FAQs

Question

SAFE FOODS

Answer

- Street foods are considered unsafe for foreign visitors, though they are tempting! - When dining outside of our suggested list, be aware of vegetables or fruits that don't have a peel. To be considered safe, veggies or fruits need to be disinfected after they are washed—not all restaurants/vendors take that precaution. Veggies and fruits that have a peeling are likely safe since they don't have to be washed.

Question

WATER

Answer

- Tap water is NOT safe to drink, so restaurants will offer you bottled water. - Ice is safe, since companies either purchase it or make their own ice with bottled water. - Consider brushing your teeth with bottled water if you're concerned about getting sick.

Question

HOTELS

Answer

- We have a number of suggested hotels that you can choose from in our “Guide to Oaxaca,” but you are welcome to stay somewhere outside of our recommendation. - The hotels on our list are all located in the central downtown area for your convenience and with our English-speaking guests in mind! See our list for a more detailed explanation of the options we provided!

Question

TRANSPORTATION

Answer

- We will provide information on transportation into downtown Oaxaca at a later date. - If you're staying at one of our recommended hotels, the front desk can easily reserve a taxi for you if you give them an advance notice of the time you want to leave (as long as you depart from the hotel). They can also help you communicate to the driver where you want to go.

Question

TIPPING POLICY

Answer

Tipping is very common in Mexican culture! If there is someone providing you a service, please be prepared to tip them in Mexican Pesos (MXN, or pesos). Average acceptable tips range from $20–100 pesos depending on the quality of service. Below are some examples of reasonable tips for services you may be offered: - Bellhop service: $20–100 MXN - Airport taxi driver that helped with your bags: $50–100 MXN - Restaurants with waiters: 10–15% of the total bill - Any sort of requested room service such as ordering food, extra towels or blankets, etc.: $20–100 MXN - Tipping the waiter for your party's table at the reception dinner $200+ MXN (many times waiters for special events are not paid overtime to work events, so if they are going above and beyond, it's really worth thanking them for their attentiveness!)

Question

CASH OR CARD?

Answer

Most stores and restaurants will accept payment by card, but street vendors and smaller business (including restaurants) only deal in cash. Tips are customarily given in cash, even if you're paying with card. Check with your bank if they have partner banks in Mexico that won't charge you a foreign withdrawal fee (ex., CitiBank has locations in US and Mexico, so there is no cross-border transaction fee). Otherwise, we recommend you exchange USD into pesos in the US before your trip to avoid high exchange rates once you enter the country. Any unspent pesos can be re-exchanged in the US as dollars.

Question

CULTURAL NORMS

Answer

- Street market vendors are common in Mexico and may approach you to try and sell their goods. To politely decline if someone approaches you, simply smile and say "gracias" - Be sure to secure your valuables with you at all times. Pick-pocketing is not common in this region, but it can happen anywhere. If you're carrying a purse, consider keeping it zipped/snapped shut when walking around. - Tipping is important in Mexican culture. Read the Tipping Policy section above for details.

Question

A FEW PHRASES

Answer

Mexicans appreciate when foreigners try to speak the language—it shows that you are trying to learn and be a part of the culture! Here are a few words and phrases to get you started (Google Translate and Duo Lingo may be helpful as well). Greetings - If you are greeted in Spanish, you may here some of the following phrases (any of which you can repeat back in Spanish) - Hola, buenos días — Hello, good day (morning) — (O-la, bweh-nos dee-ahs) - Hola, buenas tardes — Hello, good afternoon — (O-la, bweh-nas tahr-dehs) - Hola, buenas noches — Hello, good evening (night) — (O-la, bweh-nas no-chess) You may also hear "bienvenidos," which means welcome. You can reply with "no gracias," (no gra-c-ahs) meaning thank you! Please (por favor) and thank you (gracias) will take you a long way!

Question

CELL SERVICE

Answer

- Consider checking your carrier's policy for international travel and what costs will be associated. Some carriers offer coverage at no extra cost. - Access to Google Maps will likely come in handy as you're getting to know the city! - Service tends to be reliable in downtown Oaxaca.

Question

ADAPTERS?

Answer

- No adapters are needed. - Most outlets are non-grounded (meaning they accept only two-prong plugins).