Mexico, South America
Choose Mexico.
Multiple trips across years. Cabo, Cozumel, Baja, Rosarito. Mexico isn't one country — it's many. Here's what we learned in each.
Mexico Isn't One Country. It's Many.
The single most important thing to understand before you go.
Most travel writing treats Mexico like one place. It isn't. The laid-back rhythm of Cozumel has nothing to do with the resort energy of Cabo, which has nothing to do with the border-town hustle of Rosarito, which has nothing to do with the colonial culture of mainland Mexico.
Treating "Mexico" like one experience is how people end up scared of all of it — or, the opposite, end up somewhere they shouldn't be because they read "Mexico is fine."
We've been to multiple regions across multiple years, and we'll tell you what each was like — separately. Because that's how Mexico actually works.
Mexico at a Glance
Official information you need before you go.
Mexico Safety: It Depends Entirely on Where You Are.
The honest, lived-experience version of the Mexico safety conversation — not the news-cycle panic version, and not the all-inclusive marketing version.
Mexico, Region by Region
Our actual experiences in four very different parts of the country.
Most visitors know Cabo as one thing: the marina, the clubs, the spring-break strip, the Squid Roe / Cabo Wabo circuit. That's not the Cabo we love.
The Cabo we love is the in-town side — the central plaza where the town square comes alive at night with families and music and dancing. Locals out with their kids, vendors selling elotes, abuelas on benches, mariachi drifting through. It's warm in every sense of the word. That's the Cabo we keep going back for.
We also adored:
- Puerto Los Cabos Golf Club — the single best golf course we've ever played. Also one of the best meals we've had at any clubhouse. World-class everything.
- The Arch tour (El Arco) by boat — yes it's touristy. We are tourists. We loved it.
- Whale and dolphin watching — being out on the ocean watching majestic creatures is one of the great joys of travel. Don't let "touristy" stop you.
Cozumel is the laid-back island of the Mexican Caribbean. World-class diving and snorkeling, postcard-clear water, and a rhythm that's slower than the rest of the Riviera Maya. We've been so many times that, honestly, we don't even do the activities anymore.
These days, our Cozumel routine is simple: find a good restaurant, soak up the food, let the cruise crowds and dive groups have their fun. That's our version of paradise. Yours might still include the diving and the day excursions — and you should absolutely do them if you haven't yet. The reefs here are legitimately incredible.
If it's your first time: rent a Jeep, drive the island loop, swim at Punta Sur, eat at a local cocina económica away from the cruise piers. You won't regret any of it.
The southern half of the Baja peninsula — anchored by Cabo and San José del Cabo, extending up through Todos Santos and La Paz — is one of our favorite regions of Mexico. Desert meeting ocean. Whales in season. Genuine hospitality. The further north you go from Cabo, the wilder it gets, and there's real road-trip magic up the peninsula's spine.
We've avoided Rosarito and the northern Baja region for years now. This isn't theoretical concern — it's a known and ongoing safety situation that hasn't meaningfully improved. The proximity to the Tijuana area, the cartel activity in the region, and the volume of incidents over the past decade have all made it a hard pass for us.
If you're committed to this region, do extensive current research — not just blog posts from 2019. Things change. Read both US and Mexican government advisories. Talk to people who've been in the last six months. And consider whether the Cabo–Cozumel alternatives might give you the same experience without the variables.
What We Love About Mexico
The reasons we keep going back, trip after trip.
The Food. The Real Food.
We are absolute suckers for traditional, authentic Mexican street food. Simple, delicious, made by someone whose family has been making it for generations. Pastor off a vertical spit. Fish tacos in Baja with cabbage and crema. Cochinita pibil in the Yucatán wrapped in banana leaf. Elotes in styrofoam cups with chili powder and lime. The kind of food that has no marketing budget and doesn't need one.
The fancy resort restaurants are fine. They're also forgettable compared to a $3 plate eaten standing up at a sidewalk stall. Find the line of locals — eat where they're eating.
The Mexican People
The single most underrated thing about Mexico is its people. Authentic, patriotic, humble. Mexicans we've met across every region have been caring, kind, giving, and happy. They love their country in a way Americans rarely talk about loving theirs. They're proud of their food, their music, their families, their saints, their teams. And they extend that same warmth to visitors who treat them with respect.
Learn a few words of Spanish — gracias, por favor, buenos días. Tip generously, in cash, in pesos. Smile back. The hospitality you'll receive in return is something most travelers never even know they missed.
The Town Plazas at Night
In every Mexican town worth knowing, the central plaza becomes the heart of the community after sunset. Families spread blankets. Kids chase pigeons. Old men play dominoes. Musicians appear. Vendors push carts of churros and tamales. There's nothing like it in the US — we don't have a single equivalent.
Skip the resort buffet one night. Go to the plaza. Buy something from a vendor. Sit on a bench. Watch. That's the Mexico worth flying for.
The Ocean — Whales, Dolphins, Reefs
From the Pacific gray-whale migration in Baja to the Caribbean reefs of Cozumel, Mexico's two coasts are two completely different ocean ecosystems and we love both. There's nothing that makes us happier than being out on the water searching for majestic creatures. Yes, even when it's a packaged tour. Yes, even when there are 30 other people on the boat. The first time a whale breaches twenty feet from you, none of that matters.
Cozumel for reefs and warm water. Baja for whales and dolphins. Both worth the entire trip on their own.
"But Isn't That Touristy?"
A short philosophy break.
"Yes, it's touristy. We are tourists."
The cultural pressure to pretend you're not a tourist — to roll your eyes at the Arch tour, to skip the dolphin boat, to avoid the busy plaza — comes from the same place as every other gatekeeping impulse on the internet. It's nonsense. Some things are popular because they're worth doing.
We've been to four different regions of Mexico across many years. We've taken the boat to the Arch. We've watched the whales. We've eaten at the tourist plaza. And we've also wandered into small-town nights nobody filmed. The best Mexico trip is the one that's honest about who you are and what you want to see.
Plan Your Mexico Trip
Free resources we built to make this easier for you.
Global Visa Directory
Mexico's FMM tourist card info and the official government links for 197 countries. Verified sources, no scams, no email gate. Apply direct.
Explore the Directory →Global Travel Tracker
The spreadsheet we built for tracking travel across multiple countries and trips. 9 tabs for visas, budget, packing, and reference data — including Mexico.
Get the Tracker →Choose your vibe
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