Countdown Mexico

We’re headed to Mexico soon. Meeting up with our British friends, the Beards, for a replay of a vacation 7 years ago at The Grand Palladium in the Riviera Maya.  Here’s a list of what I’ll need to get done before we go:

  • Check cambio to see what the current exchange rate is so I can decide how much money to exchange (please be a good exchange rate, so I can shop more!)
  • Gather up travel insurance info, which is already saved in my email
  • Get our passports out of the safe
  • Make color copies of our passports to leave behind with trustworthy friends in case they’d need to bail us out of any situation. I also keep a copy on my phone.
  • Switch my phone over to Mexico calling and text package (we rarely use our phones while out of the country, but you never know when you may need more than wi-fi
  • Alert my bank and credit card company of our travel dates, so they don’t think someone stole my cards and ran off to Mexico
  • Bring the suitcases up from storage, so we can start packing
  • Round up a lot of small bills for tipping

Things to remember to pack besides clothes:

  • iPad mini  and chargers
  • Water shoes or dive boots (probably boots this time considering how many sting rays we saw in that area last time)
  • Underwater camera—I’ll make sure everything is cleaned and fully charged before packing it in my carry-on
  • Ear buds and a book for the plane (I will also have a sweater and pair of socks in my carry-on in case it’s a cold flight)
  • Band aids, nail polish, and polish remover pads
  • Prescription meds and OTC meds–Tums, Benadryl, ibuprofen, Imodium just in case. It costs way more to buy them there
  • Sunscreen and insect repellant to ward off mosquitos
  • Snorkel gear: mask, snorkel, fins—the last time we needed to borrow fins the crew could only find one fin in hubby’s size
  • If we decide to dive, I can rent that gear there
  • Dive log

Clothes wise, I will mostly pack:

  • bathing suits
  • Cover ups
  • Dresses for dinner
  • Flip flops and sandals
  • One pair of tennis shoes
  • Some gym/workout clothes (the resort has a pretty cool gym)

Pretty much anything else beyond that, is going to be overkill for a week-long trip. Honestly, I probably don’t need much more than the bathing suits anyway.