Air-conditioning               

Make sure when going to a shopping mall or any other place inside to bring a waistcoat or sweater. Mexican people love the air-conditioning and it is freezing inside. You don’t want to get a cold.

Also keep the AC off during the night, put it on 2 hours before you go to sleep and put it off when you go to sleep.

 

Alligators                                               

Along Blvd. Kukulkan (Hotel Zone) there are alligators in the bushes along the path, don’t be naive, just believe that they are in there and don’t go to check. As long as you stay at the path, they won’t show up.

 

From downtown to hotel zone         

When you want to take a trip downtown, take the bus. This is much cheaper, when you want to take the taxi just take the taxi from downtown to the entrance of the hotel zone and take the bus there to bring you to the hotel.

 

Language                                               

Beware that it is not as common as the hotel zone that people downtown speak any English. Prepare yourself by studying some standard sentences and don’t be annoyed if they don’t speak English, you are in their country so you should adjust yourself.

 

Plug                                          

In Mexico they have the same electricity plug as in the US, make sure you bring an adapter before coming to Mexico. The plug is type A/B with 60 Hz.

Also keep in mind that the voltage only 120 volt is (220 in Europe) so loading might take longer.

 

Meeting people               

If you are staying for a longer period of time in Mexico take a look at Couchsurfing.com. This is a website to meet other travellers and in this case you won’t be lonely.

 

Drinking water                  

You cannot drink the tap water in Mexico. However, you can brush your teeth and wash your vegetables with it. Just buy big bottles of water in the grocery store.

 

Mosquitos                           

Bring spray with you. There are mosquitos over here and you don’t want to be eaten. Make sure you keep your windows closed in the night when having lights on. 

 

Tips                                                            

You have to give a lot of tips in Cancun. When you go to the grocery store you give a tip to the people who pack your bag; when you are out for dinner you give the waitress a tip; and so forth.

 

Police pullover

Let's hope this will not happen during your stay. But when you have rented a car, you have a risk of being pulled over by the police. Reasons to pull you over are speeding, drinking, and just personal checks. Just make sure you are not speeding and nothing will happen. 

 

In case you have been speeding and the police pull you over:

WHAT TO DO:

- Stay calm and try to understand what the police officer is trying to say (their English is not very well in most cases)

- Make sure you can show the rental papers of the car and your driver's license.

- While they are checking you, make sure you write down the series number on their police car.

- ALWAYS let them write you a ticket if you have been speeding

- NEVER give them money for 'let it go away' In most cases they will not actually write you a ticket since they cannot really harm tourists, the ticket you will have to pay at the police station is in most cases only 4 or 5 US dollars. Do don't give them 200 pesos to 'let it go away'

- If they want you to give them money, go to a police station in Cancún and report the series number of the car. (They are not allowed to ask you for money)

 

WHAT NOT TO DO

- Give them 'go away' money

- Speeding

- Driving when you drank alcohol (over 2 beers it's illegal and you will be brought to jail to sober up and you will have to pay a very high fee)

 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

- Don't be scared if the police have their flashing lights on, most of the police cars always have these on. Only when they make sound you should pull over or when they want to pass you go out of their way. 

- It could happen that the police car that pulls you over has officers with machine guns in the back of the car, this is competely normal. 

- When police officers claim that you where speeding, don't start a discussion with them. In Mexico you are guilty until proven you are not. Starting a discussion will only harm you.