Welcome to Mexico Vistas
Mexico Article
![]()
This is a selection made from among articles on Mexico. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Mexico Travel - Swap your greenbacks for pesos or you'll pay the price
from: James TruettCABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico -- If you feel safer using your
greenbacks to pay for your purchases in Mexico, you're paying a
hefty premium for your imagined security.
While many stores, restaurants and bars in all but the smallest
towns generally accept U.S. currency in payment, you can be sure
that little shopkeeper is smiling as you walk out his door!
You just gave him a bonus - as much as ten percent - just
because you paid in U.S. dollars.
The International Monetary Fund currency exchange rate between
the U.S. dollar (USD) and the Mexican Peso (MXN) is about 10.50
pesos to the dollar as of this writing, but that's not what you
get from that nice little shopkeeper, sexy waitress or friendly
barkeep.
Most establishments set their exchange rates 10% lower than the
bank's rate to accommodate natural fluctuations in international
currency markets. So, while the bank rate might be 10.50 pesos
to the dollar, it's not uncommon for local businesses to give
only 9.50 pesos to the dollar.
The result: you end up paying 10 percent more for your
purchases. If that doesn't sound like much, consider this. If
the average traveler to Mexico spends $2,000 USD during a
one-week visit, that visitor could be paying an extra $200 USD
if everything is paid in dollars.
For reference purposes, the average Mexican worker is lucky to
make $100 a week, so the extra $200 you paid would cover the
wages of a Mexican worker for two weeks!
The moral of this story? When in Mexico, ALWAYS pay in pesos,
and you'll get the cheapest price and save money.
To find out how to get the very best currency exchange rate, and
how to get your travel cash in a foreign currency before you
leave home, you'll want to check out the e-book, "50 Things You
Must Know Before You Travel to Mexico". The book contains vital
information for anyone planning to travel to, live in or retire
in Mexico.
For more information, go to:
http://truestarpublishing.com/ART101/
About the author:
James Truett, a former AP reporter, writes from his home in Cabo
San Lucas, Mexico. His
href="http://truestarpublishing.com/ART101/">Mexico travel
book, "50 Things You Must Know Before You Travel to
Mexico," contains vital information for anyone traveling to
Mexico. For details,
href="http://truestarpublishing.com/ART101/">Click Here!
![]() |
![]() |
Warning: file(http://www.searchfeed.com/rd/feed/TextFeed.jsp?trackID=P2127485710&pID=54656&cat=Mexico&nl=5&page=1&excID=) [function.file]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
in /home/titanad/public_html/mexicovistas/datas/searchfeed.php on line 8
Mexico Specific links
Mexico News
Mexico's PRI eyes jump-start to reforms if victorious-aide
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's main opposition faction hopes to secure support for energy, fiscal and labor market reforms by December if its candidate who is well ahead in the polls wins the presidency, a senior official in the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) said on Wednesday. Enrique Pena Nieto of the PRI is strong favorite to win the July 1 presidential election, and he has pledged ...
Read more...Mexico opposition party chides ex-governor in drug probe
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's opposition party, leading by double digits in presidential polls, on Wednesday said a former governor must face up to charges in the United States of accepting millions of dollars from drug cartels. In an effort to contain what is likely to become a hot campaign issue, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) said they are deciding if Tomas Yarrington, former ...
Read more...Mexico seeks new tourists despite drug wars
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Mexico is relying on travelers from countries like Russia and Brazil to boost its tourism numbers this year after the drug war plaguing the country deterred U.S. visitors, its largest source of tourists. The number of international tourists arriving on flights is expected to rise between 9 and 10 percent this year from the 22.7 million in 2011, Tourism Minister Gloria ...
Read more...Parents of Frenchwoman Cassez confident Mexico will free her
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The parents of a Frenchwoman imprisoned in Mexico for kidnapping said on Tuesday they are optimistic the Supreme Court will free her after reviewing the case that has caused a diplomatic rift between France and Mexico. Florence Cassez, 37, has maintained she is innocent since her arrest in 2005, but the Mexican government has defended the conviction that sentenced her to ...
Read more...Mexico leftist moves into second in presidential poll
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's leftist presidential hopeful Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pushed into second place behind opposition frontrunner Enrique Pena Nieto with just seven weeks to go before the vote, a poll showed on Tuesday. Lopez Obrador, who narrowly lost the 2006 race to President Felipe Calderon, had 20.5 percent support in the poll by Consulta Mitofsky, up 1.4 percent from last ...
Read more...
Before you retire in Mexico, read this humorous, practical e-book.















