Mexico Travel During This New Normal
Last week we returned from our trip to Cancun, Mexico. We thought it was important to get get out there and travel where we could to learn about this new normal. I think we are all used to the new normal around here of having to wear masks and limited occupancy at businesses. But we were unsure what we would find when traveling to an unfamiliar area.
Simply put, it was the easiest and safest experience I have ever had in Mexico. There were a few steps we did take to make our arrival as easy as possible. As a result, this was by far the quickest immigration experience we have ever had. Here are a few of the steps we took before our departure.
We checked into our flight 24 hours prior to departure using the record locator/confirmation number on the airline’s website. We do this before any trip, pandemic or not.
To enter Mexico, we needed a tourist card. Airlines normally hand this form out on arrival but we heard that some airlines are no longer doing this. It is a two part form, entry and exit. We filled the form out online a few days prior to arrival. Each family traveling together will fill out one set of forms, but each person will have their own tourist card. Once you add one passenger, click new application to add the next passenger. We then printed off the approved forms. Upon arrival we gave the print out to the Immigration officer and they stamped it and gave us the exit form back. We kept this exit form safe with our passport as we will need it to exit Mexico. The airline collected the form when we boarded our flight home.
Each family traveling together will need to fill out a customs declaration form. We filled out one form for us both. This form can be filled out 3 days prior to arrival. We printed it out. This form was not asked for on arrival, but I liked having it ready to go just in case. Normally, this form is required upon arrival.
Mexico is now requiring a health questionnaire to be filled out by each person on arrival and on departure. You can only fill this out on the date of arrival and departure. We each did this both days on our phone before leaving our home/resort. We took a screenshot on our phone and TSA only asked for it upon departure. They also had forms at the airport for you to fill out but it is a bit chaotic. Even though we both had our screenshot, TSA still requested Tim fill out a paper form. No big deal.
We also pre booked our resort round trip transfers. I prefer to book a private transfer. After a long flight, the last thing I want to do is wait on other passengers to arrive or have to make stops at other resorts in the area. Our transfer was waiting for us as soon as we walked outside and we were in our van within minutes on our way to our new home for the week.
These few simple steps made the process a breeze for both arrival and departure.
One other thing to note: If you have never been to the Cancun airport before you might not know how chaotic it is making it from baggage to your resort transfer. You will walk through a rental car/taxi counter area and then an area with people lined up trying to sell you excursions. Your best action is to say “no thank you” and move on. There is no need to stop here. Once outside you will follow the sidewalk to where transfers are waiting to pick you up.
As for our health safety, everywhere we went we were given hand sanitizer. Anytime we entered a new room staff was offering us hand sanitizer. We also had our temperatures checked at check in, returning to the resort, and before being seated for meals. Staff at both the airport and resorts were constantly sanitizing surfaces. Seating in restaurants, as well as the pool, were social distanced. Bartenders requested that guest did not congregate at the bar stools. Staff on transfers and at resorts all wore face masks properly. Overall, we felt safer here than at some establishments in the United States.
As always, it is important to check the local requirements for your trip with the US State department and local tourist boards as things can change. These requirements were in effect at the time of our travel.
