Mexico - Travel Deals

For an island that is merely 30 miles long and 10 miles wide and with the highest natural point a mere 15 meters above seas level, Cozumel has a lot to offer. The popular vacation destination located off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula has an incredible amount of biodiversity and some of the best scuba diving you can find anywhere in the world.

Jacques Cousteau made the waters of Cozumel famous in the 1960s and as a result there was an explosion of scuba diving around its legendary coral reefs. In 1996, the government of Mexico also established the Cozumel Reefs National Marine Park, forbidding anyone from touching or removing any marine life within the park boundaries.

In addition to the fun you can have underwater, Cozumel offers some beautiful beaches and an active nightlife geared tourists those looking to party while on holiday.

Travelocity is offering a vacation package that is a tremendous value. You can fly to Cozumel and stay at the three-star El Cozumeleno Beach Resort for three nights for about the same as you would normally pay just for an airplane ticket. The resort is located on the northern hotel zone of Cozumel and is just five minutes from downtown and it is right across the street from an 18-hole golf course.

What more could you ask for?

All Inclusive Vacations: Flight + 3 Nights Hotel From $637

The prices on airplane tickets to various destinations in Mexico are quite reasonable at the moment and undoubtedly there will be a fair number of people heading South of the Border during the Spring Break travel period. It is important for anyone flying to Mexico or Canada from the United States to be aware of the new passport regulations that go into effect on January 23, 2007.

You’ll no longer be able to cross the border with a mere driver’s license, birth certificate or baseball trading card. The government is now requiring that you show a passport upon exiting the country. I bet you are regretting not having a better passport photo taken right about now, aren’t you? Relax, I look like a cold blooded murderer in my picture and they still let me into Canada. Suckers.

The travel document initiative affects all United States citizens traveling by air within North America. It also affects certain foreign nationals who currently are not required to present a passport to travel to the United States-namely Canadian citizens, Mexican citizens, and citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. For current information please go to the U.S. Department of State Web site where you will be mesmerized by the legalese on display.

Someone must have slipped some happy pills in the coffee of the United Airlines executives because they are doing their best to make the world a happier, more smiley place. The airline has some seriously good deals on international flights with some especially tasty prices on flights to Mexico, Germany and Puerto Rico.

How tasty? Try finding a cheaper flight than the one from Indianapolis to Cancun, Mexico for $196 round-trip. That is crazy talk. Makes me almost want to move to Indy.

The Mexican good times can also be found in Chicago where flights to Mexico City are being offered for less than $300 and in Sacramento where you can fly to Los Cabos for $202 round-trip.

The party continues with all kinds of good prices on flights to Germany. There is New York to Munich for $328, Philly to Berlin for $319 and Pittsburg to Frankfurt for the incredible rate of $301. Sprechen Sie Savings?

For my friends keeping it real in the 503 area code, you need to get yourself over to Priceline and snag one of these flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico from Portland for $296. You know that offers like these won’t last so get yourself into gear and purchase your flights before January 9, 2007 or before those happy pills wear off.

Located on that thin strip of land that hangs down from mainland United States like a piece of food hanging from your chin, San Jose Del Cabo is one of the hot places to head for sunshine this winter. The Baja California resort town is a particular favorite for divers, golfers, fishermen and those who simply like to kick back and relax on some of the finest beaches that Mexico has to offer.

Without the brand name recognition of its fellow Baja city, Cabo San Lucas, San Jose Del Cabo is not quite as crowded and as a result it exudes the laid back attitude that will win even the most stressed out, fast paced person over. If you visit the area between January and March you might even get a glimpse at whales migrating southward from the Bering Strait. Whale watching tours are aplenty and this is one activity you certainly don’t want to miss if you are there at the right time of year.

One other must-see event in San Jose Del Cabo is the sunset. Watching the glorious yellow orb known as the sun crash into the sea in the horizon is the essence of beauty and romance. Make a picnic, grab a few adult beverages and sit close to the one you love. It is nature’s poetry at its best.

United Airlines has some killer deals on flights to San Jose Del Cabo. You can fly there from Chicago for less than $400 round trip and from Denver for around $300. Now you have no reason not to head South of the Border this winter.

Puerto Vallarta is an absolute delight. Unlike some other tourist destinations in Mexico (yes, I’m talking about you, Cancun), it has managed to maintain some of its small village charm despite growing into a world class place for visitors.

Puerto Vallarta was originally called “Las Peñas de Santa María de Guadalupe” (“the rocks of Saint Mary of Guadalupe”), but that was kind of a mouthful so eventually it became Puerto Vallarta (just so us gringos can show how good we are at rolling our “r’s”). The town is where the John Huston-directed movie version of the Tennessee Williams’s play The Night of the Iguana was filmed and after movie audiences saw how cute a place it could be for Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor they flocked there in numbers. According to Wikipedia: Today, there is a statue of Huston in the park on La Isla Rio Cuale in the center of the city. A nearby plaque dedicated on the 25th anniversary of the film’s release honors Huston’s contribution to the city’s fame.

Even if you aren’t a John Huston fan, you should make the journey to Puerto Vallarta. For a limited time you can fly there from L.A. for a mere $203. You won’t find a cheaper flight than that and you won’t find a better place in Mexico to visit.

My apologies in advance for today’s punfully bad post title. I guess I was just so excited about the thought of jetting to Cancun on an airplane for less than $400 that I wanted to share my glee with you, fair reader. You see, Cancun is more than just a place to do keg stands and pick up chicks from Michigan State during Spring Break, it is a year-round resort town where the sun always shines and the party never stops. If that isn’t your style, you can simply go there to sit on the beach or to practice your Spanish or to get away from the kids or to spend a holiday with the kids or to, well, you get the idea.

For more on Mexico’s number one destination (at least in my mind), check out the Cancun Travel Guide.

As someone who has his finger on the pulse of the cheap airfare world, I can tell you that cheap deals on flights to the Caribbean and Mexico are beating faster than ever. The major airlines have slashed their prices on flights to these warm weather locations ahead of the holiday rush and if you can figure out a way to travel in the next six weeks you can really save a lot of money.

Travelocity, for example, is offering up flights from New York City to Kingston, Jamaica for $179. That is the round-trip price, not one-way, and in my opinion that is as sick of a deal as you will find anywhere these days. Washington, DC to Montego Bay for $272 is another steal and there are plenty more deals like that floating around the Web.

Now is definitely the best time to visit the Caribbean and Mexico. The off season is the hot season for discounts and deals.