Mexico travel advice?
I'm going to go to Mexico in a week and I have a few questions for anyone that has been there.
Is the electricity in Mexico the same 110v as it is in the US? Will I need an adapter for a 3-prong laptop cord?
I'm going to be visiting a friend and she says the water isn't safe where I'll be going and the citizens don't drink it either.Is bottled water as expensive as in the US, like $1 for half a liter?
I'll be arriving by bus and I don't know where I will need to go to buy an FMM/tourist card. I've read on a lot of websites that you can get them at a border crossings or at consulate office before you go, but the one nearest me says to get them in Mexico. I plan on returning within six months. Is it true that I can by one for 6 months and keep re-using it? Or, will I have to turn it in when I enter the US again?
Also, will customs have to check my bag into Mexico or back into the US?
Thanks for your help!
6 Answers
If you go to restaurants get used to asking for bottled water or soft drinks "No vaso, no hielo." - no glass, no ice. Drink it out of the can or bottle. Some people will also avoid any fruits or vegetables rinsed in water, such as salads and apples.
I usually stay in hotels that have their own water treatment equipment (so they say). I brushed my teeth with their tap water but didn't drink it. Whether you're in a hotel or not, plan on buying bottled water.
Some of my coworkers have said that if you are going to be in Mexico for an extended period of time, just go ahead and drink the water, and after a few rough days your body will get used to it. But I've never been brave enough to take that advice. It doesn't sound like a fun experiment.
Electricity will be 100 volts, which is close enough to 110 to power US appliances.
Is the electricity in Mexico the same 110v as it is in the US? Will I need an adapter for a 3-prong laptop cord?
Yes, the electricity is the same. I would take a 2-prong adapter for your laptop, just in case the house doesn't have the 3-prong outlets.
.Is bottled water as expensive as in the US, like $1 for half a liter?
Do not drink the water...don't even brush your teeth with it. It's more like 50 cents for a liter.
I will need to go to buy an FMM/tourist card.
Yes, you can get it at the border crossing.
Is it true that I can by one for 6 months and keep re-using it? Or, will I have to turn it in when I enter the US again?
I don't know. Ask at the border crossing. They speak English.
Also, will customs have to check my bag into Mexico or back into the US?
Yes, both.
Have a great trip!!!
don't even brush your teeth with it
I think this is exaggerate, I brush my teeth with tap water... and I live in Oaxaca.
In Monterrey I drink water from the tap, but I never do this in Oaxaca
If you're going to be for a few days, drink bottled water... it's really just that your organism is not used to the bacteria in that place.
The water bottle costs about 12 pesos, so it's like 1 USD, as you said...
don't even brush your teeth with it
That's pretty hard core. . .I brush my teeth with tap water here in Ecuador.
Thanks for everyone's help!
I have an FM3. I have a house in Mexico and the USA. It's third world. Spend money down there. Learn Spanish. 
