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March 2003 Savvy Travelers Pinch Pesos Mexican Style By Dixie Davis One good way to save money is by not losing anything while on vacation. Leave any credit cards you are not going to use at home. Carry a minimum of cash and the rest of your funds in traveler's checks. Keep small valuables and money on your person or leave them in the hotel safe. Lock anything else that might be a temptation to hotel employees in your suitcase. Lots of in-house hotel robberies occur when the unsuspecting victim is taking a shower. It's easy enough to hear the water running from outside the room and it's the one moment your valuables are left unattended. This happens as much or more in big, fancy hotels as in the smaller ones and usually happens to people traveling alone. Some US homeowners' policies now cover loss of property on vacation. You may be able to get a rider attached to the policy you have to cover some of your possessions while traveling. What you bring with you and what you buy in Mexico can make a big difference to your travel budget. Be sure to bring photo supplies. Film costs more in Mexico, and the US suppliers usually have a special price for buying several rolls at a time which never happens here. Photo processing is also best left till you get home, not only because of the price but especially because of the quality. Many travelers say they save by not taking any photos—just buying postcards and slides locally wherever they visit. Sunscreens and insect repellents cost more South-of-the Border. If you take prescription medicine, you need to bring it and the prescription. Many medicines available in the states are not available here or are very expensive because they contain imported ingredients. On the other hand, some medicines can be bought at a big savings inside Mexico due to government price controls. The maximum price that can be charged is marked on the package. Eye checkups at the oculist and lens for glasses cost less in Mexico, but the frames cost more. Batteries, portable radios, etc. all cost more. Radios, fishing and snorkeling gear, etc. cost more and the stuff you bring can often be sold at a profit if you take the trouble to look around for a buyer to take them off your hands before you go back. What to buy at a savings in Mexico? Take a good, close look at things in the grocery store or market. Among things that cost less are national liquors (rum, tequila and vodka), cigarettes, hammocks, rope, twine, straw hats, hemp bags, pecans and coffee beans. The US Customs says only a couple kilos of pecans per person, please—the Food & Drug Inspector must inspect them, but doesn't mind a small amount. This usually takes only a few minutes extra at the Customs counter. Some Mexican-made jams, canned chilies, and bottled and packaged chile sauces cost less. Medicinal herbs and teas such as Chamomile cost less. There is usually a herb stall in every Mexican market with prices of anything grown within the country at about half what things cost in the states. Any grocery item produced inside Mexico that is not canned, bottled or made of paper or plastic is usually less expensive — this includes such things as garlic and dried herbs. Handy wooden utensils that can serve as gifts are available for pennies in all Mexican markets. Somewhere in every market there's always a stall that sells simple utilitarian clay pots and baskets to locals at extremely reasonable prices. The stores will also have an inexpensive supply of scrub brushes and cheap bars of brown lye soap that still outperform the most expensive US stain removers. At the same stall they sell chunks of volcanic pumice for pedicures at a better quality and much smaller price than north-of-the-border. Shoes (especially for children) are a very good buy all over Mexico. A lot of the inexpensive styles for adults are the exact same shoes that have Italian labels and cost much more in the US. Children's clothing, however, is extremely expensive in Mexico. The low quality of men's and women's clothes usually makes the purchase debatable. The real savings in Mexico can be found in the area of personal services. Skilled and unskilled labor is still much cheaper than in the States. Medical expenses can be one of the big savings. More and more North Americans are crossing the border to save on certain types of medical services which are cheaper but of the same quality as the US. Labor-intensive medical treatment includes glaucoma operations, plastic surgery and dental work. Costs are generally about one-third the US prices. North American residents living in medium and large Mexican cities can usually recommend capable Mexican doctors and dentists who have treated them or their acquaintances. Jewelers charge similarly low prices and many visitors take advantage of their stay to have specialized jewelry made or have stones set or reset. The labor for body work on cars, paint jobs and upholstery jobs is less, but materials may cost more. Hair cuts, manicures, pedicures, shoe shines and shoe dye jobs are all available just off the tourist trail at rock bottom prices. Massages are also available for a very low price. Most hotels can line up reliable, responsible babysitters at very low rates. Scuba, sailing and windsailing lessons are usually very inexpensive. Stores that sell cloth can refer you to a tailor or seamstress. You can easily get signed up at a gym for exercise or aerobic classes for much less than at home. Yoga, martial arts classes, Spanish language instruction, art, sculpturing and dance classes are also very reasonable. If your trip is basically to study the Spanish language for work-related purposes check to see if you qualify for an IRS deduction for some of the expenses. Other than this, in order to qualify for business deductions you would have to travel solely for business purposes. Some US businessmen do just this—attend Mexican conferences in the field of their interest, make speeches to Mexican groups in connection with their profession, or travel to different parts of Mexico to investigate import-export possibilities. You don't have to work 24 hours a day to qualify, but the trip has to be entirely work-related. Special orders of local arts and crafts are generally welcomed by the craftsmen whether they make paper flowers, piñatas, wood carvings or any of the thousands of other Mexican handicrafts. Good prices can be found in any town or village where a particular item is made, although the best overall selection is most often found in large markets and shops elsewhere. Desk clerks and even shop employees can usually tell you which nearby village makes different craft items. Look around before buying and get a good idea of the price range of the things you're interested in. Buying the best quality you can afford will often result in savings, especially if paying only a few pesos less means buying something of inferior quality. Mexico's bartering system is based on the assumption that anyone with any sense will haggle, so in order to get a good deal you must "regatear" adeptly. Practice makes perfect and Mexico has plenty of beach and street vendors for you to practice with. Competent bargainers save between 10 and 30 percent on an average purchase. Bartering in Mexico is very common and is not an argument, but rather a fun and friendly discussion of a price. No one is offended, as long as things stay light and polite. Once you've been told the asking price, you need to make a counter-offer. This should be less than the amount you're willing to pay. Around one-third or one-half the asking price is a good range. Be prepared for the vendor to come up with a much higher price than the one you just named. Once he has, the fun really begins. If you don't speak Spanish the bargaining communication soon moves to nodding or shaking heads, sad or happy facial expressions and affirmative and negative hand gestures. Shock and surprise are communicated with a rolling of the eyes. Hesitation is expressed with a shrug. The vendors' gestures and tactics will most certainly be more aggressive than what you are accustomed to in flea markets or garage sales in the states. The secret to successful negotiation is to hide your feelings about how much you want something. Another way to gain leverage is to keep a somber expression. Seriously visit another store or vender nearby and pretend to be interested in something there. Having another person with you can be a big advantage since you can play good-tourist, bad-tourist with the vender by having your companion try to talk you out of the purchase. Hopefully a happy bargain will be struck in the end. It's good advice not to miss out on buying something you really want for just a few pesos. The item you didn't buy may haunt you once you're home. Most expensive items are best bought in reputable stores. Pay for these purchases with major credit cards. The credit card companies give you a beneficial rate of exchange and will go to bat for you if the article doesn't turn out to be genuine. Although items in major stores with prices marked on them are not ordinarily bargained for, there is nothing to keep you from making an offer to the owner or manager. The more expensive the article, the more likely he will be to negotiate. While there's no such thing as a free lunch, you can certainly eat better for less at this time of day in Mexico. Almost all Mexican restaurants offer a comida corrida (similar to the Blue Plate Special in the States) between 1 and 4 p.m. They generally have a choice from among several courses and it's invariably the freshest, best food the area has to offer at good prices. Foodstuffs in general are somewhat overpriced in Mexico today due to inefficient agricultural practices, greedy middlemen and an overheated peso. Finding good, inexpensive restaurants can be a major help to your vacation budget. Se llega a Roma con la lengua, the Mexicans say: one finds his way to Rome with his tongue, or asking questions is the best way to get around and not get cheated or lost. Asking Mexican travelers for recommendations on restaurants will turn up some good eateries. Mexicans in all income brackets pride themselves on getting full value when they eat out. Another way is "ganging up" on the restaurants. Hotel restaurants might be persuaded to give "meal rates" to large families or a number of travelers who deal with the hotel as a group. Bring friends or make them on the spot. Small family restaurants will certainly cut you a deal and serve you a good meal for a group, especially if you go in the day before to talk over the menu and set a price. You can trim the price a little further by accepting the restaurant's recommendations on the menu and having everyone agree to limit their choice of a main dish to just one thing, served family-style. Groups can also get similar discounts for renting water sports equipment for a large total number of hours and dividing it up. The same applies to deep-sea fishing, horseback riding and any number of rentals or activities. Small groups can probably get a personalized tour of the countryside by a taxi driver, have more fun and pay less than on the tour buses. No matter how small your group is, you can try for a discount. A group of 20 Canadians who have nothing more in common than that they decided to travel together to save money have bought themselves time-shares at the Vidafel in Mazatlán at quite a savings because they dealt with the company as a group. They have enjoyed their group vacations in recent years and are now negotiating with Torres de Mazatlán for additional time-share weeks. Having a Mexican picnic is another way to cut down on food costs. Fresh bolillos from the panaderia are a must. Make a stop at any market for the rest of your supplies: fresh fruit, cheeses, beer, wine (Santo Tomas Vino Tinto or Viña San Emilión are not expensive). Then find a nice spot in the Mexican countryside and enjoy. Once you are inside Mexico, look for any tours oriented to Mexican travelers. Some of the best are the Paseos Culturales offered by the Department of the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico City. One-day tours depart regularly to areas of interest outside the metropolitan area. Others are longer and go to places like the Maya Zone of Campeche and the Yucatán. The tours are offered at a low cost and the overnight stays are booked in good, medium-class hotels. The Paseos Culturales Office is in the basement of the National Museum of Anthropology on Avenida Reforma at the corner of Gandhi Street. You might find some great inexpensive souvenirs or gifts—posters of Mexican paintings and murals, and copies of famous Aztec sculptures, in the store in the same basement area. Other museums around the country also organize inexpensive tours to nearby places of interest for Mexicans but are happy to have foreigners join them. Checking with Mexicana Airlines for their "VTP" all-included, three-day excursions to points of interest can turn up some good deals in the off season. Local museums, newspapers and the local branch of INBA (Instituto National de Bellas Artes) can also clue you in on lots of free or inexpensive entertainment available in the area you're visiting. Tourism Offices often forget to tell foreign visitors about local theater, art and musical events. Entertainment savings can also be had by planning your vacation around a fair or festival. One of the most popular is the famous Feria Nacional de San Marcos at Aquascalientes in the state of the same name, the last two weeks in April and the first week in May. Colima's state fair in Manzanillo takes place the first week in May. Morelia, Michoacán, has a fair the first two weeks in May. The City of Puebla has one the last week in April and San Juan del Río, Querétaro, has a fair during last three weeks in June. There is some type of free public entertainment at every town square on Sunday afternoons and you can usually find out about other weekly entertainment by asking at City Hall (el Ayuntamiento). Saving money on a trip to Mexico needs to begin long before you cross the border. That's the time to ask yourself how much those big, Americanized hotels really mean to you. Do you actually need a phone or television set in your room? Who would miss waiting in line at the busy front desk or walking forever to get to your room? Or having the taxi drivers at the hotel entrance behave like vultures who haven't seen food for days every time you go out? How important are wrapped water glasses or Astro turf carpets on your Mexican vacation? If you really want these things on your beach vacation but want to save money too, consider hotels near but not right on the beaches. These will charge about half of what the beach-front hotels charge and services are usually similar. You can save big pesos by walking a few steps to the beach and can bask on any strip of sand you choose since all Mexico's beaches are a part of the public domain and not privately owned. If you're arriving somewhere with no reservations, it's good to have a list of alternate hotels, especially if you're arriving late in the day. Taxi drivers are usually more interested in getting a commission from a hotel they have an arrangement with than helping you find what you want. In the center of the country, some of the older, colonial-style hotels that look a little run-down can turn out to be great bargains. They are usually economical and it's fun to sleep in a huge, high-ceiling room furnished with ancient furniture and have handmade tiles in the bathroom. Checking out several hotels in the same price range usually brings some surprises. Quality does not necessarily vary according to cost. Of two hotels with identical rates, one might offer comfortable beds, a fan, a beautiful garden or patio and free inside parking. Another at the same price may have broken bedsprings, a lack of cleanliness and no parking. Check out the room and ask to see at least one other room. In Mexico, as in all the world, you'll usually be shown the least desirable room first, in the hope that you'll take it. Bartering in these places is fine. It's a good idea to let people know you might end up with their competition. Asking for any kind of discount within reason may get you one. Ask for a senior citizen's discount if you're over 50, or a rate for members of some organization you belong to or a "corporate rate." Generally this inquiry is taken as your way of asking for any possible discount and you get one without anyone asking you for any special identification. Return to top |
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