Packing list for Mexico, travel insurance for Mexico, and taking your belongings

To take or not to take to Mexico, leave at home or arrange locally?

Sufficiently insured or not for your activities in Mexico?

Sufficiently insured or not for your trip to Mexico?

What to take with you to Mexico: spotlighted

Featured items:

• Documents: a passport that is valid for at least 6 months and a (digital) copy.
• Money: Mexican pesos are useful for the first few days, but you can also use your debit card almost everywhere.
• Care: coral-friendly sunscreen with a high factor is usually cheaper to take with you. And of course aftersun!
• Outdoor and handy items: sunglasses and a cap or hat.
• Clothing: Mexico is warm all year round, but it is cooler in higher areas. Airy and light clothing with a warmer layer is the go-to. Light rainwear is useful in the rainy season. Beachwear for beach days.
• Shoes: good walking shoes for all the exploring and flip-flops for beach days.
• Medicines and travel pharmacy: a small first aid kit with plasters, painkillers and ORS. Mosquito repellent.
• Handy items: a shopping bag. Plastic bags are now banned in many places. Safety: a money belt, especially for unsafe places.
• Technology and equipment: world plug with type A/B.

What are some other options for packing?

• Reusable water bottle with filter, because tap water is technically drinkable, but often tastes strange.
• Quick-drying towel and swimwear for the beach or pool. In terms of swimwear, people wear different things - from bikinis to burkinis.
• Snorkeling set, because it's beautiful there!
• Water shoes for convenience.
• International driving license if you want to drive around yourself (preferably not in Mexico City).
• A mosquito net can be nice if you're going to a malaria area, but is usually not necessary.

What should you know when you bring your stuff with you to Mexico?

• What the weather is like during the period you're going.
• How safe the areas you're going to are.
• Whether you need any specific things for any adventure activities.

Are there mosquitoes in Mexico?

• Mosquitoes are present all year round in Mexico, so it is advisable to always protect yourself. Although it will be quite bearable in the winter.
• During the wet season (April-November) there are more mosquitoes, especially in the southern regions of Chiapas, Tabasco and Yucatan.
• Because mosquitoes can transmit diseases such as dengue and malaria, it is good to protect yourself.

Are there sandflies in Mexico?

• Sand flies are present in several places, and getting Leishmaniasis is no fun! Sand flies are most active during sunrise and sunset, but fortunately mosquito repellent can also help you with this.
• The Yucatan Peninsula (Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo) is a real hotspot for sand flies.
• Be especially careful in the southern areas of Oaxaca, eastern Veracruz, Chiapas and eastern Tabasco.

Can you buy DEET, or other mosquito repellents, in Mexico?

• You can buy all sorts of mosquito repellents in Mexico, both natural and chemical. Picaridin is harder to find.
• Mosquito repellents are available at supermarkets and pharmacies. The cheapest repellents can be found at small, local supermarkets, but they are often more expensive than at home.
• “Auchan” (does not contain DEET) and “Off” are two popular brands.

Can you buy a joint or weed in Mexico, or take it with you to Mexico?

• The rules regarding joints are even grayer than the cloud of smoke above Ajaplan and are evolving. Legalization is ‘on its way’, but has not yet fully arrived. There are no legal shops, no safe places to buy, and no clear user guidelines. The rules are also different for locals than for tourists and can change.
• In general, you are allowed to have 5 grams on you (if you are 18+). This is not legal, but is tolerated. You may just come across the wrong officer, who does not agree with this, especially as a tourist.
• For taking cannabis with you the rules are clear, it is not allowed.