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Traveling abroad should be a very rewarding experience if proper planning and preparation are done ahead. Creating a truly memorable vacation requires safety precautions and wise money decisions prior to departure; such preparations will help you avoid stressful surprises and predicaments. Special care should be taken when visiting busy worldwide tourist destinations. Whether you plan to travel to a highly popular domestic region such as Miami Beach in Florida, or abroad to the Maya Riviera and Cancun in Mexico, we advice you to prepare and avoid unnecessary troubles, credit card fraud, or even stressful medical emergency. Contact us now to request articles you would like to read in our website. To help you prepare, read our safe travel tips and information bellow; take the time to follow our recommendations and necessary precautions, they will help you avoid unnecessary travel related sagas and troubles some tourists get caught in: |
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Yucatan Adventure
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Travel Tips:
Know your Mexican Currency & Exchange Rate Having the right currency ahead of time is a comfortable and inexpensive way to avoid bank charges and wasting your money with other surprise fees normally placed by credit cards, in all foreign exchange purchases at abroad tourist destinations. We recommend you take the time to buy Mexican Pesos and become familiar with each bill to avoid inadvertently giving or getting the wrong bill (say a $200 rather than a $20). Get acquainted with the current exchange rate offered by banks to safe money during your trip. For many years, Mexican pesos have normally fluctuated from $10.30 pesos per US dollar, to $10.70 pesos per US dollar. A quick rule of thumb is to use the ten pesos per one US dollar for a quick mental conversion rate to help you have a price in mind, but do check the rate the retailer is offering you prior to purchasing any goods. Most hotels, restaurants and stores offer a $10.40 pesos per US dollar exchange rate, such is the case at Hacienda Chichen Resort, Yaxkin Spa and the exclusive Toh Boutique in Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
Best Way to
Avoid Credit Card Cloning & Fraud
Don't let your credit card out of sight! Credit Card fraud and cloning has been reported all over the world and especially in major tourist destinations, and Mexico's Maya Riviera is reported as a high risk zone for stolen credit card information. Reports from travelers that give their cards and PIN at bars and restaurants after too much drinking just to find that their credit card has been cloned and used in some other state a few days later are common in such areas. Rental Car clerks that misuse the given information are also known. Therefore, we recommend travelers to avoid credit card purchases as much as possible and to suppress their desire to use ATM cash advances unless a true emergency hits them, and to use only Bank front ATM sites where PIN chip-recording is not likely to be an issue. Always stay close to your credit card and observe the processing charge to it, best if you use your card in an open lobby reception where you can personally see all the clerks moves and your credit card at all times; wired bank authorizing machines in Mexico, such as the ones serving at Hacienda Chichen Resort in Chichen Itza, are provided and sealed by the banks that manages these machines and clerk credit card processing transactions are monitored with a security video system to protect clients and staff alike from fraud claims. Wired bank devises are generally safe and controlled by the bank directly; thus, payments and charges processed by these machines are highly unlikely to be unmonitored by the bank safeguarding your card from fraud. Wireless credit card processing machines may or may not be bank authorized and may have a registering chip or skimmer use for cloning cards, do not use them. Another advise: ask to see the Rental Car clerks monitor when processing your credit card information; never allow them to "record in their computer system" your credit card information without you viewing where your card data is being recorded, beware clerks passing your card through their processing slit if you don't have a clear view of the monitor; the card information may be uploaded in a fraud website without your knowledge. Most Credit card frauds are likely to occur several days after your card data was stolen, most clerks involved in credit card fraud do this in order to confuse a potential investigation; waiting to use a clone card works because most travelers continue using their cards to purchase or pay their hotel bills and other legitimate charges. Since cloning crooks avoid immediate charges and use credit cards in other states, it is not easy to have immediate recognition of the place where your card information was stolen or cloned. In highly popular tourist destinations, you credit card is more likely to be exposed to cloning and credit card fraud, so avoid the temptation to use it everywhere; clerks normally are out of state residents looking for an opportunity to make money rather than long time residents with family tides in the area; so pay close attention when visiting Mexico City, Cancun, Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya, etc and the likes, these tourist destinations are more likely to have people willing to risk stealing your credit card data and charge purchases online or use a cloned card outside the state you visit, since they are connected to other people living in different states and regions. Small rural areas are not likely to have cloning devices and staff willing to engage in credit fraud; so chances to have your credit card data in a small tourist destination such as Uxmal, Muna, Chichen Itza, Izamal or Celestun is extremely low.
Yucatan's Roads & Public Transportation Safety Yucatan's spacious toll highways and comfortable rural roads welcome visitors and residents alike to move at ease throughout the peninsula's many wonderful archeological sites, cenotes and Colonial cities; yet, serious road accidents are reported in highly populated tourist roads, highways and streets due to careless driving. Take time to study a road map before you engage in any driving and drive within the speed limits allowed in each road, warning signs are not always easy to spot and tall speed bumps are everywhere unannounced, especially in free-rural roads. Driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol can cause a stay in a local prison that is not fun nor cheap for anyone, but especially for a foreigner; so avoid thinking you are in Mexico and it is ok to have a few beers and drive. Parking is best in public parking lots called "estacionamientos," and avoid street parking when possible since your car may get impound by the police for wrong parking. Public Transportation is safe in Merida but in other cities you need to exercise caution. Direct Destination Transportation Buses in Yucatan are comfortable, safe and range from deluxe to regular second class transportation. Best Bus-line is the ADO which runs deluxe and first class busses to all important tourist destinations throughout Mexico. ADO has its own online ticket and bus stations; ask any local to give you directions to the closest bus station, or check the ADO website for times and routes offered from and to the site of your interest. Travellers often overlook the financial protection against illness and injuries when planning their abroad vacations. Most of us do not associates injuries and medical emergencies with our dream vacation, but both situations may be faced; so it is wise to plan ahead and learn about the limitations your existing health care coverage has regarding overseas medical care in the country you plan to visit. A phone call to your medical insurance provider will surely give you a financial protection against uninformed hopes that you are covered. Check if your current medical care plan covers international emergencies and if it does not, request your travel agent to help you buy a comprehensive medical travel insurance for your own financial sake and that of your family. This step is highly recommended for those tourists wishing to extend their vacation time in Mexico driving a rented car and engaging in high-risk activities such as scuba-diving, cave exploring, and driving in highly populated cities like Cancun.
Using your Mobile and
Internet Abroad Check your mobile phone company's roaming charges and additional International taxes that may be added to any calls coming from or to Mexico; generally such fees are so high you may as well buy a temporary International or local Call Card or Chip for your phone rather than use your regular mobile plan. Best choice: rent a mobile phone while abroad and use local call cards if your hotel does not offer free Long Distance Calls home for general emergencies and few work calls. When booking your hotels' reservations, ask if the hotel charges for Internet access and if they have free computers use for their guests. In Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Hacienda Chichen gives Internet access free or charge and even lends computers to guests as a courtesy service. and we suggest you do bring your own laptop if you plan to stay more than a few days abroad.
Atlantic & Caribbean Hurricane Season: Mexico's Caribbean coastline is known as the Maya Riviera and it is exposed to hurricane season (June to October) each year. The good news is that such unkind weather is predictable and allows people to take action to prepare and safeguard themselves. Hurricane season hardly ever results in a major hurricane hit. However it is good to know that vacation destinations such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Akumal, Xcaret, Tulum and the likes are exposed to an average of eight tropical storms per season and that Mexican authorities are well verse in prompt action should a major hurricane approaches or hits these areas. Tropical Depression bring rainy days with wings of up to 38 miles per hour. Such weather condition is not a cause of stress or concern to any vacation plan within the coastline zone, so relax and enjoy a few indoor activities while the rain flows. Tropical Storms do not disturb the regular flow of vacation activities in any Caribbean coastline region; and for sure your days inland visiting archaeological sites such as Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Coba are not affected by the winds up to 63 miles per hour that can be register in the coastline where rain will prevail for a few hours or even a few days. Tropical Cyclones or Hurricanes are measure with the Saffir-Simpson scale and are given a category rank from 1 (minimal) to 5 (serious); in general, cyclones and hurricanes have faster winds 70 miles per hour and up. Hurricanes bring greater rain and wind speeds with them and can be very destructive in their path, especially those reaching category 3 or higher. Normally lasting a few hours, these hurricanes have a truly destructive power and travelers caught in such climate conditions should understand the danger and exercise extreme caution and good judgment; listen to your hotel staff advise, call your family home and let them know where you will be and if you are moved to a hurricane safe-shelter site. Make sure your official documents (passport, credit cards, money, airline ticket, ID cards, visas) are with you at all times and follow instructions as the hurricane approaches the area. Hurricanes in the Atlantic and Caribbean region can strike the northern coasts of South America countries, Central America and North America (Mexico & USA coast regions). If you plan to travel during the summer to the Maya Riviera, check the National Hurricane Center for hurricane advisories and information. In the past few decades, Yucatan State has had only three major hurricane hits in its coast areas near Progreso and el Cullo (north-east coast area); inland regions are not in danger of any hurricane's eye path (strongest destructive wind power). Inland activities may require to exercise safety plans and hotels, airports, and official government sectors do act with caution and in a responsible manner, so allow them to take care of you and follow their instructions for your own sake. Advise your hotel, travel agent or tour operator if you or anyone in your party requires special medical assistance, medicines, and the likes to avoid unnecessary sagas during a hurricane alert period. Travel wisely and avoid staying in a coastline region that has a potential hurricane hit within a few hours. Remember to ask your hotel's front desk or manager what are the latest news and advisories if you are caught in a hurricane warning period, if your hotel a beach front property move to a safer ground. Some tips to remember during and after a Hurricane Storm:
Article Courtesy of:
June 2008
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