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Sunday, April 13, 2014

I guess I should have clarified...

Quite the response to our post yesterday.

Besides the few people who commented on the post itself, there were ten or so emails with questions related to the idea of RVing in Mexico. I probably should have put more clarification in that blog post, but I didn't think the idea would have attracted that much attention.

I wasn't going to talk about this again until August or September, but we didn't do much yesterday, and given the response, I'll follow up to it here.

First of all, this would not be an official caravan. This would be you, joining up with us, and RV'ing the way we RV. If you're happy following along with us for a few weeks and dropping off to do your own thing when you're comfortable to do so, then that's fine too.

For our style of Mexico RV'ing, you would need solar panels and batteries so that you can survive the way you want to when you're not plugged in. For example, Mexican electricity is not always the best. The voltage and wiring may not be to the standards you're used to. Plugging into the electricity at many Mexican RV parks may mean that you can't use your air conditioner because it might only be a 15 amp circuit that you're sharing with your neighbor. For the most part, we simply open our windows, and use a 12v fan! And, we're not generator people. Fine to have one for emergencies, but there is nothing worse than listening to your neighbors generator wine for hours on end.

We have now been in Mexico in our RV for over three weeks and haven't been plugged in at all during that time.

We realize that a lot of people are "beach people". We like the beach, but we can't spend the whole time at the beach. There is so much more to Mexico than the beach and we think that many people miss out on that. So approximately half of the trip will be spent inland.

We have an RV with wheels. That means we can travel, and that's what we like to do. So we wouldn't be spending much longer than two weeks in any one spot.

We drive slowly. Both in daily distance and rate of speed! You'll rarely find us going faster than 55 mph, or further than 200-300 kms in a day.

Travel days, we're usually on the road by 9:00am, and with a plan to arrive at our destination by 2:00pm at the latest. That way, we have time to fix any problems or deal with any delays as they come up and not have to drive in the dark. You don't drive in the dark in Mexico!

For the most part, we would be avoiding the resort cities. Although often you do have to pass through them or drive around them. Also, every resort city has RV parks, so although they're normally fairly expensive we would be stopping over in them for a couple of nights.

The type of RV you drive is relevant. While many people have RV'ed in Mexico with 40 foot buses and tow vehicles, we don't think it's the most suitable vehicle for exploring Mexico. We like to be maneuverable, and that's one of the reasons we don't have a tow vehicle. We would rather RV with similar minded people, so we would choose to have someone with us who is driving a 24 foot rig than a 40 foot rig.

We would probably cross the border mid-November, around Laredo, TX. And be back up there by mid March.

The route might look something like this...

And the route is NEVER written in stone. In fact, I can see already that this route includes far too much beach time in the second half. We would probably need to head into the mountains around Colima to get some fresh air.

Anyhow, that should answer most of your questions. Stay in touch if you're interested, and we'll see if it comes together as we get closer to fall.



15 comments:

  1. It'll be interesting to see how that all plays out. Not saying any more than that.

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  2. That kind of sets some parameters for anyone wanting to travel with you.
    Will be interesting to see how it works out for you
    We had friends that insisted on coming to the desert with us and camping right beside us for two weeks.
    Ran their generator for many hours every day, it was not a very happy experience for us.
    We have one solar panel and can manage to get by as long as the Arizona sun is shining most of the day. No genny needed.

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  3. Speaking from experience, I highly recommend you ask these two questions of your prospective caravaners:
    1) Will they chronically keep others waiting? Naturally, things happen to cause delays occasionally but with some people it's just in their nature to always be late. 2) Spirit of cooperation: Will they help the others when needed? I had the experience of my travel partner refusing to spot me to back in to a back in site out of meaness and someone else in the park had to help me.

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    1. If they chronically keep people waiting, they will likely get left behind!

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  4. We won't be joining you in Mexico but I'll be looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. I can't imagine traveling with anyone else unless they are ready to follow my schedule and routine. We just say we'll meet you at this place on this date and then go our own way to get there.

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    1. As I said, they will be following our schedule and routine. Although we're pretty easy to get along with.

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  5. Agree it will be interesting to see how it plays out but reckon you are setting yourselves up for a real challenge there.

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  6. Sherman looks longer than 24'. We are 40 ft here. Would have been a great opportunity. Maybe there is someone out there wo can lead larger buses in caravans.

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    1. Sherman is 28 ft. My point was that some of the places we like to stop are not suitable for some longer rigs, and that given a choice between taking someone with a 24 ft rig as opposed to a 40 ft rig we would lean towards the smaller rig. Also, although a fairly minor point, we feel that some of these larger rigs are a little ostentatious for Mexican travel. While it's nothing to see some of these $300k rigs in Canada or the U.S, it stands out like a sore thumb in Mexico. We like to try not to attract attention to ourselves, and that's hard enough to do with Sherman.

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  7. Looking for a tail gunner? :) Yep, our 24ft TT is about the longest we would travel with here. Plenty of room for two people.

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  8. Kevin we have travelled everywhere your map shows with a 40' bus and a toad with no problems whatsoever.

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    1. Yes, I had mentioned that people do travel Mexico in rigs like yours. But in our opinion, it's not the most suitable. And I know that we have camped in spots that your rig would not have fit into.

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  9. You seem to have Mexico sussed. I wish you well with your recruiting! You have a good life!

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  10. I truly think this will be an awesome experience for the four chosen rigs---as well as the rest of us, who will just be along for the online ride. It will be great to also see some blog posts from the adventurous newbies!

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  11. If I wasn't obligated to go back to work, I would loved to go with you. We're travelling in a 20ft 5th wheel for a few months. Wouldn't want it any bigger for driving along the coast hwy in California...cheers

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