Baja, Mexico Van Life Survival Guide
It’s no secret there are nerves around van lifing through Mexico. After all, we’ve all heard those horror stories of peoples’ vans getting stolen or broken into...
Sunny and I were split on our decision to travel through Mexico or not. I was pretty scared while he wasn’t at all. Ultimately we decided to take the risk while following specific rules we set for ourselves and our safety. Here is the list of rules we followed and tips we learned to help you survive van lifing through Baja, Mexico!
1: Border Crossing Preparation
Before crossing the border think about which border you would feel more comfortable crossing. We slept in a Walmart parking lot the night before departure and work up super early to enter through the ‘Mexicali’ border. We highly recommend getting there early, that way you can skip lines and any hustle/bustle you’d like to avoid. Be sure to come prepared with all your needed documents and get car insurance.
Valid passports
Tourist Visas (print this out & bring on paper - they do not accept digital receipt)
Car insurance (we got ours through ‘Baja Bound’)
Other things to keep in mind:
If you’re bringing a drone expect to get fined about $80 or so (or hide it well).
Before crossing the border, stock up on food from an U.S. grocery store as you will not get this type of luxury grocery experience while in Mexico and will miss your go-to foods.
They will go through your van so be prepared to open your cabinets and show them around.
Don’t be scared, if you have nothing illegal on you then there is no reason to be scared. Expect they will go through your van and practice your Spanish with them. They see people like you all day long and will eventually let you through.
2: Must Have Apps
*Be sure to download and save these apps locally to your phone so that you can use them while your phone is ‘offline’.
LANGUAGE BARRIER
Hablas Español?
If your answer is “Sí”, then you are all good to go and can move onto tip 3. If your answer is “Un poquito” then continue reading. You don’t need to be fluent but start practicing a few weeks before leaving and BE SURE to download Google Translate and save languages, Spanish & English in the app & set to work while your phone is ‘offline’. Here is a video that shows you how to save languages offline directly to your phone.
GPS DIRECTIONS
Are we there yet?
The second app you will want to have saved locally to your phone is Google Maps. Expect to not have wifi or cell service for a massive portion of your travels through Baja. It’s absolutely imperative to your safety that you have this app not just downloaded to your phone, but the entire Baja peninsula saved “offline” to your phone so that you can get GPS directions working without cell service & wifi. Here is a video with instructions on how to save a location from Google Maps to your phone so that it works while your phone is offline.
3: Roads & Tires
Before making your way down to Mexico it’s important to make sure the tires on your van will set you up for success. One of the main issues about van lifing through Mexico are the roads. Baja’s main one way highway, was recently paved which is the biggest blessing of all time. However most of the local road are still in poor condition.
Expect potholes… A lot of them!
Shortly after entering Mexico you’ll notice pot holes and you’ll soon become an expert at dodging them. And please do! Don’t be afraid to dodge the potholes safely because most of them are so deep and non-forgiving, it’s very likely you’ll get a flat. We credit our dodging skills and our All Terrain Baja Tires for successfully getting us through Mexico’s various terrains without a flat.
Pro Tip: Make sure you have a recent oil change before entering Mexico so to avoid relying on an auto shop to repair your van, especially if you don’t speak the language.
4. Bring Traction Boards
This is an absolute MUST! Yes they are bulky but they will get you out of a pickle. The thing about Baja is most campsites are on sand. Believe it or not, we got stuck on our very FIRST DAY!! Luckily we got out in no time due to our traction boards and learned the very (now) obvious lesson:
To get out of your van BEFORE driving too far onto the campsite. While you walk the area, use your feet to feel and make sure the sand is firm and not loose.
5. Drinking Water
Whatever you do, do not drink the tap water there. And be careful about asking for drinks with ice from local stores, you will need to make sure the ice is also purified. We think Sunny got sick from ordering a drink with ice in it from a local restaurant. His stomach hurt for weeks until he ended up having to go on antibiotics to kill the bacteria upsetting him. Make sure your water tank is full before leaving the U.S. and buy a few jugs of drinking water as you’ll go through it all quicker than you think.
Once you run out of water you can fill up at local purified water stations located inside every town. However these don't have hose hook ups so expect to only refill large drinking water jugs. When our water tank ran out we were able to fill up at some of the campsites we stayed at but the water was only able to be used for washing or dishes as it’s undrinkable.
Pro tip: It’s not a bad idea to take a parasitic antiviral at your return to the U.S. These medicines can be purchased in Mexico over the counter for about $15 and should kill any bugs you may have picked up along the way. I’m not a doctor so feel free to speak with your doctor first to confirm if he/she thinks that’s a good idea.
6. Don’t Drive at Night!!!
This is one of the simplest and easiest rules to follow that will surly lead you to a higher probability of a successful and safe trip through Baja. Don’t drive at night for a few reasons:
Number 1: The narrow streets and potholes are seriously dangerous and you don’t want to risk getting lost or damaging your vehicle hindering you from getting to your campsite safely.
Number 2: More importantly, watch out for COWS! Believe it or not, one of the main dangers of driving at night is running into a cow. There are plenty of wild cows all through Baja and they like to eat grass right alongside the road. Ramming your van into a black cow in the middle of the night is NOT something you or your van want to be involved with.
7. Campsites
The final and most important piece of advice I can give you, is…
Pre-plan where you’ll be staying.
From apps like iOverlander, Google Maps & Harvest Host, you can plan where you’ll be staying in advance. Mexico is so casual that you don’t want to waste anytime (like we did) trying to pre-book reservations. They are ALL first come first serve and are never fully booked. So just review all the available vetted campsites along the way. Make sure they have good reviews and plenty of other people have stayed there before. Save the locations in Google Maps (‘offline’ as discussed earlier). Then as you make your way you will always know where you’ll be sleeping ahead of time.
Pro tip: Be sure to map out the driving distance from each campsite as there are long stretches through the middle of Baja you’ll want to set aside for driving so that you arrive to your new campsites before dark.
Other things to mention:
Common Sense
We personally know someone who got their van broken into in Baja. She left her van and had her digital gadgets out in the open and parked it on a busy street during a local festival/parade. Don’t do this. If you want to go out to a restaurant, park the van where it’s still in eyesight from your table or close enough where you don’t feel nervous. And hide all of your cameras, phones and computers. Don’t wear anything designer or flashy. It’s Mexico! Ideally you’re in a swimsuit and sandles the whole time!
Cash
You’ll want to have cash on you the whole time you’re in Mexico. It’s easier to get by so you’ll have less issues if you have cash. Just be sure that you look up the exchange rate in advance and know how to calculate it on your calculator. When getting cash out, be sure to go to a large national bank when pulling out your money. The smaller, random sidewalk ATMs will likely steal your card info (happened to me). Let your banks know you’ll be there in advance. Ideally you could look into getting an ATM card that refunds ATM fees (that’s what we did and saved us money).
Checkpoints
There are checkpoints every few hours or so through Baja. Mostly to look for drugs. Try to speak Spanish to the guards and let them look through your van (you have no choice lol) and don’t have anything illegal on you. Don’t panic, remain friendly and work on telling them where you are coming from, where you are going and how you are vacationing through Baja and love Mexico!
Caravans
You’re always safer in numbers so if possible go to Baja with a caravan, meaning with multiple van lifers. We ended up meeting up with some van lifers on our first day in Baja and caravanned for a while and it was really nice.
Weather
Be mindful about the time of year you’d like to go. Be sure you go at a time when the weather is not too hot to get the most of your time in Baja. We don’t have a built-in AC in our van so were sure to go from Feb to mid April when the weather is nice and not too hot.
Cell service/WiFi
Again, you will be shocked at how little cell service and wifi you will get in Baja, so be sure to download your favorite podcasts and playlists to get you through those long drives.
Conclusion:
I am BEYOND grateful Sunny and I decided to take the risk and go to Mexico. It was a wildly positive experience and we plan to go again. Of course, no matter what, there are always unavoidable risks during International travel. Hopefully these tips and rules give you a good idea as to what we did to stay safe and we couldn’t recommend Baja, Mexico enough!