I found a cheap flight...Now what?

Woohoo, time for a new adventure. I found tickets to Cancun, Mexico for less than $350 in late October, so I booked it--- giving us thirty days to explore the Yucatan Peninsula in February, 2022.

First step: Decide which areas we want to stay in. We like to stay a week at a time if possible. Okay, it's time to look at the blogs of people who have gone before us. Some examples of searches for this trip were: "explore the Riviera Maya;" "Things to do Riviera Maya;" and "Yucatan itinerary." Get a map and see locations of places of interest. I ordered a National Geographic Yucatan Peninsula Riviera Maya map. If you use Facebook, join a couple of groups from that area. I joined "Traveling the Riviera Maya," "Cozumel for Divers," "Scuba Divas over 50," and "Travel Past 50" groups. I wanted to decide where to stay as quickly as possible because it was already less than three months until we were traveling there.

Playa del Carmen, Isla Cozumel, one week drive with rental car (Valladolid, Rio Lagartos, and Merida--including Mayan ruins and cenotes) and Puerto Morelos were my choices. I chose Playa for the first week because that is where I wanted to take more scuba lessons. I chose Cozumel for the second week because our wedding anniversary was during that week and we could do some more awesome dives and snorkeling. I chose Puerto Morelos for the last week because I wanted a laid-back, small-town atmosphere to relax with good snorkeling before returning home.

I found some recommendations for Air BnBs and small hotels that people recommended for these locations. My budget was $50 (including all taxes) per night or less. Some of the best options (especially on the beach) were already reserved three months ahead or were way above my budget. If the place was listed on booking.com, Agoda, or Air BnB, I limited the search to maximum $75/night and used filters such as "swimming pool, free cancellation and kitchen amenities." First I looked at a few pictures, then read all the "bad" reviews to eliminate choices. On Air BnB I tried to find places with superhosts and good reviews. I saved all the choices I was interested in. Finally, I made my free-cancellation choices by mid-November after many hours of research.

For each trip I create a Google doc with all needed info about the trip. This doc is titled Yucatan/Cozumel Trip. I begin to organize all the information I need for the trip. This includes info about sim cards, insurance, transportation, tipping, and itinerary/costs for each place. This doc can be accessed offline by my phone. I continually update it with new info, addresses, things to do, and places to eat. Since this was partially a scuba diving vacation, I made a separate Google Doc called Yucatan Diving Information.

It's December 21 and each day I spend a few minutes getting more information about renting bicycles, activities, and how to stay safe while traveling (Covid as well as pickpockets or bicycle thieves). I'd love to answer any questions you have or share my thought processes more fully. Just contact me.

Photo by Diversity Diving