Hitching to Mexico City from Texas

[Ender]

Does anybody know the approx. mileage (or km) for this trip or a site to get Mexican driving directions?

I'm trying to hitch to Mexico City and buy a flight to Cuba from there. Any advice let me know

Peace and carrots,
Blaine

[Maximilian]

Heya,

Am planning a similar Hitch Hike myself and have recently started asking around for info and advice.
Have you found any sites/blogs of use? I'm hitching from Virginia to Mexico city (prob through Texas), though am not from USA and have never hitched in it before. Any advice on hitching to Mexico would be awesome.

I'll send onto you any decent info I find on the distance and mexican drivers I get also.

Love and all root-vegetables,
James

[mikael]

We're a couple of swedes currently wwoofing our way through the US southwest (at the moment we're working on a goat farm outside of Pie Town, New Mexico) and we're thinking of rounding up our visit to the US by visiting the Kerrville Folk Festival outside of Austin, Texas. After this we've been thinking of trying to hitch-hike our way through Central America all the way down to Costa Rica, where we've been in touch with two farms where we'll be able to stay when we get there. I suppose only part of this message will be of interest to you, Maxi and Ender, but still, if you're looking for travel companions we'll be glad to have some company, if only for part of the ride.

Get in touch with us through this site or otherwise, happy trailing!

[elguero]

buy an atlas called "guia roji." it's red. i bought mine used on the internet, but you can pick them up at wal-marts and stuff on the mexican side of the border. driving from laredo to mexico city should be about two full days of driving. can't say about hitching, though: could be a lot more. i just got back from mexico (rented a car, didn't see any hitchhikers). i wouldn't suggest just walking with a backpack, though, because i saw a lot of people doing that. looked like we either just long-distance hikers or waiting for a bus. i would think you'd be overlooked. i would suggest hitching from pemex station to pemex station.

directions are easy. south from laredo to monterrey, then over to just before saltillo. then, all the signs will say "mexico" guiding you to the capital. "couta" means toll, "libre" means free.

[smitty]

hey, i just got back home to california after 3 months in mexico, with hitchhiking being the primary method of travel. Northen mexico tends to be faster travel than southern mexico, at least in part because the cities are further away from one another.

Anyway, the best place to go are the ‘casetas’ or toll booths on the paid ‘cuota’ highways. You cant hitch on the actual toll booth, but right behind it is no problem. Some of the mexicans I made friends with said they have been robbed by the toll booth police before, though I had no problems, you may want to hide your money in a sock or somewhere…

The thing with the paid highways is if you end up on an onramp or somewhere other than the toll booths or a gasoline station, youre gonna be there for a long long time. Everyone is in a hurry (after all, they are willing to pay for a faster road) and doesn’t want to stop.

The second best place is the gasoline stations (obviously, not those inside the cities.) there you go and ask drivers if they will give you a lift. Pretty easy to get a ride this way as Mexicans seem real willing to give rides to people who don’t seem like scumbags. Also, good way to get a long ride with semi-trucks or ‘trailers’ this way.

Next best place is at a light or stop sign or speed bump (lots of speed bumps in mexico, especially in the south.) on the ‘libre’ or free freeways. Especially in the back of pickup trucks.

Hmm, what else… I met a number of Mexican girls who have hitched alone without a problem in mexico, though it may be different for a foreigner and still not something I would personally recommend.

If you end up in Guadalajara and want to go to mexico city take the 616 city bus (4 pesos) to the main bus station, walk towards the supermarket (I think it’s a Giante) behind it you will find the highway. Walk along the highway for maybe 300 meters to the gas station and hitch from there. That is what the locals told me anyway.

If heading to Puerto Vallarta (which is the only place in all of mexico I did not enjoy) or up to mazatlan, take bus 629 to la venta and try to get a ride with a trucker. There are different 629 buses, 629-A, 629-B,629-1, 629-2 and just plain 629. you want just plain 629. it can be caught behind the gas station next to park rojo, which is also where metro station Juarez is. (im pretty sure it’s Juarez, I may be wrong…)

If going from mexico city north go to politechnico metro station and take a bus (around 10 pesos I think) to the caseta. It’s about a 45 minute bus ride. Maybe longer.

If heading south to puebla or oaxaca, take the metro to pennon Viejo and catch a bus to chalco. There is a gas station there.

These are the only tips I will give as they were given to me by locals. In other cities I found spots on my own and don’t know if they happen to be the best ones around.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email. cotosiestalo at yahoo.

-smitty