11 Things We Did To Prepare For an RV Roadtrip in Baja
Roadtripping through Baja is one of the most fun experiences we’ve ever had! We want to share our experience with planning and preparation, so that others can feel more confident and prepared for their own Baja excursion!
1 . Joined Social Media Groups
When we started thinking about touring Baja, I joined a group on Facebook called Talk Baja that was very helpful. It was a great place to ask questions and see others’ experiences. I also spent time talking with friends who had gone before, taking lots of notes!
No, you don’t have to do a ton of research, but things are very different in Mexico, and we like to be prepared. Since we have a large RV (just under 42 ft. long) it was especially important to learn from other travelers with large RVs who have gone before us. We also work remotely, so connectivity was important to research for us.
2. researched the Documents needed
What do you really need?
Passport or Passport Card for anyone over 16, we recommend for every person, regardless of age.
FMM which can be purchased online in advance or gotten as you cross the border
Mexican insurance on your vehicle(s)
We outline details of these document requirements in our article about crossing the border. In that article you’ll also find a list of items that aren’t allowed across the border and things that are prohibited in Mexico.
3. prepped our vehicles
It was about time for us to get new tires anyway, so we got some good off road tires for our truck, which would be great for exploring, and also new tires on the RV. We got an oil change and made sure both vehicles were in good shape.
We would’ve liked to beef up our suspension on our 5th wheel if we’d planned a little more in advance, by the time we were ready to order some upgraded Lippert suspension parts, it was too late. Upgraded suspension can really save your RV down here!
4. Planned the route
I asked friends and Baja Facebook groups what the “must-see” spots for Baja were and started making lists. Lots of research went into our route.
I used the Campendium and iOverlander apps for researching places to stay along the way.
I love how these apps allow you to read reviews, see photos and even see reports of cell coverage in certain areas. You can also see the last price paid at each location. It is important to remember though, that it’s not uncommon to be charged more if you have a bigger RV or more than 2 people.
We decided that we would stay longer at the destinations that came up again and again from different people and groups. The places people tended to love and recommend most were the places we wanted to stay longer.
Driving an RV in Mexico takes longer than in the U.S.
We also had heard that drive times would be longer than Google maps says, due to narrow and winding roads. We always add time when we’re towing the RV, but planned for even more time when towing in Mexico. One more reason for this is because of military checkpoints. You never know how quickly you will get through them.
Many places in Mexico don’t take reservations, but some do.
I initially wanted to play things by ear, still having a plan but being flexible, staying places longer if we wanted. However, the Canadian border opened a month prior to our trip, and we heard Canadians had been flooding Baja, anxious to finally get out of Canada after a long time of travel restrictions due to Covid19.
This worried me, as I didn’t want to find all the RV parks full when we arrived, so I contacted the RV parks in the main places we wanted to spend most of our time in and inquired about reservations.
I searched for ways to contact the parks online, using email or Facebook. Since my Spanish isn’t that great, it was much easier to communicate through writing!
I was able to get several reservations, which was awesome! Two of them required a deposit. One I paid via Venmo and the other was by sending credit card info. Both places I sent money to were larger operations with lots of good reviews online.
5. Currency exchange
We recommend getting pesos through your bank, before coming to Baja. This will take several days though, and unfortunately we waited too late. You will have to pay a fee each time you get pesos in Mexico, so we recommend getting out as much as you can each time.
Airports typically have the worst exchange rates. A tip we learned is that when using one of the ATM machines for exchange, always decline the first exchange rate offered. The second one offered will be the best possible rate! Depending on the ATM, you may not get a second rate, but it’s worth trying.
6. figured out the best ways to spend money
Using pesos is the best way to pay while in Baja, in our opinion. You tend to get the most for your money this way. We found out one of our credit cards didn’t charge any fees to use in Mexico, so whenever we are getting gas, groceries or dinner at bigger establishments, we use the credit card and save our pesos. It’s important to ask if there is a fee to use a credit card wherever you are.
7. notified some folks
Credit cards and banks
When we notified our bank and credit cards that we would be in Mexico for over 3 months, they all said it wasn’t necessary and to just make sure we had out contact information updated.
Family
We gave a copy of our travel documents and a copy of our general route and reservations to a family member. We also turned on GPS tracking on our phones and shared our locations with family members so they would always be able to see where our phones were at any time.
Insurance and subscriptions
You can potentially save a lot of money by pausing your auto insurance while in Mexico. Talk with them to see if they offer it and what the details are.
Other things like subscriptions to Hulu, certain cell phone and hotspot plans, and other similar services might not work in Mexico, so pausing or cancelling them can save you some decent money if you are planning on being in Mexico for multiple months.
8. Made copies
We made copies of our drivers licenses, passports, insurance policy and FMM cards (once we got them).
It’s important to note that you should NOT make color copies, only black and white, as you can actually get in trouble for having color copies of these documents!
We made the copies because of stories we’d heard of officials in Mexico holding original documents “hostage” in certain situations, until you gave them money. We’ve never ended up needing a copy of anything, so you can decide for yourself if you want to have copies on hand just in case!
9. Came up with a plan in case we were Pulled Over
Unfortunately, there are some corrupt cops in Mexico who will pull over tourists for bogus reasons and then demand money. It’s a longstanding problem because so many people continue to pay the bribe, just so they can get on their way.
The proper procedure when ticketed is to drive to the station (the cop will follow you there) to pay your fine. You should never pay the cop directly, as they pocket the money AND it’s illegal.
In case we ever got pulled over, we printed out a document that explained we knew what proper procedure was, and wouldn’t be giving them any money. This was in case the language barrier was too difficult in an instance where we got pulled over.
This is the printout we kept on hand.
We have a dash cam and decided I’d record any encounters with the police on my phone to hopefully keep things honest. We also almost always traveled with a group of friends, and do believe there are power in numbers! We had decided with our friends that if at any point one of us was pulled over, we would all pull over together until it was resolved.
Update: We have realized that the policia in La Paz are the worst for pulling over foreigners. We’ve been pulled over twice now, both times in La Paz, and many friends of ours have been as well. The first time was sitting at a stop light. Aaron touched his phone to check navigation and got pulled over. It is considered endangerment to touch your phone at all, even if you aren’t moving.
The cop was polite, spoke no English, but wrote down a number on a piece of paper which we figured was the amouont he wanted us to give him. We said no, and said we would take a ticket. He told us the station was closed for the day and we’d have to pay it tomorrow. We said ok, he wrote a ticket, took Aaron’s drivers license and we were on our way.
The second occurance was when Aaron drive through a yellow light. He got pulled over and the cop told him it was illegal to drive on a yellow light. After a lot of back and forth and some awkward stare downs, the cop agreed to let Aaron off with a warning!
A friend of ours had a very disturbing encounter with the police in La Paz. This isn’t typical, but I do want to share his story as a warning. He was by himself in his truck in La Paz, and was pulled over. The cop said he had done something wrong, which he hadn’t. He told him he diid nothing wring and the cop got on the phone and called some of his police buddies. They all walked up to his window and told him to get out. (it’s important to know you should NEVER get out of the vehicle for a traffic infraction. It isn’t policy and you never have to get out.)
One cop went in the truck and removed his SD card from the dash cam, pocketed it, and another cop threw him down and took his wallet, removed the money inside and threw it back down, and they were off. The corruption within the police in Mexico is a real problem. However some people have been coming to Baja for years and have never had an encounter with them. You just never know!
10. figured out how to Stay connected
Cell service and internet was an important thing for us to figure out, because we both work remotely.
*If you’re interested in how we make money on the road you can read about that here.
You will want to call your cell provider and any data plan providers you have and inquire about your specific plans to see if you will have service in Mexico. There is no cut and dry answer to what plans will work and which ones will. Since there are so many out there, you have to ask about your specific plan and setup.
After 3 years of trial and error, we love our current wifi/data setup:
T-Mobile for our cell phone plan
TravlFi for our mobile hotspot data plan (finally a hotspot option that also works across the border!)
Starlink for our main internet
If you’d like details on our setup, and what we had to do to get signal, as well as what several other families we travel with did, read our Complete Guide to Staying Connected in Baja article.
11. Prepped for the San Ignacio checkpoint
The San Ignacio military checkpoint is about 700 km (10 hours) south of the border. After reading LOTS of horror stories regarding this checkpoint, we did some things to prepare for it. Unfortunately, we read that this checkpoint has a bad reputation for officers stealing things and for bad behavior in general. Some common items they are known for taking are:
Cash
Flashlights
Binoculars
Electronics
Jewelry
Beer
Sometimes these items are secretly stolen, and other times the officers hold up the items to you and say, “I take?” or, “For me?”
It’s important to know that they do not have the authority to take any of these items from you and to stand your ground with a firm “NO” if this happens to you. I’ve read multiple times of people having to physically take their own items away from the officers. This can be very intimidating to do to an officer carrying a huge military weapon, but they almost always concede when met with resistance.
We recommend always traveling in groups, which can deter bad behavior from officers. Recording them at these checkpoints has also been known to keep things honest!
We were in a caravan of 3 RVs at this checkpoint.
The first RV told the guards that we were all together. The guards entered the Class A and opened and inspected several cabinets and drawers.
In our RV (the second in line), Aaron got out of the truck and Casen followed, recording on my phone. They walked into the RV, looked around a tiny bit without opening any slides or cabinets, and that was it.
RV #3 they ended up just waving through without entering at all (the line was starting to get backed up at this point).
We felt very relieved. We all had prepared the night before this drive day, hiding the specific items of value we had, and were so glad it was a quick and easy stop on our way down south. We’ve heard the search on our way back up north will be more thorough, so we shall see!
We heard it is important to smile and be kind and respectful during these searches, even when being asked “I take?” Making an effort to speak even a little Spanish to them can also gain some brownie points.
So far, every checkpoint has had professional and kind guards. We’ll update this section as we continue through Baja!
Not yet ready for a Mexico RV trip yet? Check out these general tips for Planning The Perfect Road Trip.