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Should I Get Pesos Before Traveling to Mexico?

Don Herman

Hi, I'm Don from Denver, Colorado. I retired from being Chief of Operations for a Denver metro area school district in 2013 and have been traveling the world since. I love sharing my tips and observations from my travels.

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18 Responses

  1. Tracy says:

    Actually, I and my hubby would be traveling to mexico for the holidays by the end of the month just to explore and we will be needing to exchange quite a lot of cash because we plan on visiting so many places in the country and to explore it as much as possible. Thanks so much for giving this much tips on how to avoid being scammed in the country. I never would ha e thought such tricks being pulled at the ATM spots exist before. Wow! Thanks so much for sharing all of these out to me. God bless you

    • Don Herman says:

      You’re welcome.  Yes, beware of the ATM scams!  It would be a shame to ruin a holiday just because of that.  

  2. Russ Green says:

    I have always wanted to visit mexico but I have never gotten round to it, I know quite a few people that have been and they have all said how nice it is and told me stories of how much fun they had there, I am pleased that I stumbled across your post here because when I do eventually make arrangements to go to mexico, I will know how to save some money thanks to your recommendations, I have bookmarked your website and I will be coming back to read more of your informative and helpful posts, thank you for sharing.  

    • Don Herman says:

      Mexico is a very easy place to visit, inexpensive, good flights, fantastic service and lots of fun.  I hope you get the chance to go soon!

  3. Jones says:

    I’ve once been to Mexico but I wasn’t so old as now then so my aunt took Care of the bills and I actually didn’t remember much about how we sorted the issue of cash. I’m considering taking another trip to Mexico for Christmas this year and I must say this post has really done me a great favor by enlightening me about how to coordinate issues of my money. This post is really useful for me and so educating too. Thank you.

    • Don Herman says:

      You are welcome.  Have a great time in Mexico and check out my site for some fun things to do while you’re there.

  4. jessetoikkanen says:

    Very nice and informative article! Your website looks also very happy and entertaining generally. I live outside of the US but this is a serious question for non-us people too. I have been traveling in middle America and we made a short trip to Mexico and I got a recommendations to change some dollars (we though we are going to travel the US too) and changed. Afterward, I realized it was a mistake, I trusted to random people and local suspicious-looking “bank” when changing my US dollars to pesos and found myself from local jail after using fake pesos. But if I would follow the tips of your website or any other tips with common sense, I wouldn’t have that kind of experience!

    • Don Herman says:

      Sorry for your bad experience!  Ugh.  Yes, fake bills float around in various areas.  Fortunately Mexico updates their bills all the time so the fakes don’t hang around too long.  

  5. Dane says:

    Thanks for this amazing post. I am currently running a travel agency program and often get client traveling to mexico who ask so many questions about the country but I haven’t really made research into knowing if you’ll need to change your currency before traveling. Often I’ll just commend you keep of the currency of the country your visiting. But reading through this post, now I can give a detailed explanation of if you’ll need to change to Pesos before traveling. Thanks for sharing such useful post.

  6. Shelley says:

    Wow! So much information made available here on this platform concerning how to stay safe while in mexico with dealing with Mexican pesos. A neighbour just got back from Mexico and he was recounting how he fell a victim to the ATM scheme in particular. Though he lost only a 100$ but then, learning about all these is great. If I ever would visit Mexico, then I’d be on alert for surprises and keep this information’s here to heart. Cheers

    • Don Herman says:

      I’m sorry to hear about your friend – but glad it wasn’t his entire vacation ruined!  Feel free to share the post with anyone you know who may be traveling – it may help prevent a disaster!  🙂

  7. Goldroad (jay) says:

    Excellent advice on traveling to Mexico and bringing enough cash to exchange into pesos to use for the smaller things, like tips, snacks, cab fees, etc.  I have been overseas and these tips applied to me then, as they do now traveling to Mexico.  I remember putting everything in a plastic lanyard and hanging it around my neck because of pick pockets.  We also kept all of our money in our front pockets.  I was using traveler’s checks to exchange money.  Of course, now with debit cards and ATMs everywhere it is much easier.  Thanks for the travel tips.  I may travel to Mexico soon so this advice will help immensely!

    Thanks again,

    Goldroad/Jay

    • Don Herman says:

      Ah traveler’s checks!  I remember them well.  Haha!  Yes, a lanyard can be a good idea in certain places – a big city like Guadalajara or Mexico City, especially if you plan on cramming into a bus or train.  And you can get them at any department store these days – or online.  Good advice.

  8. SeunJeremiah says:

    Thanks for this informative post I am presently planning on traveling to Cancun for the first time in my life. I’ve found this post  and your answers very helpful and it has helped me out from struggling with deciding how many Pesos I’ll need vs dollars for  I’ve read that tipping in USD is preferable to most because of the higher value. Thanks alot for this tip. 

    • Don Herman says:

      You are most welcome.  I’ve never had anyone turn up their nose at a US dollar.  I believe in being generous with tipping, as everyone I see works very hard to make my vacation pleasant and fun.

  9. jason rounds says:

    Having lost my wallet while travelling I can totally appreciate all the tips you provide in this article, so thanks!

    • Don Herman says:

      I’m so glad to have been helpful. Yes, I had my card cloned once. Had to destroy the old and order a new one. But my VISA company FedExed a new card right to my hotel within 2 days! It’s amazing.

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