planing a trip to Mexico & central America December to April
 

I am 53 Canadian male in San Francisco , I just bought a BMW f800gs for this trip planning on been in Mexico at the end of December ,couple of questions : should I get camping equipment or can I just rely on hostel ? just don't want to buy camping equipment and not using it.How do you guys do for travel insurances I have medical but nothing for the bike and liabilities ?should I look after it in Mexico and then each countries ? this is my first trip outside of Canada on a motorcycle .looking for advises .

I'm doing a similar trip, I'm leaving late December. We plan on staying at cheap hostel/motels but will be taking camping gear just in case. I know that's a lot of shit to take but you never know. Also some of the places that you stay are so filthy you'll want to sleep in your bag. I can't help you with insurance but I'm going into this knowing if my bike is stolen or wrecked I'm out a $10,000 bike.

I would recommend not bringing camping equipment into Mexico and Central America. Why? Because it's much cheaper to stay in motels and hostels down there, and you will have less concerns about the security of your bike while you sleep.

I have read that it is imperative to get Mexican insurance before going into Mexico. I don't know who offers it online, but there are plenty of places to purchase it close to the US/Mexico border. However, online will probably find you the best deals, and I suggest to find a thread, or Google it, or someone will chime in about it.

After checking this site: http://www.motormexico.com/?gclid=Cj...E58aAsR28P8HAQ
I found it will cost me about $167 for 25 days in Mexico. This is liability only.

Bajabound for Mexico insurance. Get it online before you go


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That is why you ride a used KLR or something along that line. better to be out 4k over 10k any day of the week.

I did Mexico to Panama and back, last year, no need for camping gear, only camping you could do is in the Baja. Find cheap places and camping is to dangerous and hard to find a camping site. Do not drive at night ever, was a fantastic, safe trip,people are so friendly and helpful, you will love it. Did I mention don't drive at night?

Have about 15 copies of your drivers licence,passport,registration AND TITLE , that will save you an hour at each border if you have those readily available. I only learnt that in Guatemala on the way down.

Don't drive at night OK, cause i did, dumbass move.

Do not miss Lake Attilan, Samuc Champe and Antigua in Guatemala and San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua ( Hotel Elizabeth $10 night)

You can check out my boring blog at Royincentralamerica.blogspot.com .

Have Fun.

Me and my girl will start to Uruguay on May 1st, but via New York
Also first time south of USA/Mexico border...

Dont forget that you will need a TVIP

If unfamiliar with the process, Go to day 7 of this ride report and all of the info is there. Spending Christmas in Death Valley and the New Year in Urique, Mexico | Adventure Rider

Dont forget that you will need a TVIP

If unfamiliar with the process, Go to day 7 of this ride report and all of the info is there. Spending Christmas in Death Valley and the New Year in Urique, Mexico | Adventure Rider

My wife and I entered Mexico on 15th December 2014 and will leave for Guatemala some time next week. We did spend time in Belize and Cuba in that time. Regarding camping I can only echo what others have said, that is it's not really worth the hassle of bringing it. We did camp on Baja California Sur for about 3 weeks and recently camped for 2 nights in the grounds of a hostal on Bacalar lagoon, Quintana Roo. Other than that the only time the camping gear saw the light of day was to give it an airing. The only exception to this is our cooking gear which we use quite frequently as my wife is vegetarian.


Our accommodation is mostly in hotels with a few hostels thrown into the mix. With one or two exceptions they've all been clean, you have no worries on that score in Mexico. We typically pay anywhere between 250 and 500 pesos per room per night. These are not hotels such as Best Western or Holiday Inn but typically family run places which are more typically frequented by Mexicans. 99% of places we stay have secure parking for the bike. We don't normally book anything in advance and have never not found somewhere to stay. The only time we've booked ahead is if we've wanted a longer term rental e.g. 6 weeks in Guanajuato.


Not sure of your planned route but be aware that you cannot get a TVIP for the bike in La Paz before getting on the ferry to Mazatlán. If you want to get on the ferry you have to have the TVIP, if not, they will send you back to Tijuana for it!!!!


We've had an absolutely great time in Mexico. Before arriving we imagined we might stay for 3 months. The reality is that we have been here for almost a year and will be sad to leave next week. But hey, we're supposed to be on a round the world trip so we have to leave at some point :-).


If you have any specific questions, just let us know and we'll see if we can help.


For travel insurance I think your situation will be different than ours because we're from the UK. We recently insured with Trailfinders but had to pay an additional premium due to the fact that the motorcycle is our primary form of transport. For bike insurance, we have none. If it's written off or stolen then that's just tough. I'm not aware of anything that would allow you to insure the bike for Mexico and CA. Third part is a bit different and we went with mexpro.com. Not sure about CA yet but it looks like most people don't get 3rd party, at least for Guatemala. Maybe we'll find something at the border next week.


Above all else, have a great time and ride safe.


Steve and Janette
Tiger 800 RTW – A global motorcycle adventure