ESSENTIAL CANCUN TRAVEL GUIDE (2023)

**If you're traveling from the USA, check the travel information HERE to make sure there are no warnings on the  Mexico Travel Advisory website**

**If you are looking for travel insurance, we always use Travel Insurance Masters. Click HERE to get a quick free quote (you should see my name - Ashley Broders - in the top left corner) **

1. Download all apps before leaving home (unless you have a cell plan... we have AT&T with full coverage in Canada & Mexico- check with your carrier to get the same)... see the list of apps we utilized the most HERE.

2. Print off ALL your travel information and take it with you!! - Before entering Cancun Mexico, your airlines should give you an immigration form, requiring you to fill in all your travel information (Hotel name and physical address, airline name & flight #, total amount of travel days). I suggest just printing out your itinerary, which should have all the info you need.

• You will be required to fill out this form known as the Identification Data card. They will have the form lying around in the general area, or you can FILL IT OUT HERE before you leave home, print it out, and take it with you (will need hotel name & physical address, travel dates and amount of days, airline name & flight #).
• If you are entering via land (not air), you will need to fill out this form known as the Multiple Migratory Form (MMF) (also known as a tourist card) before going thru customs! 

QUICK TIP: Be sure to stick a pen in your carry-on... if you don't fill these forms out at home, the airlines (& while on the plane) won't give you a pen to fill these papers out and that's when chaos begins. 

QUICK TIP #2: DO NOT PAY FOR ANY FORMS ONLINE!!! There are multiple companies out there that say you have to pay for the MMF form, you don't! I supplied the link above!

3. Pack a few snacks for your flight ... I don't know about you, but as soon as I step foot into the airport, I see all the snacks and end up paying double for a Snickers bar and Pringles 🤦‍♀️ and then I do it AGAIN while ON THE FLIGHT 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ Don't be like me 😂

8. Bring tip money to Cancun -  Is it better to use pesos or dollars in Cancun?

•  Mexico accepts Pesos & the US Dollar for currency usage. To be honest, we primarily used our travel credit card (best card to get FREE flights & rooms). We took multiple small bills (1's & 5's), and didn't bother with Pesos. A great app to have handy is called 'Dollar to Peso'. Be aware it's easy to loose track of the exchange amount when utilizing US Dollars! 
• If you only want to use pesos, you can order some at your local bank OR exchange your US Dollars when you are down in Cancun. The resort should have pesos that you can exchange for your dollars, and typically, they don't charge a fee! Just ask the front desk when you get checked in!
• We noticed the more you tip, the better/quicker the service... plus, it's always our goal to give to those working the hardest and providing the best customer service. $1 goes a long way in Mexico! And Peso's work too.... make sure you know the exchange rate or download the 'Dollar to Peso' app (for US Dollars). That said, when you pay with USD, it's easy to spend more than you need... just pay attention to the exchange rate!
• We primarily used our Capital One VentureX Visa card when possible, otherwise it was cash when needed.
• Yes... you can exchange cash there at all the 900 thousand exchange booths, but we know from previous experience, the USD 'talks more' in Mexico and not to mention, all the exchange booths charge a FEE 🥴
• For 10 days in Mexico, we brought about $500 (USD) in small bills (100 x $1, 10 x $5, 11 x $10, 12 x $20). We ran out of $1's the quickest!
• Taxi's ONLY TAKE CASH NOT CARD! We met a great taxi driver and we suggest using him when you need to get around... here's his info: Hector the Connector at +52 9988 450 968  .... he speaks EXCELLENT english and he was very transparent and honest with us and we officially have a friend in Mexico! Also, he is a great resource when asking about things to do in Cancun & if there is any sargassum on the beach too (it's the little things)! 

12. Best Apps To Download For Mexico Travel - These are the apps we primarily used while in Cancun Mexico. You will want to download these before you leave your hometown, so you can utilize them when you arrive in Mexico (while attached to Wi-Fi). These are available in your app store FOR FREE (except for Netflix).

•  WhatsApp (free texting over wifi)- We used this to connect with everyone, especially if they had a local Cancun phone number.  
• Dollar To Peso - conversion rate calculator for your money.... this came in handy in the beginning until we remembered what the rate was if we didn't have wifi access to calculate
• Google Translate - translation app... Yep... this also came in handy! 99% of the people we spoke with knew English well, so we didn't have to depend on this too much.
• Google Maps - Did you know you can download an offline map of the area before leaving your home country? This was convenient... especially when we wanted to find the grocery store! If you don't know how to download an offline map from Google Maps, shoot me a message, and I will be happy to help!
• Your Airlines Flight app- Download the app of who you are flying with (ie Frontier, American Airlines, etc) & get your boarding details, flight info, and use your phone as your boarding pass. This is also handy in case your gate number changes last second, it will send you a notification immediatly (allow all notifications on your phone for the specific app)! AIRLINE TIP: If we are booking flights & rooms separately, consider searching HOPPER! We have booked last minute flights for HALF PRICE vs what other companies offer (even our travel agency)! HERE is our referral code for you!
• Netflix - download your favorite show and watch it without an internet connection during your flight/layover. Nate always gets bored on the plane while I am editing a YouTube video, so I always download a few movies for him 😜