VAN LIFE IN BAJA
My Solo Road Episode 45 | Van life in Baja
You want to travel Mexico in a van but you’re not sure if it’s safe or what you may need to know? I break down everything this week so you can prepare for it all. Safety, camping, what to bring and lots more discussed all about my time in Baja!
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INTRODUCTION
Van life in Baja can be intimidating your first time to visit. Our experience was overall really great and I want to give you all the information so that you can head into Baja Mexico prepared, safe, and ready to enjoy yourself!
Preparing for mexico
- Get Pesos before you cross the border. Research and call various places to find the best exchange rate.
- Consider bringing bribe money, this DOES happen from time to time and it's best to be prepared.
- Fill up your water containers and consider purchasing an extra 6 gallon container to bring with you. There are places to fill up filtered water but you might run into issues.
- Do a huge grocery run especially if you are vegan. The grocery stores are pretty small with basic vegetables/fruits and a few canned goods.
- Purchase Max Trax, which can help you if you get stuck in the sand which happens a lot!
- You NEED car insurance in Mexico. It's not only legally required but it's smart to do. I personally went with my own insurance but Baja Bound is another great option. It's not cheap but it's necessary.
- Take inventory of anything that would be illegal in Mexico and leave it behind in a storage unit.
- If you have dogs get vaccination records.
Crossing the border into baja
Getting into Baja Mexico can be one of the more intimidating aspects when it’s your first time. Here are some basic rules and tips to get you safely across the border:
- You can cross through at various points but we personally entered through Tijuana and it was pretty simple.
- You MUST get a Tourist Visa (and get it stamped) no matter where you are going in Baja. To obtain one you need to stop at the Immigration office which is to the right before you cross the border.
- Once at the border they opened up the back doors and quickly checked out the van.
- Overall the border was very simple and easy to cross.
CAmping in Baja Mexico
- For your first night I recommend planning out where you will camp and meet anyone else you are traveling alongside.
- IOverlander is a great app to use for finding camping in Baja.
- Although there are free spots along the beach, there are a lot of paid camping sites. We opted for many paid spots during our trip as they ended up being the sites we preferred the most. They averaged $5-$10 a night.
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Our favorite sites were in Baja California Sur, right on the beach.
- All the paid sites we found were dog friendly, felt safe, and were beautiful.
safety in baja
- Overall in Baja, we felt safe. Take simple precautions like cross body purses, don't showoff a ton of cash etc. Be Smart.
- There are military check points: Overall they simply want to know what you are doing there, where you are going, and where you came from.
- Bribe Money is smart to have but be I wouldn't personally offer over $50 US dollars.
- If you can, learn Spanish. Otherwise if possible have a Spanish speaking friend on speed dial to call if you do get pulled over.
- Gas stations can often be few and far between, try to keep as full of a tank as possible. You don't want to run out of gas in the middle of Baja.
- I did have a friend get pulled over and they attempted to bribe her. She was able to call a Spanish speaking friend talk to the police and get her out of it. The most important thing is to pay at the police station and ask if the Judge will be present to take payment.
- Traveling in a group is recommended as you will feel safer and you don't have to worry as much about things going wrong.
Volunteering in Baja
During our time in Baja we were lucky enough to join a dog rescue and personally rescue a few dogs. It was an incredibly rewarding experience and I highly recommend volunteering if you are able to do so.
A few places you can volunteer:
If you cannot volunteer but want to help, you can always donate to Keeping Finn who donates all of the proceeds to different animal rescues across the US every month.
FINAL ADVICE
Van life in Baja was a magical experience that I highly recommend to others that can go. It was overall the best experience I have had in the van in my four years on the road. What do you think, would you head to Baja in your van?
