profdant139 wrote:
There are quite a few reputable outfits that caravan to the mainland and to Baja; I'm not looking for a specific recommendation. But I have a few general questions. It intuitively seems safer to travel in a caravan -- even though I am fluent in Spanish, I have rarely driven long distances in Mexico, so it seems to make sense to travel with a leader who knows more than I do, at least for my first time taking an RV to Mexico.
And now, the questions:
First, how does the leader cope with the occasional problem with law enforcement? (I know that those problems will crop up -- we had a policeman demand a bribe in San Quintin about ten years ago, and we managed to buy him off with several Tootsie Pops for his children!) The problem of minor hassles with the police and the federales is emphatically not enough to keep me from going -- but it would be nice if there were someone else to deal with this.
Second, is it true that traveling in a group discourages criminals? Or, realistically, is the problem of carjacking/robbery so rare (during the daylight, of course) that this is just not an issue? By comparison, almost no one in the US travels in groups to deter criminals, but (at the same time) we avoid the really bad areas of town (assuming that we know the town).
Third, is there a way to hop off the caravan once you get to where you want to go and then pick up a caravan for the return trip? So for example, we are thinking about going to southern Baja in late October and returning in early December of next year. There may not be a caravan outfit with that itinerary and destination. So that is why I am hoping to patch together a custom arrangement.
Fourth (and last) question, for now: how do folks in the back of the caravan communicate with the leader, in case of (say) a flat tire? Does everyone have a CB, or are there walkie talkies, or what?
Thanks in advance for your replies. The goal here is to put DW's mind at ease, so that we can return to Mexico. I miss it a lot.
(And please, if you are going to post something that says "don't go to Mexico, stay in the US," please don't bother. We have traveled extensively in the US and Canada for the last ten years, and we will continue to do so. But como Mexico, no hay dos. Which means there is nothing like Mexico -- the warm people, the warm surf, the hot spicy food. Are there risks? Yes. But if I wanted to avoid all risk, I would stay home and watch television, instead of camping in exotic and interesting places.)
First of all I would say there is absolutely NO NEED for a caravan at all.
After almost 2000 miles and more than two months here in the Baja we have had nothing but positive experiences on all fronts. We are now in Todos Santos and the truck is faced North again. We expect to exit in March.
If you do indeed speak Spanish as I do, you will be challenged to find a lot of practice. Most staffs and many just regular folks speak varying levels of English.
The Baja is easy to travel in. It has everything you need including auto parts (There is a new Autozone store in almost every town.)
The Pemex stations have all been upgraded to automatic computerized pumps that will not allow a new purchase until they zero out. So dont fret over all the hype about being ripped off by gas station attendants. They even take credit and debit cards contrary to what is printed in all the so called expert books, which are all sadly out of date.
Crime, it is everywhere, but I have rarely felt as safe in any of the over 40 countries I have traveled in as I do in the Baja.
Stop worrying and go. It's easy, safe and very beautiful.
