Mexico & Central America on the cheap.

Hunter_J

I'm probably a bit biased, having lived there for a few years, but I honestly believe that Central America, especially Guatemala is starting to take a lot of tourists who previously travelled to Thailand etc.

Accomodation, transport, food and drink are all dirt-cheap, but the problem is getting there from the UK without paying the standard £500 return ticket price.

Here's my guide on that:

OUTWARD:
Buy a return 14-day or 7-day ticket to Cancun. If you phone Luton airport direct they can often get Cancun flights for around £100 - £150. Depending on arrival times you may need to stay a night there. Cancun is expensive, so stay off the main strip, and go to an old-town hostel (you'll pay around £10 a night). From Cancun, you can bus it south to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica - ask around the hostels for bus routes.

RETURN:
Every Tuesday (flights to Luton) and Thursday (flights to Manchester) the charter companies in Cancun sell one way returns to the UK. This information is a year or so old, so they may have changed the days for this - ask them when you arrive in Cancun on the way in. Flights a year ago were fixed at £200 one-way to the UK.

Once in Central America, you can live VERY well for VERY little by heading to San Pedro La Laguna in Western Guatemala. Accomodation starts at 60p a night. Good meal from £1. Excellent beers from 70p. If you get there, say hello to all the guys in The Alegre Pub - best pub in Central America!

HUNTER J

IvanOpinion

Alternatively you can have a bit of luxury and no hassle by taking a cruise down the west coast ... although I reckon that would cost a few shekels more

Central America is a great place .. with the exception of a few areas that have become very commercialised there are stilll loads of unspoilt areas. We had the pleasure of touring through Costa Rica, Panama and Belize(?) and it is amazing; have not yet done Gautemala but that is on our list for 2007.

Do beware of some of the food though ... I am not convinced some of it came from something I would want to eat (maybe I am just a fussy eater ).

Ivan

The_Bhoy_3

Hunter_J wrote:

OUTWARD:
Buy a return 14-day or 7-day ticket to Cancun. If you phone Luton airport direct they can often get Cancun flights for around £100 - £150.

A few questions about this... Who do you actually phone at the airport? What time of year could you get this price? Is this for a return? (I know you said return, but it seems really cheap and you went on to talk about buying a flight home, so thought I'd double check...). Any idea if you get a similar deal from Scotland? Finally, what airlines fly to Cancun?

Cheers,
Scott

Hunter_J

The general enquiries desk should pass you on to the companies offering charter flights, or have the details themselves.

I found this website for some regional airports including Glasgow:
http://www.charterflights.co.uk/flights/mexico/cancun/

The flights are generally returns, though you can occasionally buy one-ways.

Note that Mexico does not apply the rules on needing a return ticket (though never fly via the USA on that basis - other countries rules don't apply to them!).

Sorry if I wasn't clear on the OW/Return thing - basically, there are generally only returns, but they are often so cheap that you can use just the outward leg, bum around Central America for a month or two (or, preferably a year or two!) and then buy a return.

Cheapest flights tend to be in Autumn and Spring, forget about July & August!

Most of the flights are through Thomson, but there are other charter operators - phone the airport...

bobby_3

At the moment I am looking to go on a trip round Latin America. And after speaking to travel agents and looking on the net. I had come to basically the same conclusion. Buying a charter return ticket, and only using it one way.

As far as I can work out, the most south I can fly really cheap by charter is either Cancun, or the Dominican republic. For about £200 or perhaps venezuela for £300. anybody any other ideas of cheap charter destinations?

My main question revolves around getting back. I want to travel as far south as Argentina, so flying back from Cancun would be well out the way by then. Anyone got suggestions of reasonable ways to get back to the UK, without excessive cost or hassle?

And if I go to the Dom Republic instead of Cancun, how expensive it might be to get to the mainland from there?

Also has anybody had any Hassles from not having a return ticket in South America when entering a country?