Going to Cancun is likely not a trip that sounds daunting to most people. Readers may feel they can figure that one out for themselves, and they are probably right. Your average resort trip to Cancun does not really require advice. You book a flight and a hotel or resort, and you just camp out there and avoid going to the parts of Mexico that Stephanie says “smell like Mexico.” This article is intended more to inform do-it-yourselfers, or others wanting to venture off the beaten track a bit. If you are looking to do a self-directed Maya ruins spin as we did, or just go exploring on your own, you may find some useful information here.

Transportation

We rented a car. I have driven and ridden in cars in several different Latin American countries. While driving conditions in some places we went were a bit different than what you would expect in the United States, driving yourself around the Yucatan has some advantages and is not the white knuckle affair it can be in places like Rio or Guatemala. The main highway in the state of Yucatan was pleasant and comfortable, though sometimes it was a long way between service stations. The roads in Campeche were not well maintained. In the northern parts of Quintano Roo, we encountered heavy traffic that sometimes caused delays, but the roads weren’t that bad. Mexico has massive speed bumps everywhere. We also encountered these in Peru and Guatemala, so perhaps they are just ubiquitous in Latin America.

If you do rent a car, mind which credit card you use. Many cards (nearly all travel cards) offer some kind of insurance that will cover you in case of a collision. This allows you to decline the coverage offered by the rental agency. Rental agencies push their insurance VERY hard. The agent may try to convince you that buying their policy is a legal requirement. It’s not. You may be required to provide a copy of your card agreement that proves the credit card company’s insurance covers the car. Even after you provide this, the company that rents you the car will almost certainly require a very large deposit hold on your card. They do this, because they will require you to pay for any damage to the car, then recoup the costs from the credit card insurance yourself. This would be a hassle, but considering what the rental agencies want to tack on for insurance, I have always declined the coverage, accepted the credit card hold, and figured I would sort out any issues in case of damage from an accident. To date, I have never had to deal with rental car damage or a claim on the credit card’s car rental insurance coverage.

Google maps has worked effectively for navigation. Gas has been easy to find, and generally payable by card as well as cash. Many of the larger, more visited places like Chichen Itza, Tulum, and even Uxmal are easy and convenient to reach by car. Many resorts will have bus tours to places such as these, relieving you of all the responsibility for finding places, figuring out how long it will take to get there, and just driving in general. Another interesting option is the Tren Maya. This is a square shaped train route that goes from Cancun to Chetumal, from Cancun over to Merida, from Merida down through Campeche, across to Chetumal, and even over to Palenque in Chiapas. The final parts of this system were opened to public travel in the final weeks of 2024, so it was not operational when we were there. We saw it being built. We cannot comment on the quality or the cost of this option, but in general, I like trains.

Money

Mexico uses pesos, and cash is needed in enough parts of rural Mexico that you’ll still need to carry some. They are easy to exchange, but money changers nearly always have worse fees than just withdrawing cash from ATMs. You may not be able to find ATMs in rural areas, but as long as you’re planning ahead, they are easy enough to find in cities. In other parts of Latin America, we have occasionally run into empty ATMs, but this did not happen to us in Mexico. Make sure you use a card that does not tack on additional fees for using foreign ATMs, and of course ALWAYS decline the conversion. Your bank will make a small amount on the exchange, but not near as much as the one you would be charged if you let the ATM’s bank do it. At the time of this writing, $1 U.S. is equal to about $20 MXN pesos.

Food

We generally ate in mom and pop type restaurants, occasionally opting for a nicer meal or one served by our hotel, in the rare case we stayed in a hotel that offered such services. It is generally best to eat at places that have a lot of business, so you know their food is being cycled through often. We also eat from street vendors, if the food is cooked or peeled. Don’t drink the water in rural Mexico. This also means don’t consume drinks with ice or brush your teeth unless the water was sourced from a bottle.

Mexican food is great, though you will see a lot more variety than you might expect if your previous experience is limited to American chains. Mexican food varies quite a bit by region, as you might expect if you think about how food in America or other places differs from one area to another. When by the sea, you’ll get a lot more dishes with shrimp, mariscos, etc. When traveling in the Southern interior, you might be more likely to encounter indigenous influences.

Accommodations

When we were in Cancun at the beginning and end of our trip, we stayed at relatively nicer places. I say relatively, because we almost never choose extremely expensive lodging. The way I see it, we did not come to Mexico to look at the inside of a hotel. It’s the place I sleep until I go out and to the good stuff! The first stop was a chain airport hotel, and the last was the aging beauty I described in the Riviera Maya article. Our hotel on the square in Merica would also fit into that category. Many Latin American resort cities have these older luxury hotels that can be had at quite a bargain. For me they are a fun experience, and allow the feeling of luxury, with a side order of nostalgia, all served with a major discount from the standard Hyatt or Hilton locations. If you’re playing the points and miles game, the latter might be a good option.

Once away from Cancun, we ran my normal program of mid-level mom and pop type places. In Xpujil, we just stayed in the only place that wasn’t a campsite or a phony “ecolodge.” These were pretty cheap, and can be booked via Booking.com, Expedia, or any of those online sources. Since it was just the two of us, we didn’t bother with AirBnB or VRBO. We like those options and probably should have considered them, despite my bad luck with VRBO on other trips.

Conclusion

Traveling around the Yucatan on our own turned out to be easier than I thought. I know enough Spanish to get by. Even if you don’t, in the tourist areas there are plenty of English speakers. When further afield, Google Translate is your friend. Driving helped us to to places we could not have reached via public transportation or organized tours. Our willingness to deal with accommodations less than resort quality allowed us to visit some more remote sites. It was all easier than I expected, and better than I had hoped. Even as a historian, I had no idea how many and how impressive the Maya cities in Meso-America are. It’s worth the trip. If you are not feeling adventurous, stay in resorts and cherry pick the easy trips like Chichen Itza and Tulum. If you want to feel like Indiana Jones, grab your whip and leather jacket. Heading out to more remote places like Calakmul is worth it, and not as dicey as you probably thought it was. Take a crack at either of those strategies, or something in between. The Maya cities are amazing places to behold, and a must see.