Travel Talk Sat March 14: Mexico (online, everyone welcome)

FUTURE ONLINE MEETINGS: 2nd Saturdays, except as noted

April 11: destination TBD, seeking volunteers

May 9: Valencia and Southern Spain
- I will just have been back from a week in Valencia and can share insights
- have you recently been to Spain and have stories? please RSVP and let me know in the comments

July 11: Christmas Markets planning in July
August 8: Greece, travels and tips beyond Athens

I'd like to attend.

Hello. I would like to attend also. I’ll buy longer sheets of paper so I can add on to my wishlist!
Thank you,
Kim

Another one I'll sadly miss, we will be in Japan!

Please count me in, as Mexico is definitely on my list (Mexico City to be precise)!

Thanks,
Cynthia

I'd love to join and am happy to share as little or as much as people would be interested in after living here 6 years and visiting 15 states plus CDMX.

Sign me up, thanks!

Janet, terrific, glad you can make it! kmora58608, maybe bring back some A4 paper from Europe!

Andrea, let me check, hmmm, yes, "I'll be tripping on my own travels" is on the list of approved absences. However, we will miss you!

ponygirl813, my trip starts in Mexico City. I do wish I had followed my plan for Europe to arrive a couple of days ahead. Alas, I only have half a day before the tour starts, but I have researched lots of great options!

I’d like to join.

I am sad to miss - just hits an unfortunate conflict. And I am even sadder to miss April and Valencia since I will be in Valencia in November. But I have May and August on my calendar (and hopefully July)!

Sign me up, please! And I wish I could talk about Spain on May 9th - I’ll have just done a month there but I won’t quite be home yet.

Please add me to your list. We have never been to Mexico but as others have said, it’s on the list.

Lane, I love that you will be joining! We might let you talk for the full 2 hours ;-)

I agree about wanting to hear Lane.

Do you have any leads on how to find a dinner-with-locals type of activity in Nuevo Leon?

please count me in!

Oh, Mexico sounds great! Please count me in, CW!

Where in Mexico, and when will you be there? And Avirosemail? I'm heading to Mexico City in 2 weeks? I'm not sure if I'll be around to listen in on March 14th, but sign me up as tentative.

Where in Mexico, and when will you be there?

Allan, we could very well cross paths! I will be in Mexico City beginning Feb 12th for 3 nights, including Valentine's Day! And yes, they celebrate it, restaurants were booked up months ahead when I was checking.

Are you there during that time? I'll be on a tour, so not (as someone phrased it recently) the mistress of my own time during the day, but perhaps some options after the tour days end.

This sounds interesting. Please count me in.

Are you there during that time?

No, we arrive on the 19th.

I or we hope to attend.

Let me know if you'd like me to put together a short slide show of some of the highlights of my travels in Mexico. (But no, not for the whole two hours!!!)

Lane, I think that's a great idea. What locations in Mexico would you suggest? I think you have a reasonable idea of the range of the audience, many of whom might be first time to Mexico, but not necessarily looking to go to a beach resort.

And definitely not for 2 hours, haha! Maybe 15 minutes, perhaps 20? And a bit extra if there are questions. Any more than that and eyes start to glaze over.

Everyone - please feel free to give input if there are specific locations in Mexico that interest you. Perhaps Lane has been there!

Catherine, I'm sure I can come up with a nice short presentation about three or four locations. I'd probably highlight Copper Canyon, Oaxaca, and Guanajuato, and maybe one or two of the interesting pueblos mágicos I've been to. Or I could share about the two road trips I took. But i'm happy to talk about any of the locations I've visited.

I could also share about the relocation process, although that probably has a limited audience. But I'm happy to follow up with anyone who has questions about it.

Looking forward to it.

Is this a Zoom online meeting?

Count me in! I have been to Mexico at least 10 times and we are heading to Baja in 2 weeks for gray whales.

@Allan, I will be returning late on President's Day from Nuevo Leon so no overlap with your trip.

No point in me looking for fun in the sun (as Rick calls it) since my ortho says no hot tub or soaking or ocean water for me until next season anyway. I am doing cultural stuff, including a lot of local cuisine -- frijoles charros, cabrito, the usual light fare. Ha.

Is this a Zoom online meeting?

Yes, it is. I'll send the meeting link to respondents much nearer the meeting date.

Lane, I’m very interested in Oaxaca, Guanajuato, and San Miguel de Allende (if you have been there).

Barbara, I have been to SMA, and I can share some about that as well. But because it's a pretty well-known location (on the UNESCO World Heritage List and frequently at the top of list of the world's most beautiful cities), I think there is a ton of info out there, and I'm not sure my visits there can add much insight.

Please sign me up for this one. Thanks

Amazing places here in Central Mexico, wow! I keep thinking the towns can't get any better, and then they are!

Loving all of them: Mexico City, Morelia, Guanajuato, Querétaro and now Puebla. Last stop will be Oaxaca.

Puebla's Zocalo is so lively and energetic in the evening. It's remarkable.

We loved Puebla. So glad you are enjoying the tour.

justa thought - given that The Man in Seat 61 will be on Monday Night and then that will be on U-Tubb perhaps if questions about train travel a snippet of the Monday night might be shared with the group

Hi all, our chat about Mexico should be interesting. I am safe in Puebla tonight. Our tour moves tomorrow to Oaxaca for our last stop.

Please keep any comments travel related so this thread is not deleted. No politics, please. We need this thread to keep the meeting on track.

I am very glad that I am on a tour, so that the tour company should be watching out for our safety.

avirosemail, I hope you will check in!

23 Feb 2026 850am Central Time

Our tour is continuing onward to our final stop of Oaxaca. The roads are open; the toll stations are operating; the rest stops are open for business. All is calm on our route, as we are moving away from the trouble zones.

The tour behind us had to turn around, as they were moving through / towards the trouble.

I am getting an interesting geography lesson: Oaxaca (the state) is a big place. Oaxaca (the city) is the Capitol, and not near the (current) troubled areas.

Thanks for the update, CW. I've been thinking about you.

I’ve been thinking of you (and Lane). Thanks for the update.

I've been having some trouble with posting here but if I could I would have set your minds at ease, because I was back home as of last Tuesday.

That's great news, thanks for the update "avirosemail."

Oaxaca is calm, peaceful and charming, with no signs of any unrest. The US State Department has said "the situation has returned to normal in the following areas" including Oaxaca.

I wonder whether the tour behind us will be able to pick back up with their itinerary.

good to know, CWSocial and avirosemail

Avi, how did the arm do with the luggage?

I mention some arm stuff in the trippy bit here:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/monterrey-bocadito-viajero-viejo

I've not been to Mexico but I'm always interested in where you all go, so please count me in!
And thanks!

For anyone interested in Oaxaca, I answered some questions about how we spent our tour time on this thread:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/seeking-advice-on-oaxaca

Thinking back through everything, the tour was one of the best for value (and fun) for money.

A reminder of Tammy's trip report:

"Road Scholar Tour Best of Central Mexico-Magical Towns & Bustling Cities, January, 2024"

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/road-scholar-best-of-central-mexico-magical-towns-bustling-cities-january-2024

And linked in her trip report is her photo book:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/861yFdWPcaBVTcjS8

Although she gives the food an overall C+ rating, the creamy avocado ice cream may be my favorite anywhere!

Thank you for the colorful inspiration, Tammy!! I am so glad to have traveled beyond my history of Mexican resort towns!