Welcome to Mexico, home to Tacos, Tequila, and All-inclusive Resorts. Let me take you on a journey across white sand beaches, crystal blue waters, and dense jungles. Mexico is an adventurer’s dream with countless ways to make new memories that you’ll cherish forever.

Story

Through my teenage years I was lucky enough to experience much of Mexico firsthand -keep in mind when I say ‘experience Mexico, I mean the tourist side of Mexico- and now I have stories I can happily share with you all. I remember on one family vacation, we took a Carnival Cruise that stopped in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas. There were memorable experiences that happened in all three, but today I’d like to tell you a story from Puerto Vallarta. Our cruise had just ported. On shore, we were greeted by one of the most beautiful skylines I had seen while visiting Mexico. The green jungle made the perfect backdrop to tall buildings and bustling streets. The city sat in such a way that it looked like it had grown out of the jungle, instead of being built on top of it.

It’s a city full of so much history that of course, my mom wanted to do a city tour. I don’t remember all of the details of the tour, so I won’t bore you with them. After the city tour, we filled the remainder of our day with a trip to the beach. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the beach we went to.

While at the beach, we found an umbrella to shelter us from the Mexican heat. I was also just barely old enough for my parents to let me get a drink. That’s right, my parents have stricter drinking laws than the country of Mexico. And I must say that the Piña colada I got, was not good. I don’t think I even finished it, but that was because I got distracted by a parasailor that floated by directly overhead, pulled along by a rusty old speed boat.

Quickly I sat my drink down and rushed up to my parents, before I could even ask they said “No,” pointing at the parachute.

“Haha, I have my own money so you can’t stop me,” I said. Ok, maybe I didn’t say it quite like that, but you get the point. I ran across the beach over to a guy who looked like he might be involved with the parasailing. He had a faded old sun hat, a floral print swimsuit, a wad of cash, and broken sandals. So naturally he was my best bet. And there was a sign near him, advertising parasailing.

“My friend,” he said with a big smile as I approached. “Wanna try?” If you ever go to Mexico, just know that they could not be friendlier to the tourists. At least from my experiences, they are very welcoming people.

“Yes,” I nodded quickly, ready to hand over all of my money.

“$15-” Now in retrospect, there were several red flags leading up to this moment. Like the rusty yellow speed boat, or the guy’s broken sandals, even the low price should have said that this was a bad idea. But I’m glad I didn’t care and completely ignored all of it.

Shortly after payment, the parachute landed safely on the beach. “Come, follow me, friend,” he said ushering me up to the parachute’s side. Luckily the parachute seemed to be in perfect condition. He had me step into the harness, but it’s not a normal harness because there is a strap under it that’s supposed to work as a seat. So the guy straps me in and tightens the harness, then he looks at me and says, “Now sit.” Of course, before this, I had no prior instruction so I’m confused, so I sit all of the way down into the sand. Immediately he grabs my arm, yanks me to my feet, and shakes a finger in my face.

“No, my friend, like this,” he said, squatting down. So that’s what I do, I squat down, but he didn’t tell me that I needed to squat a lot deeper so that the built-in seat would actually work. Immediately the boat takes off and the parachute yanks me into the sky and the seat begins to slip out from under me. Thankfully I still had the harness, and the amazing view to distract me. On my left, the glistening blue waters disappeared on the horizon, blending in perfectly with the cloudless sky. On my right, the city melted into the jungle-covered mountains, and on the beach, my mom sat covering her eyes as my little sister got in line to do it next. The breeze whistled in my ears and the sun kissed my cheeks. When you’re parasailing you can’t help but feel totally free.

And that boys and girls is why you should go to Mexico, you can have overrated drinks and sketchy adventures that make your mom fear for your safety all for a cheap price.

Recommendations

There are many fantastic ways to see Mexico and even more adventures that you can choose from. Personally, I am a fan of the Moon Palace Resorts, but those are on the expensive side of the spectrum. If you’re looking for a cheap vacation it is probably not the way to go. But there are plenty of other cheap options to choose from. Like this, https://genesisecooasis.com/requesttobook/ According to my research you can book a room at this place for $4 a night. Now if you’re like me, that isn’t exactly comforting. I like higher-end type places, like, https://www.barcelo.com/en-us/barcelo-maya-tropical/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=my_business&utm_content=7344 Which comes in at over $250 a night, depending on the time of booking.

In Mexico, there are plenty of hotels to choose from and I can’t recommend hotels without recommending the Moon Palace Resort chain. https://bookingscancunpr.moonpalace.com/rooms?&skd-total-rooms=1&adult_room1=2&skd-checkin=2023-08-30&skd-checkout=2023-09-04&skd-language-code=en& My person favorite is The Grand. It has fantastic restaurants to choose from, a water park that’s complete with racing slides, and a lazy river. Not to mention the nightly activities, the bowling alley, and the dessert bar. It’s on the higher end, at over $400 a night but it is all-inclusive.

Now I think that’s enough about Hotels, let’s talk excursions. In my story I mentioned city tours and parasailing, both are fine options. City tours are always good if you want to learn the history of a place. In Mexico, near Cancun, you also can find several adventure parks, like the Xcaret Xplor Park. https://www.xcaret.com/en/parks-and-tours/about-xplor/?gclid=CjwKCAjw5_GmBhBIEiwA5QSMxErSoy_s7j3cZtNS07UiZhB1flz_8t7G2b8Weqys2vQ0QUkw5vSb1hoCcOgQAvD_BwE You get access to a great ziplining adventure, one of which that takes you through a waterfall. You’ll get to ride ATVs, and last time I was there lunch was included. And let’s not forget the cave system they let you explore.

Now maybe an adventure park isn’t for you. Maybe it’s not adventurous enough. You can also go Skydiving and your little kids can go too. I’m not sure what the official regulation is in Mexico, but when I went with Skydive Playa they said the youngest they’ve jumped with was 7 years old. https://www.skydive.com.mx/

And maybe that’s too adventurous, and maybe you want something simple, and something free. Mexico is home to some of the most beautiful sunsets you will ever see, so find yourself a spot in the warm wet sand and look to the sky as it’s painted in streams of pink and orange. That’s probably the simplest way to let your worries fade.

In Conclusion

Thank you for subscribing to my Newsletter. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope it inspires you to take your next adventure! See you next time.