Cheap travel to Mexico
Before traveling to Mexico, it is important to know some
background on Mexico.
Mexico is a Spanish-speaking country about three times
the size of Texas, consisting of 31 states and one federal
district. The capital is Mexico City. Mexico has a rapidly
developing economy and has sought economic prosperity through
liberalization of its trade regime. The climate ranges from
tropical to desert, and the terrain consists of coastal
lowlands, central high plateaus, and mountains of up to
18,000 feet.
Many areas of Mexico are popular tourist destinations for
U.S. citizens. Travelers should note that location-specific
information contained below is not confined solely to those
areas, but can reflect conditions throughout Mexico. Although
the majority of visitors to Mexico thoroughly enjoy their
stay, a small number experience difficulties and serious
inconveniences.
Some of the information I found when I researched for Mexico
Back ground of Mexico
Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before
achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation
of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil,
triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The
nation continues to make an impressive recovery. Ongoing
economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment
for a large segment of the population, inequitable income
distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the
largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern
states. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time
since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated
the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary
Party (PRI). Vicente Fox of the National Action Party (PAN)
was sworn in on 1 December 2000 as the first chief executive
elected in free and fair elections.
Population -106,202,903
Religion- Nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other
5%
Literacy
Age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.2%
male: 94%
female: 90.5% (2003 EST.)
Government type - federal republic
National holiday- Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
Economy
Mexico has a free market economy that recently entered the
trillion dollar class. It contains a mixture of modern and
outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated
by the private sector. Recent administrations have expanded
competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications,
electricity generation, natural gas distribution, and airports.
Per capita income is one-fourth that of the US; income distribution
remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has
tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Mexico
has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countries including,
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade
Area, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free
trade agreements. The government is cognizant of the need
to upgrade infrastructure, modernize the tax system and
labor laws, and provide incentives to invest in the energy
sector, but progress is slow.
Crime :
Crime in Mexico continues at high levels, and it is often
violent, especially in Mexico City, Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez,
Nuevo Laredo, and the state of Sinaloa. Other metropolitan
areas have lower, but still serious, levels of crime. Low
apprehension and conviction rates of criminals contribute
to the high crime rate. Travelers should leave valuables
and irreplaceable items in a safe place, or not bring them.
All visitors are encouraged to make use of hotel safes when
available, avoid wearing obviously expensive jewelry or
designer clothing, and carry only the cash or credit cards
that will be needed on each outing. There are a significant
number of pick-pocketing incidents, purse snatchings and
hotel-room thefts. Public transportation is a particularly
popular place for pickpockets. All U.S. citizen victims
of crime in Mexico are encouraged to report the incident
to the nearest police headquarters and to the nearest U.S.
consular office.
Visitors should be aware of their surroundings at all
times, even when in areas generally considered safe. Women
traveling alone are especially vulnerable and should exercise
caution, particularly at night. Armed street crime is a
serious problem in all of the major cities. Some bars and
nightclubs, especially in resort cities such as Cancun,
Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Acapulco, can be havens for
drug dealers and petty criminals. Some establishments may
contaminate or drug drinks to gain control over the patron.
Victims, who are almost always unaccompanied, have been
raped, robbed of personal property, or abducted and then
held while their credit cards were used at various businesses
and Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs).
U.S. citizens should be very cautious in general when using
ATMs in Mexico. If an ATM must be used, it should be accessed
only during the business day at large protected facilities
(preferably inside commercial establishments, rather than
at glass-enclosed, highly visible ATMs on streets). Recently,
there have been cases in which U.S. and Mexican citizens
have been accosted on the street and forced to withdraw
money from their accounts using their ATM cards.
A number of Americans have been arrested for passing on
counterfeit currency they had earlier received in change.
If you receive what you believe to be a counterfeit bank
note, bring it to the attention of Mexican law enforcement.
The Above imformation are just to warned you, so you can
be safe!
Mexico is a great country to visit or go on vacation.
The people are very nice and friendly. My personal favorite
is the their foods, I love it!
I found very good, useful site that can help you to travel
cheap to Mexico
http://www.hotwire.com/
http://www.exitotravel.com/destinations/mexico.htm
http://www.prep-4-college.com/cheap-airline-tickets.html
http://travel.yahoo.com/
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