Mexico trips & educational tours

Visit ruins: Mexico has no shortage of wondrous archaeological sites. You can tap into Mayan culture at Tulum, Palenque, and Chichen Itza, and witness the grandeur of the Aztecs at Tenochtitlán. 

Swim in cenotes: The Yucatan peninsula is dotted with multi-colored subterranean pools that are a wonderful tonic to the humid rainforest.

Street food: You haven’t been to Mexico if you haven’t eaten a taco al pastor from a market stand. There are few better places to sample Mexico’s unrivaled gastronomy than Oaxaca, home of the famous mole sauce!

Sample art in Mexico City: Witness Diego Rivera’s iconic murals at the Palacio Nacional and take a trip to Frida Kahlo’s ‘Blue House’ for a memorable introduction to Mexico’s artistic treasures.

Visit a magic town: Mexico has more than 130 pueblos magicos (magic towns) which have been designated as places of exceptional cultural heritage. A famous example is the gorgeous San Miguel de Allende, which was also made a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Mexican food is so much more than tortillas and tacos. To sample the true diversity of the national cuisine, look for:

Chilaquiles – This breakfast staple consists of lightly fried corn tortillas cut into quarters and topped with green or red salsa, shredded chicken, and cheese. It’s hearty, flavorful, and beloved across Mexico.

Dorilocos – This quirky snack involves a bag of Doritos cut open and loaded with toppings like peanuts, lime, hot sauce, and pickled pork rind. 

Camotes – A dessert made from roasted sweet potatoes, often sold by street vendors. Camotes are usually served with condensed milk, fruit syrups, or cinnamon. 

For a unique insight into Mayan cooking, try a Mayan pib – a dish prepared in an underground oven, often featuring smoky, marinated meats or tamales.

Over 20 million American travelers visit Mexico annually, and most experience no problems. However, Mexico is a large and varied country, and some areas are known to have a higher risk of violent crime, including kidnapping. For this reason, the US Bureau of Consular Affairs regularly updates its travel advice and specifically advises against travel to several Mexican states. 

When visiting any unfamiliar country or place, we may feel disorientated and need help to read the signs of risk or the intentions of people we interact with while carrying extra money and travel documents, cameras, or other high-value equipment. Unfortunately, thieves target tourists for this reason in known tourist destinations. However, in Mexico, tourist destinations have dedicated tourist police who are there to assist and protect tourists, which brings significant income to the local economy. 

The Mexican police generally have a bad reputation for corruption, so be cautious about approaching police officers. If you have an emergency, look up the US embassy and consulates in Mexico: https://mx.usembassy.gov/contact/

Follow US consular advice, travel in daylight, stay alert regarding your belongings and who is around, stick to busy areas and avoid remote areas. Mexico is a friendly and busy place, where most people will be keen to give you a warm welcome without overcrowding. 

If you’re here for sunshine, you’ll find that the skies tend to clear even when it rains, and the sun comes out again. Lots of people are drawn to witness Mexican festivals, notably the Day of the Dead on 2nd November, when municipal cemeteries are alive with colors, candles, families with photos of beloved deceased, and their favorite foods all beautifully laid out.

Seasons vary in Mexico, with cooler weather from December to February. The hurricane season is from June to November, affecting the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Hurricanes can cause flooding and landscapes and can impact transport. Weather varies massively over this country, with dry heat in the northern deserts, relatively cool in the central mountainous areas, and humid heat in Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula in the south, where it gets up to 40 degrees Celsius in June and July.

Mexico City is naturally the hub of national museums and galleries, so to see the best collections and representations of Mexican culture, there’s nowhere else that compares. You can also visit Teotihuacan, arguably the most impressive ruins in Mexico, and the largest and liveliest markets and nightlife. There are many great places for students to visit around the country, but Mexico City is a must.

We do not recommend drinking water in Mexico. Even in cities like Mexico city the tap water is not safe to drink. We suggest using a filter or purifying tablets to save buying plastic bottles.