crossing the usa border and traveling down?

hello, i am a 25 y/o well traveled american. I live in san diego and want to travel some in mexico, central and south america. Has anyone ever traveled mexico by land just by crossing the usa border by foot and taking buses, etc down thru the country onto mexico city? I am debating on whether to do that or just fly into mexico city and start there. I hear some stories that make me think traveling by land isn't a good idea....I will be by myself. Thanks for any helpful advice you can offer!

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

Wow, I can't believe I got 2 jerk responses. That's so far off what traveling is all about, which is largely about being open minded to and willing to learn from others different than yourself. I didn't think rude people like that would be cruising these forums. Nevertheless, thanks to the majority of you for your thoughtful and helpful responses. And for the record, the countries I've been to: England, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, France, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Iran, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Canada, Mexico, USA.....24 countries, first time I've ever counted....my sincerest apologies for my huge embellishment.

I for one will not give your claim credence 'till you post the photo of the cute Tyrolan hat ...with a pin for each country visited...carracar

You're American and well traveled, so you're OK. On the other hand, it's open season on Canadian tourists this year. Don't get mistaken for one of them: tip really well, no maple leaf on your pack, don't say "eh".

Lots of people do the kind of travel you are contemplating, and if Mexico City is your destination, there are lots of routes that will get you there.

I don't see anything problematic traveling by land from the border; I haven't done that from San Diego, but I've done it from Texas. How much time do you have to travel? The answer to this question will help determine suggestions, IMO. What are your interests, your budget, etc., etc. You really haven't told us much, from what I'm reading. I'll second (or third) a suggestion that you spend some time at one of the large bookstores in San Diego . . . so that you can formulate a plan, and then come back here to present it and ask for refinement. Traveling alone shouldn't present any particular problems, either - though women might have some greater concerns than men; you'll encounter many solo travelers along the way.

In 2001 I partnered with a friend of a friend and we drove (his car) from San Diego on a two week trip down into Baja to Cabo. About three days into it, we got into a huge fight and parted ways just south of Mulege. I was on my own and still wanted to get down to Cabo so I hitchhiked (female) on my own the rest of the way, stopping at various towns along the way.

I had no problems and that's with the element of danger from hitchhiking. If you went down through Baja, there's a ferry that goes across the Sea of Cortes from La Paz to somewhere on the mainland and then you could work your way down from there. The bus system is very good in Mexico and you shouldn't have any problems. I'd think about pairing up with someone when you got further south, like Chiapas, to go across into Central America.

Fellow TTrs before you spend any useful time on this fool.... I"ll share a private message in my box today...carracar If you have nothing constructive to say in the future, most people on this forum probably would appreciate you keeping your unkind comments to yourself. While thats real cute that you operate a hostel and like fixing appliances, you are talking to a person with a doctorate level degree....something a person with your intelligence level would only attain in their most far fetched dreams. Your unconstructive comments couldn't be farther from the traveler's spirit of open mindedness and kindness. Being well traveled doesn't mean being a jerk to anybody who doesn't know something you do, people's curiosity for other cultures and places should be nurtured.....not met with rude criticism.

I don't understand the attitudes towards the OP. If you don't like his post, why not just ignore it and move on?

Simply, #16... Nature abhors a troll...carracar

Wow, this has turned into quite a string. Thanks so much to everybody for taking the time to read through and offer advice. As to address a couple things people said. I'm looking to do probably 2-3 months of traveling. I'm debating on whether to do mexico/c. america or do south america. Mexico is obviously so close...but something about places farther away always seem more intriguing to me too. So thats what I'm deciding on. I'd definately like to take some spanish classes either in mexico or c. america to polish off the rust of my high school spanish. I definately will be spending a couple days in borders sometime soon reading thru all the different books, I do that before all my trips. Thanks for suggesting it, I know I have much research left to do. My budget doesn't have to be super cheap necesarily, but to be honest I like it better traveling cheaply. If I wanted everything always nice, a/c'd, and convenient....I'd just stay in the usa. Traveling cheaply brings you across more people, culture, locals, etc....especially when traveling solo, in my humble opinion.

As for carracar....he apparently wasn't hugged enough as a child....perhaps I'll pick you up a self help book when I'm at borders. Send me the address of your trailer park and I'll have it mailed directly.

even if you "start" in mexico city you will still need to ignore the advice of mexicans who told you it is dangerous to travel in mexico if you want to travel in mexico.

OP, I sorta suspect the only money you will spend at a bookstore would be for coffee.Thanks for the kind thought.However my bookshelf is currently full...with repair manuals...carracar