If I was a regular reader of this blog I'm pretty sure I'd be wondering what is it costing Ferd and Dot to do all this gallivanting around? This vulgar topic is usually avoided by people of fine-tuned sensibilities but since I don't fit that category I'll dive right in.
Part of my motivation for broaching this sensitive topic is to show that we're not recklessly pissing away our daughters' inheritance but pissing it away very responsibly :) I also hope this down and dirty money talk will show that this type of international/intercultural experience can be very affordable and worthy of consideration by even the most frugal/penny pinching traveler.
I'm going to limit this discussion of costs to the six week Mexican portion of our trip. I figure you're all fairly well versed on travel costs in the U.S. (all numbers listed below are for two senior travelers)
For many people traveling to Oaxaca the largest expense is airfare. The straight round trip cost of Binghamton to Oaxaca varies widely but we've usually been able to find tickets for about $800 per person.
There are many ways to reduce this significantly
Fly directly out of a major hub such as Newark.
Use frequent flier miles (I use a United Mileage Plus Chase credit card to pay for just about everything and often have enough miles for "free" trips.)
Fly into Mexico City and then take a bus to Oaxaca. (Two adults can fly round trip to Mexico City out of JFK on Volaris for about $850 total. Flight leaves at 2:30 AM. Mexican first class buses are cheap and very comfortable. Probably would have to spend night in Mexico City).
Cross into Mexico by land and then take a less expensive Mexican domestic flight. On this trip we drove to Tucson and took a bus to Hermosillo ($54) and then an Interjet flight to Oaxaca via Mexico City. (about $330 with senior discount). This route also meant staying in a hotel in Hermosillo ($45). We will be flying from Oaxaca to Huatulco on March 7 on TAR airlines ($94) spending a week on the Pacific coast in San Agustinillo ($60/night) and then flying Interjet from Hualtuco to Hermosillo($320). We'll spend a night in Hermosillo ($40) before catching a five hour bus back to Tucson ($54). Again, these are the prices for two travelers.
As I noted in an earlier post, the Mexican domestic flights we've taken have been significantly better than US domestic flights.
Another angle to reduce air fare may be to make a reservation via a Mexican web site. I just went to Expedia's Mexican site and found fares that seemed to be hundreds of dollars less than their US site. I'll need to explore this more.
Once in Oaxaca things are very inexpensive relative to prices in the states. Our hotel room is costing us about $30 per night. This includes a light breakfast, daily maid service and a friendly, warm atmosphere. As I've reported in previous posts, this is our fourth year at this same hotel and it feels like a home away from home.
We usually have one main meal in the afternoon (comida corrida). Most restaurants have a special rate for this daily meal which usually includes a fruit drink, appetizer, main course and desert. Usually about 60 pesos each. So our total cost is about $6.50 US dollars with the dollar currently worth about 19 pesos. An incredible value.
Every once in awhile we'll splurge and go to a fancy restaurant in the evening where meals will be double the comida corrida cost. Last night we took a taxi (40 pesos/$2.11) to one of the fancier hotels in town (Hotel Victoria) to sit on their patio, watch the moon rise, and have margaritas and tostadas (230 pesos/$12.10). A very romantic, enjoyable evening. Cab back to the hotel was 50 pesos/$2.64). So this splurge, special night out, cost us about $17.
We rarely spend more than $50 a day here including hotel. Usually it's closer to $40.
I hope you're not too bored by this financial minutiae but the fact is this is a very real and important part of the travel experience. The strong dollar has made the Mexico portion of this years trip significantly less expensive. Last year the dollar was worth 14 pesos...about a 26% change from the current rate of 19 pesos per dollar.
The total cost of our six weeks in Mexico, including transportation to and from Tucson will be around $4000. Worth every penny to me.
I hope you find this information helpful and interesting.
No comments:
Post a Comment