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noodlepips

May 4, 2010, 2:30 PM

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Florida to Lake Chapala

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Hi folks

Thanks for taking the time to help us, we're newbies to this site. My husband and I (plus our dog) will be travelling from Florida to Lake Chapala in July of this year. I have a couple of questions which I hope you can help us with:

We will be travelling to Texas from Florida with our vehicle and also towing a Travel Trailer, the reason for this is that we're going to take our time getting to TX, and once there, we plan on putting the Travel Trailer into a storage facility for 6 months, and then crossing the border into Mexico for our next part of the journey to Lake Chapala.

Question 1:
What is the best border for crossing, we have been told that McAllen is probably our best bet?

Question 2:
Are we able to get our vehicle permit there, or can we apply for this prior to crossing?

Question 3:
Does anybody know of any storage facilities close to the border where we can put the Travel Trailer for 6 months?

Question 4:
We've been told that a one night stop over would be ideal for our journey to Chapala, do you have any suggestions of a good, clean, safe Hotel along the way which will also allow us to take our dog?

Sorry for all the questions......my head hurts trying to find answer to all of these on google......lol!

NoodlePips

jerezano

May 5, 2010, 9:04 AM

Post #2 of 2 (4375 views)

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Re: [noodlepips] Florida to Lake Chapala

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Hello noodlepips,

With your starting point in Florida you will be pulling a travel trailer and want to put the travel trailer into storage for six months at the border. Then you want to go to Lake Chapala .

Why? Why not pull the travel trailer into Mexico and go on to Lake Chapala? Surely there in Lake Chapala you will be able to find some place which will accept a travel trailer, either a trailer park, or a vacant lot with connections to water and electricity available or which can be arranged. Or just to store the trailer. That travel trailer would solve any problems with over-nighting on the way to Lake Chapala. Search this forum for RV's or Travel Trailers to read experiences of others.

First of all, be sure and check the Hidalgo crossing at McAllen to Reynosa. Whether travel trailers are permitted at that crossing I am not sure, but all truck traffic (anything larger than a big pickup) must divert to the crossing four miles east at Pharr. I would guess that travel-trailers might be barred at the Hidalgo (McAllen) crossing.

But since you want to store your travel trailer, you might consider the new Mission crossing some 5 miles west of McAllen. Mission has many trailer parks and will also have storage facilites. You could then cross at the Andazualas? crossing into Reynosa which actually bypasses Reynosa. An easy crossing as yet not heavily trafficked. Truck traffic and I would guess travel trailers are banned at that new crossing for the next few years.

My own reaction would be take your travel trailer to Mexico with you and cross at the Free Trade International Bridge just south of Harlingen, TX. There would be no tolls all the way to San Luis Potosí. And those tolls for a trailer could be really expensive. Too, the crossing at Los Indios is very easy with paperwork. Too, this crossing is preferred by many living in San Miguel de Allende and also in Lake Chapala since it is an easy trip, no tolls, an easy crossing, and tends to bypass recent areas of violence in the Reynosa frontier area as well as Monterrey. You can search this forum for Via Corta to San Luis Potsí for detailed description of this route. And storage fees at Lake Chapala for your travel trailer would be much less than those same storage fees in the United States.

Whatever you decide to do, have a good trip. You will find that the no-tell motels will accept dogs since once in your garage you are isolated from the world. Just be sure to check the rates before you sign in. Some charge by the hour rather than overnight. They are usually very clean, quiet, and you can pass a restful night with the dog either with you or in the garage. Just don't watch the tele.

jerezano