Full-timer Entering Mexico - Worth it?

[wendywoods]

Looking for some advice. We are full-timers in an Airstream. Rented a house in Baja for Christmas week this year, we want to take our Airstream down and park it outside while we are there. Just realized the contents of the Airstream probably exceed customs limits for what people can take into the country. Does this mean I need to get rid of everything that doesn't meet the requirements, or is it better not to take it with us? Please let me know what you think. I already bought insurance for the coach and the truck! But if we have to find storage elsewhere for all our stuff it may not be worth it. Thank you!!!!! Wendy

[StevieB]

DO NOT TAKE IT, UNLESS YOU HAVE AN ARMED ESCORT. Find a place to store it, and fly in and out. That is the safest way to travel thru the area. An Airstream is too big of a target.

[mayco]

Remember that firearms are illegal in Mexico also. Very stiff penalties are imposed on those caught with a gun....i believe its manditory prison time. As far as customs is concerned, people RV to Mexico all the time in all sorts of motorhomes and TT. I dont think your contents will be a problem unless youre carrying over $10000 in cash. My wife and I have traveled to MX many many times, we have never encountered any threatening situations. We are headed there in Jan hopefully. Have fun.

[r carl]

If you get in trouble south of the border don't expect any help from north of the border nowadays.

[mojo]

Use the search function to find those who have been down to Baja recently to get there advice and tips for travel and send them a PM. Have read only good stories from those who have reported here. There is no drug cartel in Baja. I would imagine the naysayers have never been down to Baja.

[LaBambiEd]

No worries. Go to www.Rollinghomes.com for updates on any RV problems in your area. Mexico is fun and inexpensive - the people are friendly and warm and the food is fabulous. I have friends who go all winter to Baja every year and none of us have had any problems.

[Ahab]

Originally Posted by mojo

Use the search function to find those who have been down to Baja recently to get there advice and tips for travel and send them a PM. Have read only good stories from those who have reported here. There is no drug cartel in Baja. I would imagine the naysayers have never been down to Baja.

You imagine correctly, those ignorant statements are usually made by well meaning people who don't have a clue.

[AWCHIEF]

I so agree with both the last statements. I regularly go to Mexico and spend a lot of time off the beaten path. I have come across dozen of folks traveling with their trailers and pickup campers. Not one has ever reported any problems too me, except for the normal electrical issues. Belive it or not in huge parts of Mexico serious crime is almost nonexistent. Plan well and do your homework prior to the trip.

[m.hony]

I get varying accounts on the real dangers of the drug cartels in Mexico. Some say it is just near the border. Others say it is throughout the country. Baja is separated from the rest of Mexico. Seems like it could be totally different. Seems like I saw a really nice, long video on another thread about a couple's travels into baja in an RV caravan just a couple of days ago. I traveled 5 states in Mexico in 2005 with no trouble whatsoever. We did have lots of warnings from the locals about where not to go because of "banditos". We headed there advice, as we thought they were really looking out for our well-being. I would think that the "turista" areas would be OK because they rely on tourists for their income.

[pappy19]

My thought is why take the chance? If you want to drive into Mexico, why not rent a car and drive? I've done that a few times, but I will never, never take my vehicle or AS into Mexico, no way.

[Don.44]

Do you belong to AAA ? ask their advise
Don

[B00merang]

I think Pappy said it best...why take a chance? Especially since you already rented a house in Baja, and won't need the AS for housing. That is what we have done in the past. Safe travels. Jon

[Kevin245]

Unless it is a short distance I question why take the Airstream at all if you don't intend to use it while in Mexico.

Can you leave it at your current location for the week you are gone? If not, have you looked into campground storage in your area? Most campgrounds have reasonable storage rates.

[RV Doctor]

I have been travelling Mexico by RV and AS since 1970. There is a saying amongst NorteAmericanos... that everything is wonderful in Mexico until something happens. In all our travels, we have never had an incident... mind you, we don't go out at night and tend to watch our surroundings... if we don't feel good, we move on.
The Baja is the safest area of Mexico in our opinion... just remember that you have an 1100 mile run to lands end... it is a narrow, two lane road which is great for a car. We have seen trailers go over the edge of the road and encounter damage due to little or no shoulder... the Baja also has vast, barren areas which connect the cities and towns... it is very arid, like Arizona... incredibly beautiful and spectacular. Last winter we left our diesel pusher in Palm Springs and just drove our tow car. Personally, for the time you are there, I wouldn't tow the AS for 2200 miles (let alone Mex 1) to just park it at the rental. BTW, I hope you are aware that lands end got hammered by 3 major hurricanes this fall... one of which (Odile) went all the way up the Baja... causing all kinds of damage... it may be fixed but there again, it is Mexico and one can never be 100% sure of anything. That is part of the wonder and adventure that is Mexico. We, as Canadians do not own or carry any weapons... and we have been over the entire country camping... we feel safer in Mexico than many areas of the US. As has been mentioned, DO NOT take any firearms or ammo into Mexico... it is not allowed in any way. If caught, it will go very bad for you. Lots of websites on Mex and Baja travel.
Ensure you service your vehicle properly prior to the trip and fill your fuel tank at every opportunity... the Pemex's can at times run out of fuel in some areas.
Good Luck!
Tony

[Phoenix]

See current travel conditions and warnings at this link, then decide for yourself:

Mexico Travel Warning

For us, the U.S.A. offers vast travel opportunities; and if that isn't enough, Canada is a much safer destination. Besides, we've camped in enough desert areas in the southwest.

Personally, we do not travel into Mexico.

[TBRich]

We have been to Rocky Point (Perto Peñasco) several times...but not on the Baja, RPoint is not far into Mexico and an American-friendly place. We've never had a problem, but we have traveled with others. That said, if we were not going to actually USE our Airstream we would probably opt not to take it.

[B00merang]

Miz Wendy
This article was published by ABC News tonite. Maybe think this over once more. I wouldn't want to pull my 20ft FC "Daisy" through/into this situation. Safe travels if you do, however. Jon
The normally bucolic, vacationer-crowded state at the tip of Mexico's Baja peninsula has become a battleground, with dozens of killings in a power struggle following the capture of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman nearly a year ago.
The bloodshed has been concentrated in La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur state. In the latest killings, two men bound, gagged and showing signs of torture were dumped onto streets in exclusive neighborhoods Sunday and another person was found shot to death Tuesday.
The local newspaper El Sudcaliforniano, which puts the mounting death toll in each headline on stories about violence, has reported 46 homicides in and around the city so far this year. That doesn't include the apparent shooting victim on a La Paz sidewalk Tuesday. Federal statistics through October counted 48 killings for the entire state.
Baja California Sur is better known for its beaches and Los Cabos resorts that draw thousands of American tourists. But since last year it has experienced a level of drug violence it had previously been spared.

[Jim Foster]

Originally Posted by wendywoods

Looking for some advice. We are full-timers in an Airstream. Rented a house in Baja for Christmas week this year, we want to take our Airstream down and park it outside while we are there. Just realized the contents of the Airstream probably exceed customs limits for what people can take into the country. Does this mean I need to get rid of everything that doesn't meet the requirements, or is it better not to take it with us? Please let me know what you think. I already bought insurance for the coach and the truck! But if we have to find storage elsewhere for all our stuff it may not be worth it. Thank you!!!!! Wendy

Where in Baja?

[Lily&Me]

Doug refused to go to Mexico, and said that if he ever had to come in there after me because I went with others, there would be hell to pay.

We have friends who go regularly while wintering in Texas, to select border towns, and love it, have never had a problem.

Mexico always seems to be a black or white perspective.


Maggie

[streaminwild]

Mexico always seems to be a black or white perspective.


Maggie[/QUOTE]
I have two siblings that are Border Patrol agents. So my perspective would be ''very black''.[QUOTE]