home from Belize. Even before this year I know folks who were refused a second tourist visa at the Mexico-Belize border and had to fly to Texas and try from there. They were not car owners so had one less problem to worry about.

Of course all this is speculation until after May 1 and then who knows how the laws will be applied in various places or even various times of day.

alkrohn

Apr 25, 2010, 4:10 PM

Post #16 of 16 (7119 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] Driving with kids

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What specifically are you scared about?

Being safe, no one bothering us, hurting us and so forth.
Anne