North Yucatan and Merida

Western and Southern Yucatan

Tulum and the Mayan Riviera

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Related posts:

1. The family trip to Mexico, Part two: Camping with kids in the jungle.
2. Planning the family trip to Mexico, Part 3: Up the ‘Riviera Maya’
3. Mexico travel planning: Can we backpack with kids in the Yucatan over Christmas?

Don’t bring big luggage. We generally like to carry a lot of stuff and it’s tempting to bring large bags. Increasingly, with luggage weight limits, airline bag fees and rental car trunks getting smaller, it’s a tricky balance of size and quantity. I recommend multiple smaller bags including a few lightweight duffel bags, because they can be squished into irregular spaces, like car trunks.

Do give Mom some time by herself. There is so much closeness on a long family adventure that it’s easy for adults to get a form of ‘cabin-fever.’ Trish needs time alone to recharge once in a while, and we didn’t find the time for her. She got a little grumpy at points. A solo walk down the beach, or a nap indoors while Dad takes the kids on a hike would have been helpful.

Don’t forget the Bug spray. Seriously, the bugs can be bad. Bring bug spray and use it. We really liked the spray with Picaridin, like this one from Cutter. Our only mistake was taking just a single bottle. We needed more.

Related posts:

1. Ten family travel tips from Mexico – part one
2. Mexico travel plan part one: Ruins, Cenotes and Flamingos oh my!
3. The family trip to Mexico, Part two: Camping with kids in the jungle.

Don’t go with one computer Even though I was the only one on the road  working, we found one computer not enough to handle the live travel blogging.  A netbook, like the one we own, would probably have been enough.

Do store at least one credit card separately. We carry three cards when traveling.  It was a lifesaver that we had put one card (with some cash) separately in our suitcase.  When my wallet got stolen, we still had one that we could use.  In retrospect, I would have kept a spare Visa or Mastercard instead. The American Express wasn’t as useful as we hoped.

Don’t forget to phone your bank and credit cards before you leave. We did this for the Middle East, but forgot to do this for Mexico.  After the great Mexican wallet theft we had to begin taking a lot of money out of ATM’s. Bank of America got worried and shut off the ATM card. It took a few nerve-wracking hours to get it corrected and could have delayed us by three days because of bank holidays.

Do bring Starbucks Via instant on your next trip.  The Italian roast is really good, a thousand times better than Nescafe.  I’ve always felt like the giant jar of Nescafe at the breakfast table was taunting me, laughing at my helplessness and misfortune.   Now I have the last laugh.

Related posts:

1. Ten family travel tips from Mexico – part two.
2. Mexico travel plan part one: Ruins, Cenotes and Flamingos oh my!
3. The family trip to Mexico, Part two: Camping with kids in the jungle.

Best Beach [EVER]: Tulum: Perfect, powdery sand; clear, turquoise water; just-right waves for body surfing; totally empty — these are the perfect beach cliches. And, even with explosive development, Tulum still delivers. We could even hear the waves breaking at night through the open window. Paradise.

Disneyland o Mexico? Award: Tie Xcaret and Tulum Ruins. WTF is going on in the “Riviera Maya?” Twenty years of rapid development I suppose. The beach south of the Tulum ruins, a deserted paradise 20 years ago, is now wall-to-wall with 80 small hotels. That’s EIGHTY hotels in the space of about five miles. Luckily Tulum forces each and every one of those to generate their own electricity, so the development is low-rise and the beach still feels like your very own. But the ruins north to Cancun… ZOMG. We counted at least four major amusement attractions including Xcaret, Xel-ha, Hidden Worlds and Xplore. The Tulum Zona Archaeologica has been lanscaped, roped off and cleaned up to attract the tourist swarms from the nearby hotels. Good for you, Mexico, it does look gorgeous. Just REALLY different from the dusty, deserted, beachside paradise I remember from the 1990s.

Related posts:

1. Tinkerhell’s Best and Worst of Mexico Numero Uno
2. Tinkerhell’s Best and Worst of Mexico, Numero Dos
3. Tinkerhell’s Best and Worst of Mexico, Numero Tres

Best Cenote for Thiefs: Ik Kil. Ik Kil’s proximity to Chichen Itza makes it a favorite stop for the massive tour bus trade. Which means pickpockets. Duh, rent the lockers, noobs.

Most Scared the Bejeezus Out of Lily: Skycycle at Hidden Worlds. When they introduced this contraption at the orientation, my first thought was, “gimmick!” But turns out cycling through the canopy is a fantasticly fun and exciting way to tour the jungle. Of course that’s what Lily thought after Emma powered off alone on her cycle into the sky, so David let her go. Then, hanging from the cable in the middle of the jungle, I hear, “Daddy, I think I’m getting scared.” The courage on that kid is impressive. She kept pedaling through the tears and panic to the end of the line, no rescue necessary.

Related posts:

1. Tinkerhell’s Best and Worst of Mexico, Numero Quattro
2. Tinkerhell’s Best and Worst of Mexico Numero Uno
3. Tinkerhell’s Best and Worst of Mexico, Numero Dos