Money Tips for Mexico

frommers.ccom

Frommer's lists exact prices in the local currency (unless rates are given in U.S. dollars).  However, rates fluctuate, so before departing consult a currency exchange website such as www.oanda.com/convert/classic to check up-to-the-minute rates.

In general, the southern region of Mexico is considerably cheaper than not just most U.S. and European destinations but also many other parts of Mexico, although prices vary significantly depending on the specific location. The most expensive destinations are those with the largest number of foreign visitors, such as Cancún and Los Cabos. The least expensive are those off the beaten path and in small rural villages, particularly in the poorer states. In the major cities, prices vary greatly depending on the neighborhood. As you might imagine, tourist zones tend to be more expensive.

The currency in Mexico is the peso. Paper currency comes in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 pesos. Coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 pesos, and 20 and 50 centavos (100 centavos = 1 peso). The current exchange rate for the U.S. dollar, and the one used in this guide, is 12 pesos; at that rate, an item that costs 12 pesos would be equivalent to $1.

Many establishments that deal with tourists, especially in coastal resort areas, quote prices in U.S. dollars. To avoid confusion, they use the abbreviations DLLS. for dollars and M.N. (moneda nacional, or national currency) or M.X.P. for Mexican Pesos. Note: Establishments that quote their prices primarily in U.S. dollars are listed in this guide with U.S. dollars.

Getting change is a problem. Small-denomination bills and coins are hard to come by, so start collecting them early in your trip. Shopkeepers and taxi drivers everywhere always seem to be out of change and small bills; that's doubly true in markets. There seems to be an expectation that the customer should provide appropriate change, rather than the other way around.

Don't forget to have enough pesos to carry you over a weekend or Mexican holiday, when banks are closed. Because small bills and coins in pesos are hard to come by in Mexico, the $1 bill is very useful for tipping.

Note: A tip of U.S. coins, which cannot be exchanged into Mexican currency, is of no value to the service provider.

Casas de cambio (exchange houses) are generally more convenient than banks for money exchange because they have more locations and longer hours; the rate of exchange may be the same as at a bank or slightly lower. Before leaving a bank or exchange-house window, count your change in front of the teller before the next client steps up. Also, most major hotels will change money for you.

Large airports have currency-exchange counters that often stay open whenever flights are operating. Though convenient, they generally do not offer the most favorable rates. The bottom line on exchanging money: Ask first, and shop around. Banks generally pay the top rates.

Banks in Mexico have expanded and improved services. Except in the smallest towns, they tend to be open weekdays from 9am until 5pm, and often for at least a half day on Saturday. In larger resorts and cities, they can generally accommodate the exchange of dollars (which used to stop at noon) anytime during business hours. Some, but not all, banks charge a 1% fee to exchange traveler's checks. But you can pay for most purchases directly with traveler's checks at the establishment's stated exchange rate. Don't bother with personal checks drawn on a U.S. bank -- the bank will wait for your check to clear, which can take weeks, before giving you your money.

Travelers to Mexico can easily withdraw money from ATMs, called cajeras, in most major cities and resort areas. The U.S. Department of State recommends caution when you're using ATMs in Mexico, stating that they should only be used during business hours and in large protected facilities, but this pertains primarily to Mexico City, where crime remains a significant problem. In most resorts in Mexico, the use of ATMs is perfectly safe -- just use the same precautions you would at any ATM. However, beware of using ATMs in dubious locations as there have been reports of people having their card numbers "skimmed" (where information is copied and monies stolen or cards fraudulently charged). The ATM exchange rate is generally more favorable than at casas de cambio. Most machines offer Spanish/English menus and dispense pesos, but some offer the option of withdrawing dollars.

In Mexico, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are the most accepted cards. You'll be able to charge most hotel, restaurant, and store purchases, as well as almost all airline tickets, on your credit card. Most Pemex gas stations now accept credit card purchases for gasoline, though this option may not be available everywhere and often not at night -- check before you pump. Generally you receive the favorable bank rate when paying by credit card. However, be aware that some establishments in Mexico add a 5% to 7% surcharge when you pay with a credit card. This is especially true when using American Express. Many times, advertised discounts will not apply if you pay with a credit card.

Beware of hidden credit-card fees while traveling. Check with your credit or debit card issuer to see what fees, if any, will be charged for overseas transactions. Recent reform legislation in the U.S., for example, has curbed some exploitative lending practices. But many banks have responded by increasing fees in other areas, including fees for customers who use credit and debit cards while out of the country -- even if those charges were made in U.S. dollars. Fees can amount to 3% or more of the purchase price. Check with your bank before departing to avoid any surprise charges on your statement.

For help with currency conversions, tip calculations, and more, download Frommer's convenient Travel Tools app for your mobile device. Go to www.frommers.com/go/mobile and click on the "Travel Tools" icon.

A Few Words About Prices -- Many hotels in Mexico -- except places that receive little foreign tourism -- quote prices in U.S. dollars or in both dollars and pesos. Thus, currency fluctuations are unlikely to affect the prices most hotels charge.

Money Matters -- The universal currency sign ($) is sometimes used to indicate pesos in Mexico. The use of this symbol in this guide, however, denotes U.S. currency.

What Things Cost in Mexican Pesos (US$ where indicated)

Cancún beachfront double room, moderate US$120

Puerto Vallarta beachfront double room, expensive US$250

Mexico City dinner for one, expensive 300-400

Merida dinner for one, moderate 100-150

Tacos from market or street vendor 20-30

Cozumel two-tank scuba dive US$70

Admission to most archaeological sites 50

Night dancing in Cancún US$40

Night dancing in Mazatlan US$20

How to Pack for a Beach Vacation

independenttraveler.com

Sun and sand top the list of favorite summer vacations. But it's hard to feel fully free when you're dragging too much stuff around. Let other people sweat the small stuff, and streamline your list of hot weather must-haves so you look cool, even when the temperature isn't.

Overall Plan: Light and breezy items should dominate your wardrobe choices. While you want to be comfortable, skip the faded and raggedy T-shirts and instead aim for a summery look that's polished, not dumpy. And while you may want to concentrate on getting there, make sure you spend some time thinking about how you'll transport wet and sandy items back home. There's nothing worse than a suitcase full of sand.



What's Essential? You might hate shopping for them, but no beach vacation is complete without a swimsuit. Buy more than one so there's always something dry to wear, and bring them along in your carry-on. Women should pack cute cover-ups, both to wear on the beach when it gets too hot and to walk along the boardwalk without too much exposure. In the evenings, costume jewelry can add just enough glamour to a sundress. Men should bring a lightweight button-down shirt for nicer restaurants; Tommy Bahama is always an upscale choice. For your feet, bring flip-flops, sandals or canvas tennis shoes, depending on the type of beach you're on. Choose a mesh or nylon beach bag with a distinctive pattern so it's easy to spot among the crowds, and make sure it has inside pockets, preferably waterproof, to store valuables and small electronics such as your cell phone. Speaking of gadgets, make sure that they're waterproof or have protective covers. A soft-sided insulated tote for drinks and snacks is easier to carry than a bulky cooler. Pack some disposable wipes for quick clean-up. Plastic bags can be your best friend: Use them to bring food to the beach, and then carry wet swimsuits and towels on the way home.

Secret Weapon: If you wear corrective lenses and your beach sessions involve exploring reefs for colorful fish, you'll want to invest in a prescription snorkel mask. Having your own mask can also prevent communicable diseases (I once got a wicked case of pinkeye from a tainted snorkel mask in Costa Rica).



Safety First: No matter how good it feels, the sun is not your friend. Load up on sun protection with a strong sunscreen that you can reapply often. If you're traveling to your destination by plane, look into sunscreen towelettes that won't explode or leak. When you're lathering up, don't forget your face. Add lip balm, and wear sunglasses and a hat.

Leave at Home: Being on the beach is an excuse to cut loose; avoid bringing clothing that's too stuffy or structured. If you're staying at a hotel, find out ahead of time if towels and other beach amenities are included. Many vacation rentals also have "house" items such as camp chairs and barbecue grills so there's no need to bring your own.

11 Ways to Prevent Identity Theft While Traveling

Tips for avoiding scams and theft while traveling are a staple of the travel writing genre; pretty much every guidebook or travel Web site dedicates some space to the subject. Certainly we have our own capacious resources, most of which can be found at the following links:


But in the 21st century, you are as much at risk of having your identity stolen -- or more accurately your financial and digital identity -- as you are of getting "mugged," which almost sounds quaint these days (though I do not intend in any way to underplay the misery and danger of actually getting mugged).

Identity theft is a growing problem worldwide -- especially for travelers, who are very vulnerable, forced as they are to use unsecured Internet connections, carry extensive personal documentation with them at all times, and share their credit cards with merchants about whom they know nothing and whom they'll never see again.

Modern technology hasn't made it any easier for honest folks to avoid identity theft, either; witness the practice of Web sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, which often keep you logged in to the site, even after you close your browser or turn off your computer. Someone getting unfettered access to your closest friends on Facebook could definitely shake out some very "helpful" information before you knew it.

As time and technology advance, this problem is only going to affect more travelers. Here are 11 tips to avoid identity theft while traveling, right now.

1. "Unpack" Critical Documents Before Travel

If you carry some essential documents with you when you are not traveling -- the average wallet or purse might include a Social Security card, bank statements, medical documents, checkbook and the like -- remove them before you leave home. Essentially, when it comes to documentation, you want to "unpack" before traveling.

This can also be done further once you're on the road. If you're going to a location that is known for pickpocketing, or is going to be packed with people, or at which you will be distracted (big concerts, crowded squares, nightclubs, etc.), you can pare down the contents of your wallet even further before venturing out from your hotel room. You can put these in your hotel safe (but use caution), behind the hotel's front desk or in a money belt concealed on your person.

2. Guard Your Documents
 
This is one of the tips you will encounter in most travel safety articles, so I won't go into it at length here -- but suffice to say that if you leave any sensitive documents lying around in your hotel room while you are out, you are a lot more likely to experience identity theft than if you have them in a money belt, document protector, even an RFID-blocking wallet.


3. Be Very Careful About Shared and Insecure Internet Connections

This is one thing that I have found very difficult to do – when traveling, it is hard to find connections other than public ones at hotels, cafes, airports, you name it. To see the warning "this connection is unsecured and others may see your information" is almost a staple of the travel experience. The risk applies to anything you type into your keyboard while connected, such as e-mail passwords and Web site logins.

The best approach in this case is to be very careful when using these connections; logging into your bank account, work e-mail or other sensitive account should be avoided if at all possible. If you have no alternative, choose what you type over these open connections very carefully.

If you're traveling with your own laptop and using free Wi-Fi, it is important to make sure your connections are secure. Some Web sites let you log in over open networks; always try to use
HTTPS://www.website.com instead of HTTP://www.website.com (the S stands for "secure" and indicates that the data is encrypted for more protection). You can also get a plug-in for your browser like HTTPS Everywhere, which will try this automatically. Another solution might be the USB-based product SurfEasy, which will help encrypt your data when you're using a public connection from your own computer.

If you want more security when using someone else's machine, such as at an Internet cafe, hotel lobby computer or other public terminal, you can try a service like Authentic8. Authentic8 runs the browser in a sandbox in the cloud, where all connections and data are kept secure. The service gives you a display on the local computer, and prevents things like key loggers from accessing your passwords.


4. Delete All Cookies and Browsing History on Public Terminals

If you find you must use a public computer, the last thing you should do is delete all cookies and browsing history before you log off. Many computers can cache quite a bit of significant information, and some Web sites are even set up to keep you logged in when you close the browser unless you specifically log off (such as Facebook and LinkedIn). Many public terminals will delete this type of data automatically, but doing it yourself offers much better peace of mind.


5. Use a Dedicated Travel E-mail Address

When I see messages arrive from overseas via work e-mail accounts, I shake my head every time. If someone gets access to your work e-mail account, the amount of damage they could do to your livelihood is inestimable. Certainly there are times when you need to log in to your work account, but you will want to use caution in the extreme at those times.

My suggestion in this case is to use a personal e-mail address when possible while traveling, one at which you store no sensitive information and at which a fake log-in won't be cataclysmic, and communicate from that e-mail address exclusively. On occasion you will see addresses like johndoetravelemail@gmail.com; this travel-exclusive e-mail approach can work very well.

6. Use Only Bank ATM's

A recent trend among identity thieves has been to install card readers in an ATM by which they can access your card number and PIN. This happens most often at non-bank, "generic" ATM's (in hotels, convenience stores, etc.), which have less oversight and are therefore more vulnerable than bank-run and hosted ATM's. Stick with the ones at banks; these can still be compromised, but tend to be targeted by thieves much less often.


7. Check Your Credit Card Statements on Occasion

At times when you are confident in the security of your connection -- perhaps in a friend's home, or when connecting using a smartphone app over a regular cell 3G or 4G connection (which tend to be more secure than public Wi-Fi) -- check your credit card statement for suspicious activity.

Identity thieves like picking travelers as victims, as they rely to some extent on the delay in being found out that is inherent to travel; most travelers don't check bank and credit card information until well after they have returned home, giving thieves a solid head start. As a rule, the sooner you can shut down an identity thief, the better, so consider checking in now and then to make sure things look normal.

8. Keep Your Cell Phone Secure

We think a lot about how vulnerable our computers are, but cell phones are potentially even more so: you have them on you at all times, they're almost always turned on and logged in, they typically have apps on them that give access to personal information, and folks leave them lying around quite a bit. If there is anything you might lose or have stolen, it is a small, compact smartphone. Some things you can do to protect yourself:

- Set a password on the phone so someone who finds or steals it can't use it.

- Before traveling, consider deleting any especially sensitive apps, such as banking apps, social networks, etc. There are easy to reinstall when you get home.

- Specifically log out of all apps before going out and about. As above with some Web sites, many apps keep you logged in by default (Facebook, Twitter, Angry Birds, you name it).

- Remain wary of suspicious e-mails and Web sites. Studies indicate folks are much more likely to click on malware links on their cell phone than on their computer.

- All of the foregoing cautions about public Wi-Fi spots go for your cell phone as well.

9. Protect Your Children Too

A recent development in identity theft crimes is the use of a child's name and identity to open bank accounts and credit cards, apply for government benefits, and more. In most cases, criminals use a child's Social Security number to get started.

When traveling, document requirements vary widely for children -- sometimes you need ID, sometimes you don't, sometimes you can fudge it either way -- but many parents travel with some form of identification just in case. Often, these are very sensitive documents like birth certificates and Social Security cards.

My advice is to get a passport for your child, and travel with that instead of any other forms of identification. Then protect your child's passport in the same way you would your own.


If anyone requests your child's Social Security number for any reason, ask if they can accept another form of ID, or simply refuse to surrender the number. If you suspect your child's identity may have been compromised, in most cases a credit check is the quickest way to find out; your child should have no substantive credit rating whatsoever. For more on the topic, see the FTC's information on Child Identity Theft.

10. Change Passwords and PIN
 
You may want to change your passwords after a trip; identity thieves are thought to be very patient criminals, and often wait until you are less likely to pay attention after a few weeks at home. If you really like your password or PIN, one approach might be to change them right before you leave, use a new password while traveling and then change them back to your preferred passwords when you get home.


11. Follow Up After Your Trip

When you get home, check bank activity, credit card activity and even medical insurance claim activity to see if there is anything you do not recognize. These are often the first places you'll see indications of identity theft. Some thieves will purposely use your information in situations where the paper and digital trail will only appear slowly -- establishments that submit charges and claims manually (or at least not in real time) -- so it is a good idea to check again after a couple of weeks to make sure nothing has shown up in the meantime.

Top 5 money tips for travellers

rbcadvicecentre.com 

If you’re travelling outside of Canada, you need to have reliable access to your money. Here are 5 easy ways to save time, save money, and help make for a smooth and enjoyable trip.

1. Bring some local currency - When you arrive at your destination, there’s already enough to do. So it’s a great idea to exchange your money at the bank before you leave (give yourself a few extra days should they need to order it in). Having some cash on hand to pay for things like taxis or tips means you can start your vacation right away instead of spending the first hours of your trip searching for a foreign exchange office.
2. Have a cash alternative - While travelling, you’ll want to be able to access larger amounts of money for major purchases or hotel costs. Credit cards are accepted just about anywhere and are much more secure than cash, so they are the perfect travel companion. To avoid potential processing delays while you’re away, be sure to let your bank know that you’ll be travelling. American Express‡ Travellers Cheques are another safe alternative to cash as they’re easy to replace if lost or stolen.
3. Pick a 4-digit PIN - Most foreign ATMs and merchant terminals only accept 4-digit PINs. In order to access your money without difficulty while away, set or re-set your credit and debit card PIN to a 4-digit code.
4. Stay connected online - Just about anywhere you travel, you can easily get to a computer or access your mobile phone. And if you bank online, you can manage your money from wherever you might be. So whether you need to pay your bills during an extended trip, or transfer funds to free up some cash, staying connected while abroad is not only a good idea, it’s secure and convenient too.
5. Spend your coins - Foreign coins are not accepted for exchange once you’re back home (but they are perfect for snacks and souvenirs at the airport). Instead of breaking a bill for any last-minute purchases, try to use up your coins. You’ll save your paper currency… and lighten your load as you travel home!