I haven't been further into Mexico than a few border cities. I have read extensively on this site as well as guidebooks. Due to a small pension I'm thinking of boondocking full-time on the Mexican side. What I'd like to find are nice areas close enough to the Border to run up and get mail every so often as well as visit a bookstore and catch a movie. With satellite radio and tv I don't feel I'd miss much. Best I can figure, good summer locations would be around Saltillo as well as the Copper Canyon. In the winter Baja California looks good. I'll have a truck camper and a couple of dogs. Any ideas and opinions appreciated!
Go to San Carlos, MX and stay at Totonaka RV Park, 475.00 a month with full hook ups. The people are great there and you would love it. I would not Boondock as it is not total save from theft unless you have other RV's around you. This is in Sonora which will not require a car permit, Get insurance on your truck, Lewis & Lewis or some other Insurance company. Buy it by the year it is cheaper. Here is a link to find out about San Carlos. http://www.vivasancarlos.com/ This would be a good start for you. You could do some side trips to Copper Canyon & Alamos. This is our view as we have been to a lot of places in MX. With your side trips you may find out you might want to go somewhere else, no problem you are a RV.
Depending on what you mean by fulltiming, if you were to stay in one place or nearby, they have the Mailboxes Etc, and you get your mail the next day from Laredo, McAllen, etc.
On the coast of Tamaulipas I can think of several great boondocking sites where I would spend the winter. Safe and quiet.
Lots of choices but it all depends on what your requirements are. People on this forum give lots of great advice so stay tuned.
Not to re-open the tour book debates (definitely not to do that!), but the Churches and most voices of conventional wisdom treat avoiding boondocking as a basic rule, like not driving at night, and being careful of topes.
What is your view and experience? What guidelines are appropriate?
Not to re-open the tour book debates (definitely not to do that!), but the Churches and most voices of conventional wisdom treat avoiding boondocking as a basic rule, like not driving at night, and being careful of topes.
What is your view and experience? What guidelines are appropriate?
I'll be honest. I have never traveled the West coast in an RV. I have traveled it extensively for work via air and car. I do remember very favorably trips in the 70s from Tijuana to Cabo with my brother in his beat up VW. So I can't compare with my boondocking experience on the East coast.
All I can say is, I have never stayed in a Pemex only because there are so many other remote places where most people wouldn't venture. We have stayed in areas where kids may drive by at night (Pozo de Gavilan), yell into the cenote and then continue on their way, stayed at beaches where there were no people only to have policia judiciales watch us for an hour and leave, here on the mountain roads where rural police stop to see if all is well.
My advice is to alway stay away from populated areas, get a good feel for the place, arrive early enough that if you don't like it or feel uncomfortable you can move on. My personal experience says that the majority of Mexicans would never approach an rv. We have left it at the beach for the day with our things outside, generator chained to the palapa, beach chairs out and so far, no takers. No one has peered in the windows, knocked on the sides, or any other bizarre behavior.
I know that if we do it long enough, we will someday have something taken, it happens in all rv parks sometime, somewhere. I feel completely comfortable and we have found some great sites to be shared with everyone. It would give me more pleasure than anyone would know to have a group follow us for a two-week trip down the East coast. Many of you have probably spent more time doing it than we have only because we haven't retired yet. Coupling rv skills, boondocking sites, language skills with others would produce one heck of a great time.
vantexan wrote: I haven't been further into Mexico than a few border cities. I have read extensively on this site as well as guidebooks. Due to a small pension I'm thinking of boondocking full-time on the Mexican side. What I'd like to find are nice areas close enough to the Border to run up and get mail every so often as well as visit a bookstore and catch a movie. With satellite radio and tv I don't feel I'd miss much. Best I can figure, good summer locations would be around Saltillo as well as the Copper Canyon. In the winter Baja California looks good. I'll have a truck camper and a couple of dogs. Any ideas and opinions appreciated!
Boondocking alone in the north part of Baja is a VERY bad idea, unless you are well away from civilization off back roads and know the area.
People boondock in our area, but we are in a rather remote part of Baja over 500 miles south of the border
Don't forget, if you're going to be down south that long, you will probably have to get a FM-3 visa. A FM-T is only good for 6 months.
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There are several places along Mexico Highway 40 (the Devil's Back) beyond Durango at which we have been tempted to stop for a night or two to enjoy the scenery (we have probably made 30 trips through the back bone). We would love to enjoy the entire day - sun up to sun down in those beautiful mountains. We are somewhat old hands at traveling in Mexico but are still fearful of stopping along a major highway alone. Any comment?
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