Top 10 Mexico Tips for Foreigners

The other day we had Clayton Szczech from Experience Tequila over for drinks on our patio. Clayton gives tours of the tequila region to foreigners and he’s packed with knowledge on the area. He also has a pretty good sense of humor and a realistic view of the country so we thought that he would be a great person to ask this question: What are the top 10 things that gringos should know before they come to Mexico?

After all, there are a lot of misconceptions about Mexico. Westerners tend to be overly concerned about things like drug violence (which rarely affects law abiding civilians) and not as mindful of the more realistic dangers, such as water and traffic.

Clayton’s top 10 list of things that people should know before they come to Mexico:

10.) Don’t drink the water.

9.) Mexico can be noisy. (You’ll see as our water heater kicks on in the middle of the video.)

8.) Keep your hands clean. (This relates back to water and sickness.)

7.) Tequila selection is often limited. (What!!? But true!)

6.) Money: Mexico is short on change. (‘No hay cambio.”)

5.) Haggling: Not everything is cheap in Mexico.

4.) Drugs — Don’t do them. Seriously. (You don’t want to end up in a Mexican jail.)

3.) Drug war violence — If you’re not looking for trouble, it probably won’t find you.

2.) The real killer in Mexico… traffic. (Look both ways before crossing the calle.)

1.) Using Spanish (It’s great to use the Spanish you know but keep in mind that most people can understand at least a little English. Especially if you are saying something not-so-nice within earshot of the locals. Don’t be ‘the ugly American.’)

Of course, Clayton explains all of these things with much more panache than we have included here. So watch the video, and learn. Then come down and visit us!

-Scarlet & Grover