Beautiful cute all-white tourist mountain town, with endless terraces.
Is like a terrace in a terrace in a terrace. like the inception of terraces
Central America
Cozumel – quick travel guide
A fun island for snorkeling or scuba-diving.
A super fast 1-day stay with beautiful. Not much else to do.
Tulum – quick travel guide
Mexico’s premier party beach, psuedo-spiritual, over-Instagrammed overly-commercial destination.
A once quiet beautiful beach town with authentic hippie vibes, got discovered, and within 10 years became an overly-commercialized super posh fancy Mexico destination. Probably Mexico’s #1 destination in terms of “cool” factor and most popular among the sexy influencers and crypto bros type of crowd. It’s rapidly developing and now has a ton of sexy casual fancy type of accommodations with a jungle/beach oasis vibe. Fancy restaurants, bars, cafes, boutiques all catering to that foreigner crowd.
Personally, I think Tulum is more hype now and too crowded with Americans and Europeans. Its best days are long behind it. But is it right for you? Let’s find it if you should stay for days, weeks, months, or forever.
Isla Mujeres vs Cozumel vs Holbox
Which is the best (Mexico) Quintana Roo island for you?
- Mexico’s prettiest white sand beaches of Isla Mujeres?
- Clear waters (diving) along the quiet beaches of Cozumel?
- Hippie town beach bum vibes of Holbox?
These 3 islands in the eastern Mexico’s state of Quintana Roo offer a unique vibe from the others. Let’s find out which one fits your best.
Cancun vs Playa del Carmen vs Tulum
What’s the best (Mexico) Quintana Roo beach city for you?
- Cancun’s hotel resort vibe?
- Playa del Carmen’s walkable dense city vibe?
- Tulum’s eco-bohemian spiritual Oasis vibe?
Finding the perfect vibe is always your best bet. The right balance between people and nature. Peace and quiet, as well as having things to do. Bars, cafes, restaurants, daily activities. And also to meet the kind of folks you’d like in your tribe.
I’ve been to all 3 numerous times and can help you sort out options.
Guanajuato – quick travel guide
Colorful hilly Mexican town with lots of culture and museums.
Guanajuato is a perfect-sized town. Small enough to feel like you saw all the main parts in 2 days. Big enough for you to discover more and more should you decide to live there. It’s a hill city with lots of angled streets and corners to wander around. On the hills you can see colorful views of houses and buildings on the other hills.
There’s also a full range of “real Mexico” life here. Nice and fancy shops/restaurants as well as more cheap local shops/eateries. It’s fun, it’s beautiful. And worth exploring from the usual beach-side Mexico.
San Miguel de Allende – quick travel guide
Beautiful picturesque little town with the Mexican Disney castle.
One of the lesser-known towns in Mexico by foreigners (who usually opt for beach destinations). San Miguel de Allende is a popular vacation destination for Mexicans (usually rich ones), despite many of them dismissing it as “fake Mexico”. The label is somewhat true and IMO makes it more impressive as a travel destination.
What does this “fake Mexico” town have that sets it aside from everywhere else?
It’s pretty, it’s posh, it’s popular. And artsy, and great food and cafes. Just a really nice, super nice, postcard nice place to be.
Recharging Telcel mobile SIM card in Mexico
Very easy to recharge your SIM card, you have 3 simple options:
Semuc Champey – quick travel guide
Semuc Champey is a national park in Guatemala (deep in the mountains/jungles) between Antigua & Flores. Features beautiful turquoise pools, river rafting, caving, and other nature-based activities.
As beautiful as Semuc Champey is…there really isn’t much to do. And the whole logistics of getting here and planning where to stay can be a mess. For this reason, many people say it’s overrated and I totally agree. A lot of hassle to get there and there isn’t that much to do unless you absolutely want to do some nature things or party in a jungle hostel with your clothes off. Of course…they try to invent little activities to make you feel like it’s a theme park but there really isn’t much. Maybe a young college kid would see all this as adventure. As for myself…I’d prefer spending extra time in creature comforts in Antigua or even Lake Atitlan.
Still insist on going? Ok fine…let’s cover some tips for getting the most out of your visit here.
Acatenango & Fuego Volcano – hike tour guide
Beautiful overnight hike up one volcano to get you incredible views of other surrounding volcanos and then back down safely to the real world.
Let’s cover some basic information you should know so you don’t gotta read a hundred sites to get all the info I share here.
- What to expect
- What volcano tour companies to choose
- What gear you need
- Logistics to plan (weather, travel)
- Other helpful tips
Lake (Lago) Atitlan – quick travel guide
A beautiful lake with many cute towns along the water, each with their different personalities.
Enjoy a relaxing waterfront with plenty of nature (hikes/tours), partying, bars, and restaurants to keep you occupied. This is a top-3 popular destination in Guatemala that’s easy enough to see within 3-4 days but keep you occupied if you want to be here for a month. Oh and it’s cheap!
Many people (usually Europeans) say it’s their most favorite place on earth, with all the wild nature and proximity to the water. I personally preferred the cuter city comforts of Antigua. To each their own.
Guatemala – quick travel guide
A country of raw wild jungle and mountains, feels like a less-developed Mexico (sharing language and food similarities, as well as overlapping Mayan cultural history).
Guatemala is an uncommon travel destination for casual tourists, but common destination for off-the-beaten-path hardcore travelers. Hardly no Americans here since they’re scared by its danger reputation, but super popular destination for British (especially in the 18-22 age range). It’s cheap and nice partying.
Guatemala is a small easy country to visit. You can see everything in a month, and some people even fall in love (with its chill wildness) and stay 2-3 months. You can go here because you love it or because you need to do a visa run to renew your Mexico visa. I also notice many people who like Guatemala also like Nicaragua (beautiful wild landscapes and super nice local people).
I’d say British find Guatemala’s wild undevelopedness more enchanting whereas Americans and others may prefer countries with more infrastructure and common 1st world luxuries like hot water, electricity, working internet.
Get the scoop on where to go and how to get around. Find out why going off the beaten path to Guatemala is worth it.
Antigua – quick travel guide
Cute colonial town in Guatemala, perfect for relaxing with food and nightlife, or more adventurous activities like volcano/nature hikes.
Antigua is definitely a common destination in Guatemala. Only 1-hour from the nearby Guatemala City (GUA) airport, handful of fun unique activities (like the Acatenango volcano hike), and other nearby-ish cities like Lago de Atitlan (3hrs) and Semuc Champey (9hrs).
While most people come here mainly for the volcano hike, I kept discovering more and more hidden gems in this place (with each passing day). Lots of great restaurants and shops, interesting architecture, and spots to sit around town and people watch. Also it’s super safe. Antigua is awesome and more than just a convenient volcano viewpoint. You can definitely live here!
Mexico City (CDMX) – quick travel guide
My favorite city in Mexico. Big city charms mixed with warm pleasant Mexican vibes.
Big, beautiful, eclectic, amazing restaurants, partying, multiple neighborhoods to live and explore. What made me stay in CDMX over 3-4 months was this super comfortable vibe. You’re not on vacation…you’re home!
There’s tons of things to do, people to see, lovely spots to chill at when you’re not living the epic party life like you would in other cities in Mexico. Let’s go over all the gems I found.
Oaxaca City – quick travel guide
Colorful charmy vibrant cultural city in inland Mexico. (One of my top 3 favorite cities in Mexico.)
Amazing culture, food, visually beautiful, haven for artists (and street murals), and off-the-path hipsters…great for a fast tourist visit or to live for a long time. I absolutely loved this place. Can’t say enough. Come here and see a very authentic lively Mexico that isn’t burned out by tourists and cliche marketing.
Cancun – quick travel guide
Why go here? There’s like 30 other better cities to visit in Mexico. If you’re here, I assume you’re first-time Mexico tourist who doesn’t know any better. But ok…let’s make the most of your cliche time in Cancun. *pinches nose*
Isla Mujeres – quick travel guide
Beautiful island off the east side of Mexico with beautiful beaches, views, and private piers. Way more fun and instagram-able than boring Cozumel, more developed infrastructure than Holbox. If you’re in the Quintana Roo area, Isla Mujeres is a can’t-miss destination. It has the perfect mix of hippy-Tulum zen vibes and party town Playa (Del Carmen) vibes. There’s something for everyone. And lucky for you, it’s easy to explore since it’s small and everything’s quickly accessible.
Cartel extortion racket for businesses in Mexico
Want to run a business in Mexico? Make sure you keep this in mind!
It doesn’t matter how safe the neighborhood is. Your business can be approached at any time by a cartel member and they demand payment or else they’ll threaten yours or your customer’s lives. They are absolutely serious and also quite clever.
Mexico – quick travel guide
Fun colorful country with nice people, easy tourism and adventures to explore, and with extremely diverse terrain.
Mexico is still a vastly underrated place because most people THINK they know Mexico. When in fact most people only know beach Mexico…but there is also jungle Mexico, mountain Mexico, island Mexico, and city Mexico.
I’ve explored mostly everything from Mexico City to Playa Del Carmen, a few other cities. See the list below. I came to Mexico thinking I’d only be there a month but ended up staying for 8, often returning to the same places multiple times. Basically…I felt like I was living there.
Most tourists come for a weekend or weeklong beach getaway. Most backpackers come for a month. But really, you could easily spend 3-6 months in Mexico and still not see everything everything. Mexico is an absolutely huge country which so much diversity in landscapes, terrain, culture, food, and activities.
Playa Del Carmen – quick travel guide
Mexico’s “best” beach party city with lots of adventures and proximity to other incredible destinations.
I was there for 3-4 months in 2021. Some people love it (most people just wanting to have general fun and party). Some hate it (the ones who prefer a more spiritual vibe like Tulum).
Playa is good for 3 things:
- Central homebase to other towns, good infrastructure for remote working or just living in Mexico.
- Good partying, clubs, bars.
- Can still relax if you stay off the crowded touristy streets.