briansue wrote:
We have often crossed near Laredo, TX but west of Laredo at a crossing known as Columbia Crossing which allows avoiding city traffic on both sides of the border. There are a couple different routes you can take to get to Chapala. The last I knew the only RV park near Chapala is
. . . http://www.roca-azul.com/ . . .
which is at the west end of the lake with about a 20 mile trip into Ajijic and Chapala.
Be sure to carefully read the "stickies" at the top of this forum. We get our insurance from
. . . . http://www.mexicanautoinsurance.com/ . . .
be sure you understand how Mexico insurance works and get what you need. Also be sure you get all the proper permits etc. The border can be somewhat of a hassle the first trip - not at all like the US/Canada crossings - too much paperwork - but it has to be done.
Maps and a good GPS are important and route planning is important. People on this forum can help with route planning and stops along the way once you have an idea of what you want to do and where you want to go.
A new bypass around the south side of Guadalajara has been under construction for a few years and could be open by the time you need it - but it may not be on a map yet - this will make a huge difference in avoiding Guadalajara traffic.
In Mexico there are bypass or ring or loop roads called periferico or libramente around most cities and even small towns which are a big help - your GPS may want to go through town but you want to try to always take the circle around town.
There are two kinds of roads you want to be aware of in Mexico. Cuotas are toll roads and they are expensive - a bad idea where private companies build and supposedly maintain the roads - the tolls are so high many Mexicans cannot afford to use them - they are generally good roads with little traffic - big 4 lane roads. Then there are libres which are free roads which are often narrow and only two lanes - but in recent years there has been a great deal of highway construction all over Mexico and roads have been improving greatly. There are times to take the cuota and times to take the libre. Get help here with mapping your route.
Roads in Mexico are controlled by a Gov't agency called SCT. They have a website
. . . http://www.sct.gob.mx/informacion-general/planeacion/cartografia/mapa-por-estado/ . . . .
where you can download .pdf files of maps of each state in Mexico. If you will travel with a computer these maps can be very helpful. They only show main roads - not detailed city maps - but can be very useful for planning. They are road map size maps which you can zoom in on and move all around in your computer. They take a little practice - learning curve - but are among the best maps you will find - Guia Roji gets their book maps from these maps.
Here
. . . http://app.sct.gob.mx/sibuac_internet/ControllerUI?action=cmdEscogeRuta&eligeIdioma=si . . .
is another useful SCT website where you can calculate tolls on the cuotas - not 100% accurate but can help. The trick is to understand they may charge you as either one vehicle with multiple axles or two vehicles so calculating can be tricky. We have a motorhome towing a car so we are not as familiar with how they charge for trailer types. Someone else can provide more details.
Here
. . . http://www.ontheroadin.com/ . . .
is a website that can be very helpful in route planning. They know all the ins and outs. We have bought most of their road logs and though we have been roaming around Mexico for over 10 years we still use these logs - they are worth the price - print them out and make up a ring binder to follow along. Lots of other stuff showing RV parks etc.
Here
. . . http://www.rollinghomes.com/ . . .
you will find a book referred to as the Church Book or the Bible for travel in Mexico. The book has not be re-issued for several years so is somewhat out of date. But their website has updates that provide new information not found in their book. A most valuable resource.
Here
. . . http://ioverlander.com/ . . .
is another useful website for trip planning - which can be useful when used along with others mentioned above.
That should help get you started on planning.
Oh - our Gov'ts have been posting warnings about travel in Mexico for as long as I can remember - don't go you will be killed type stuff - the warnings should be heeded to some extent - as they should everywhere and anywhere you travel - but most of the crime in Mexico has to do with the drug wars with cartels killing each other over trade routes etc. This rarely has to do with tourists or travelers. Crime happens in all countries. Crime can happen anywhere you go. In all our years of travel in Mexico we have never experienced crime of any kind. We have never been hassled by police either. Not to say bad things will never happen but the odds are you will not have problems.
Ok I have a couple of comments. First of all with insurance. The wagon master on our spring 2015 caravan found out about insurance the hard way when he did $24K worth of damage to his RV. Nearly all Mexican insurance companies cap their policies at $75 an hour US labor rates. US labor rates for RV's is about $125 an hour, a $50 an hour shortfall. He was out of pocket to the tune of about $6000. The only company which has no cap that I have found, is Lewis & Lewis (there may be others since I checked). We now recommend everyone use them for their insurance or at least check this out on the policy they intend to buy. I can speak form my own experience that they handle claims well. When I pranged my own trailer last fall, an adjuster showed up in 15 min. I paid my own repair in Az, and was reimbursed about 2 months later. I also witnessed another accident 2 years ago and the adjuster in that case also showed in 15 min. I have heard horror stories from a few other companies. The other issue is Medivac insurance which is included on many policies. If you are Canadian, make sure they will evacuate you to a Canadian city not a US one, for obvious reasons. They are usually fairly restrictive, in the case of Lewis & Lewis it happens to be Vancouver.
As to information sources you can also look at http://www.mexicorvforums.com/border.php That page is pretty up to date regarding permits, rules etc.
You can also get your permit on line. Normally this is not a good idea if you live far ffrom the border as they are almost impossible to cancel by mail, but depending on the outcome of the weights issue, it may become advisable. The link for that is https://www.banjercito.com.mx/registroVehiculos/capturaOpcionl.do
I highly recommend getting a dash cam. If you are in an accident where it is not your fault,they are invaluable. Stash it before the cops arrive if it is your fault. Garmin also has a new GPS out with one built in. BTW do not rely on a GPS, use it in concert with Guia Roji and be aware they may take you on a route that is not RV friendly. In your case with a 5th wheel you do not want to enter a town you do not know the route through. If in doubt follow a bus.
See the photo below. That is from a caravan so the wagon master (Kevin Read) knew what he was doing, but it is typical of what you could find yourself in. In this particular town they had to use wire lifters to clear phone lines.
