How to Adapt

Literally. My sister wrote me yesterday and asked whether we need to bring along plug-adapters for the trip to Mexico. Uhh....honestly, I had not yet thought about that. Dang. So, I did a little basic research and discovered the following:

1. Electrical sockets (outlets) in Mexico (Estados Unidos Mexicanos) are very similar to the electrical outlets found in the United States and Canada, and if your appliance has a North American plug, it's possible that you won't need any adapter at all in order to plug in there.

2. Sometimes though, if you have an item that has a 'grounding' agent (aka, that third plug below the other two plugs) it will not fix into the plugs in Mexico.

3. Therefore, bring an adapter so that you do not find yourself languishing without a hair dryer for a week.

4. Electrical sockets (outlets) in Mexico (Estados Unidos Mexicanos) usually supply electricity at between 110 and 120 volts AC. If you need to plug in a U.S. or Canadian 120 volt appliance, or an appliance that is compatible with multiple voltages, then an adapter is all you need.

5. However - here again it is important to consider what kind of voltage your appliance can take. You may need a voltage transformer in order to handle this properly.

6. Moral of the Story: Bring it all, to maybe need it.

You could go all-out and purchase something like this Samsonite Dual Wattage Converter/Adapter








Or, just forget the converter (the more expensive component) and get the adapters, like this Lenmar AC5 World Traveler Plug Set. If your appliances can handle the voltage differential, this should be all you need.







Do the research before you go, and you won't find yourself with unnecessary headaches on your vacation. Oh, and ask your little sister for ideas on other things you're forgetting in the whirlwind-wedding-fog of the last 30 days prior to your destination wedding. :o)

Don't Drink the Water

Yes, it's the name of a Dave Matthews song, but it's also a pretty important rule to remember when traveling through Mexico. A friend was kind enough to share some suggestions about "things your guests might want to know" after a recent trip to Mexico. For example: don't drink the water, and if there are large bottles of water sitting on your bathroom counter at your resort, use those for brushing your teeth and rinsing your mouth. I've heard people say they used the resort water to brush their teeth and didn't become ill, and have heard still others say they became ill because they drank a beverage that had ice cubes in it.

Another potentially strange-to-some-Americans tip is this: look for signs that indicate whether or not you can flush your used toilet paper. It sounds gross to a certain degree, but the sewer systems in Mexico are different than those here in the U.S., and some cannot handle paper or other objects (including feminine products). Public areas are likely to have signs posted to this effect, but many resorts will not - when in doubt, just ask someone. Some water systems go to the ocean and it's always nice to do your part in keeping the environment a bit cleaner. As a side note, it might be a good idea to bring a deodorizer or air freshener for the bathroom in your room, as the bathroom inevitably smells like...a bathroom. :o)

Be prepared to be hassled by timeshare agents arriving at the Cancun airport, particularly after you have cleared customs and are making your way to the curb to find your resort taxi. They will ask you questions that make it appear as though they are your resort's taxi service, only to suck you into signing up for a timeshare presentation in exchange for something cool-sounding.
For example, my friend and her husband ended up sitting for about 5-6 hours in a presentation (always go to the early morning presentations so you can have the rest of the day for fun) but got tickets to Xcaret and Xel-ha out of it - about a $200 value. So just decide in advance whether you'd like to be party to something like this for the sometimes-cool freebies, and keep your head low until you get outside of the airport if you are not interested. Your resort taxi/transfer service will always be outside the airport, and will almost always have a sign with either your last name or resort name on it. Accept no imitations.

And speaking of airports....the ride to the resort from the airport is usually anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes. The lines at immigration take approximately 30-45 minutes, depending on the day and time you arrive. So - if you need to use a restroom, do so before you get in the car or shuttle bus. Your bladder will thank you.

All for now...more tips to come!

Flights: Check!

The latest news from our end of the world is that we have booked our flights to Cancun for the wedding. (I guess now that means we HAVE to go...hmm...) But we're very excited because although we are not going first-class, we are going non-stop from Denver to Cancun! Frontier Airlines offers about 3 flights per day non-stop from DEN to CUN, and we were the first people to book these flights for August 6-13, 2009 (Thursday-Thursday; we were going to do Wednesday-Wednesday but it didn't work out that way). So anyone coming down from Denver - get on the party plane with us at 10:35am on August 6th, 2009! Mexico, here we come!

Luggage for International Destinations

...not that you need special luggage to travel outside of the United States (or whereever your home country might be), but there are some fabulous options out there at all different price points, so that you might be stylish no matter your budget (if, of course, you want to be stylish). I will be writing on this for the next few days, since there are so many categories to cover! We'll start with some options for the Guys (although obviously luggage is not necessarily gender-specific).

The first bag is a retro-style Lacoste toiletries organizer from Zappos.com ($55). I love it mainly because of the style and design, but also because it is different than the typical black carry-all for guys.

This second brown leather duffel is from Diesel, called "The Night Warrior" Jinn. I found it at Zappos.com for $240 - you might be able to find it elsewhere for less, but I love the look of it so I had to put it up!




This chic 3-piece set from Traveler's Choice ("Rome") is on sale right now at Overstock.com for $149.99 - and it's incredibly lightweight, so you don't have to worry about paying extra fees to your airline when you are coming home with a ton of souvenirs in tow.

I love this next piece (and kind of want one, because I think it looks very functional, yet very 007. The Heys 4WD CompuEZ Hard Business Case fits in the overhead compartment on most airplanes, and is outiftted with durable wheels so you don't strain your back walking across the massive parking lot and through the massive airport (I'm thinking of DIA here people). You can find it at Zappos.com for $154.

Finally, this is such a simple looking bag with so many possibilities. The Victorinox Zip Around Lifestyle Travel Kit ($59 at Zappos.com) holds an incredible amount of toiletries (and cigars, a flask, anything else you might need) and still is compact and relatively deceiving in its appearance (no one will know you have your hair gel hanging out inside).

Things People Wouldn't Do in Cancun

I am completely fascinated with online forums. One that I watch with particular fervor is TripAdvisor.com, which is a travel site at first glance, but if you click that little tab on the homepage called "Forums"...you are transferred to another universe, one that allows people to bash, trash, like, and love their travel experiences. It's a phenomenon you must experience to appreciate. I cannot get over how much of people's lives are 'lived' via the world wide web, and how this has changed just over the past 3-5 years. I remember thinking it was a huge deal to have an email address when I started college in 1996. I remember how 'telnet' was so amazing, and you could even CHAT with people on there if you knew the right words to type (and you had hacker dork friends like me). Now - you can literally learn more than you ever wanted to know from complete strangers. It boggles me, but in the same breath, I can honestly say that I appreciate it a ton when it comes to planning a destination wedding for us, our families, and our friends, some of whom have never visited Mexico. Most of my life is consumed in learning, through one method or another, and it just so happens that forums feed that need in a very simply packaged manner.

So I checked out the Riviera Maya region forum tonight, just to see if anyone has actually stayed at Secrets Maroma Beach yet, and if so, did they have anything nice (or mean) to say about it? Well, I did not find too much on that particular topic, but I DID find this very interesting post about what people do NOT recommend doing in and around Cancun. Here is a sampling of information:

• I would tell others to avoid Market 28. I did not feel safe there and I was pestered by merchants trying to barter deals with me on trivial merchandise - including marijuana.
• So, we tried the Crab House, the food was OK, IMHO, but the bill, was astronomical. 4 adults, 2 steak dinners, 2 small lobster tails, came out to over $400.00 USD. Which I think is a little bit over priced, since we always go to Lorenzillo's for much better food and price. Also, we were very tired from the night before, so there was no liquor at our table, only water.
• Do not over plan your stay!!! Things change, you can always make plans for a trip at the resort. Dpending on the weather, how you feel, how things are going. I see people planning five trips on a seven night stay! So when do you relax?
• Never would buy a taco out of the trunk of a car. You will see a lot of this downtown, can`t imagine how unsafe this would be to a tourists tummy.
• I would not be rude to employees as I have seen others do...it gets them no where and probably are worse off in the end....remember RESPECT.
• I liked Xel-Ha and Tulum, but would not couple them as one tour again. Way too much to do in one day and you feel very rushed. Would not use the airport transfers included in your travel package. It took us about 2 hours to get to the resort. Now I always spring for the private transfers....30 min. tops.
• Would never again drink one tequila shot after another just to get up the nerve to sing Karaoke!
• I would never lay out without sunscreen.
• I would never go shopping at Walmart in Playa del Carmen at night if you don't know Spanish.

Hey, these people apparently know what they are talking about...after all, they spend a good bit of time on these forums every day. Who wouldn't believe them??