Seriously?
Boondocking in Mexico?
Yes why not!
And these tips will help you in every other country you visit.
Well real boondocking isn´t an option for us (so far) in Mexico. We don´t know the laws about boondocking here (yet). And also those voices (of people who never been in Mexico), that say Mexico is dangerous, are still in our heads.
So what to do?
We connect with people. Ask if they know a safe place to park our RV on private terrains of trustworthy people.
A safe bet, we found out, is to start our quest in musea, tourist information offices, churches, police stations, libraries and town halls.
Our experience is that when you tell people in a short and humble way about your journey and quest for a place to overnight, people get inspired to help you. They might not be able to help you themselves, but they might be able to put you into contact with others.
The trick really is to make them dream about doing the same. Don’t be pretentious about your journey, make it about education, learning about their beautiful country, their culture, food and naturally the people.
A lot of people, actually most people, dream about traveling. But most will never actually do it. But those dreams are there and when you tell them about your dreams, your journey, in a humble way so they start dreaming about doing the same, people open up and are more than willing to help you.
And let be honest, if you visit a new country, what use is it to only hide your rig in the woods? You can do that in your own country aswell.
Visiting other countries is about meeting new people. Learn about the country, its history and culture. Enjoy the food and local events.
The best way to do that is to connect with locals anyway!
Our experience is that many people actually want to help you and most of the time we found a save place to overnight within the hour.
The truth to tell is that you can’t be picky.
We have been offered overnight places on a parking lot of a hotel, a parking place of a taco stand, in front a house in, what I could only describe as, a slum. But also in huge private gardens with a toilet block.
The lesson we have learned that the people in Mexico are very willing to help. No matter from what layer of society they come, they all share the same hospitality. And because it seems that they are a bit ashamed about the real danger of being outside at night, they really want help you to find a safe place to park overnight, because they truly want their visitors to have a good time and show them their way of life.
Mexico is a beautiful country with great people living in it. Don’t let stories and a minority of bad people demotivate you to not visit Mexico.
“GlamDocking”
When connecting to people to find a safe place to overnight isn’t your thing, there is another way to do it.
Hotel Parking Lots
You can find a safe place to overnight in many ways. Hotels often have spacious parking lots. Normally they allow you to stay there for a small fee.
AirBnB
Because AirBnB isn’t as big in Mexico as in Europe and the USA, so people who offer their houses on AirBnB, are happy with your business.
Look for houses with a private terrain. Normally when you don’t need hook ups, they are very willing to make a special arrangement for you.
Cabañas
Camping isn´t very popular in Mexico. But the Mexicans enjoy taking their family for a weekend or holidays to cabañas. These are little holiday homes, mostly in the woods close to a village.
These are little holiday resorts where a few cabañas are build on a private terrain. The owners are often more than happy to accommodate your rv or trailer for a small fee.
