crossing the usa border and traveling down?

You will probably do just fine with your proposed plan of going by land. I've done
that also - on one four week trip I crossed the border at Juarez then went by
land to Copper Canyon, Zacatecas. San Miguel Allende, Mexico D.F., San Cristobal,
Palenque, Chetumal, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, then return up the Pacific coast.

Whether to fly directly to D.F. or go by land mostly depends on whether you want to
see some partiicular places along the way, or consider that stretch to be "just a
desert" to be passed as quickly as possible. Personally I liked Copper Canyon and
the central highlands of Mexico, so would not have flown over them. But the
travel writer David Dodge calls this area "the great American bald spot", to be
avoided by any means available. It all depends on your interests, what YOU want
to see or do, and you haven't spelled that out in your brief question.

Elliott Moore

If there is a flight with one of the newer budget airlines TJ to Las Mochis to join the above suggested route, book it."Mexico" seems to start about 500 kms. South of the frontiera...carracar

Check in to airline prices. As others have suggested, there are a lot more budget airlines in Mexico now than there used to be. Also, bus travel, while still pretty reasonable, isn't as incredibly cheap as it was 10 years ago.

And Tijuana to Mexico City is a long, long trip. I've done the Laredo-Mexico City trip on the bus many times, and that's not bad. But even that is a pretty good slog.

Or, consider flying one way and going on the bus the other. I think the Mexico budget airlines are more reasonable about one-way tickets than US airlines.

TJ to Mexico City is two days on the bus, and you don't get to do or see anything fun. I'd suggest stopping in Mazatlan instead and reviewing your options there, or better yet, fly to where you really want to be. The bus ain't it.

You are a "well travelled american" and you are afraid to travel in Mexico? Mexico is a "starter country" for most americans. Excellent bus system.

Thanks everybody for the feedback....except Kahua, who's response was not constructive nor helpful. I've been to 25+ countries, but I've never really traveled in Mexico other than Cancun and TJ....which doesn't really even count. It's the mexican people I ask that warn me the most about about traveling alone in Mexico. Either way, can anyone recommend budget airlines in Mexico? Are mexican airlines the kind where you book online, or thru little travel agent stands in mexico? And to the first poster who mentioned Mexico D.F., where is that? thx!

While the airlines will get you to Mexico City faster, there are some advantages to taking the bus... you see the countryside, and have time to acclimatize yourself to Mexican culture (and see a lot of oddball movies you've never seen before). And, it's the journey, not the destination, that's the point of travel. Maybe you'll want to change your plans along the way and stay somewhere for a day or a few hours en route. Have fun.

OP... 25 countries permit me to doubt..,If You haven't done enough research on Mexico to know Mexico City is A Federal District I'm gonna side with #5 and send you off to the travel section of the local book store for some reseach...You will be welcome back to the forum when you can then, ask intellegent questions. Do not further waste the time of those who wish to help...carracar

sdworldtravler, I have no problem with your question of where is Mexico D.F. Actually, I was confused several years ago when people would say this since I had no idea they meant Mexico City. It would be nice for people to just answer a poster's question and not take the time to critize them. Continue to ask questions all you want as this board is great in trying to help travellers. Hasta luego, Edmund