Who visits & how to prioritize your itinerary when visiting Mérida, Mexico.

Who visits & how to priorities your agenda in Mérida, Mexico.

Are You Ready for a Summer Vacation?

Mérida, Mexico has become a hot spot for visitors in all age groups and from all over the world.

The Yucatán has more of a cultural celebration feeling, that is different from many popular tourist areas in Mexico. Those locations are beautiful and still worth visiting but some areas have become more tourist trap feeling and have lost their old traditional heritage charm that is so special.

Visitors are there for the holiday celebrations and normally stay days or a few weeks. For those who want to experience more stay weeks, months or years.

The popular visiting months are summer vacations and the Fall, Winter months into Spring, depending on which holiday they want to enjoy.

For those wanting escape the winter months where they’re from, some start visiting in October - December and stay until February or to April. Most of the seasonal ‘snow birds’ leave after the Easter Holiday, which opens up the Spring and Summer months to enjoy the area with less crowds.

While visiting Mérida, I noticed it is a destination that is explored by a lot of families, including couples with babies in strollers and young children. It’s a city that has a the connivences that they may need with a lot of things to keep everyone entertained on a holiday vacation. 

It was also noticeable a large portion of visitors in the retirement age group, who were traveling in groups, couples and as solo travelers.

The expat community is known to be very active in Merida, so if you’re considering making a more permanent move, check out a local meetup or gathering. It’s a great way to get to know those who have made the move and they can share their experience of what’s it’s like living there as a part-time or full-time permanent expat.

TIP: PLANNING YOUR ITINARY

If you take the time to plan out what interest you the most and book it before you arrive, but also have plenty of open space on your itinerary to explore the city by “winging it”. You’ll be surprised on how much you can enjoy for free or very little money to have a great trip. It’s also a great way save money and budget the top experiences of your list.

TIP:  PLANNING FOR A LARGE GROUP:

If you have a larger group of family or friends going on the trip, have them fill out a list of attractions of what’s the most important to them, starting with the most important attractions first.

Then be realistic and highlight the places that they might not be able to do for each family member based on mobility, energy level, nap time & etc.

This will help you plan out the must-see places for everyone in your group and see if you need to split up in groups for a day or two, to give the ones that need extra time to rest. Not everyone in the group may have the same energy level, but there are ways to accommodate for everyone on the trip.

Take the list from each of them and list them out on a grid paper into three categories.

Priority ONE/Priority TWO/Priority THREE  

That will give you an idea of where to concentrate one your top attractions to choose from.

Take a look at each priority lists and make notes on every item on the agenda, starting with the location, logistics of transportation, distance, business hours, age & mobility restrictions, food in the area, bathroom breaks, shopping, language barriers, etc.

For each day, pick one - Priority ONE item and plan it out based on weather, business hours, location, transportation time, etc.

Then take a look at Priority TWO & THREE lists and see if any of those are enroute or in the same area as your main agenda (Priority ONE) for the day. Make notes on the logistics of transportation, business hours, etc., so you have that information ready if you have the opportunity to explore them that day.  You’ll save time and frustration if you have that ready to go.

It will help you plan your trip for the important things on everyone’s lists and you can have a plan B & C ready to go if needed. Having your research done ahead of time, it gives you an idea of what you have time to explore. You’ll be prepared and have an alternative ready to set in motion so if things don’t go according to the plan A.

Hopefully, this helps you plan your main attraction for the day and have the quick guide of information for one or two things that could fit into the day if possible. Having an itinerary already vetted can make the most of it or save the day!

Dream! Plan! Go!

Ages of who would enjoy visiting:

The 20’s to 30’s Age Group; Vacations - Digital Nomad - Slow Travelers.

Young Families with Babies, Kids & Teen’s with Parents; Vacation - Digital Nomad – Slow Travelers - Expats.

Retired to Semi Retired:  Vacation – Fast Travel - Slow Travel – Expat.

Things to consider:

Working; Confirm Visa Restriction Requirements. Hire a facilitator to get the current requirements, paperwork and appointments.

Mobility; As with any area or locations you would travel to, you will need to research for mobility if you are concerned with limitation.

Wanting to learn a new skill or craft? Many classes are available for all age groups. Search for them on Cookly, Aliore, WithLocals, Viator and GetYourGuide.

Dream! Plan! Go!

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