JULY 12-21, 2002
Afrocaribbean Festival Tour - Registration and Details


TO REGISTER OR FOR MORE TRIP INFORMATION:

Contact Eric Mindling, traditionsmexico@yahoo.com. A $200 deposit is required to secure a spot. Registration is taken up to 15 days before trip on a space available basis. Registration fee should be sent in the form of check or money order made out to "Eric Mindling" to:

Eric Mindling
c/o Jean Murray
865 Coloma Dr.
Carson City Nv., 89705.

Please e-mail (see above) or fax (011-52-951-521- 4186) once you've sent your registration in order to be added to the list. The balance of the trip fee is due the first day of the trip, cash, money orders or travelers checks OK (personal checks cannot be accepted).

 

HOW TO GET TO VERACRUZ:

You will need to make flight arrangements to Veracruz, connecting through Mexico City, which is served by many international airlines. You may also choose to only fly as far as Mexico City and catch a bus from there to Veracruz if you are feeling more adventurous and/or wish to save some money. Buses leave frequently from 6AM-1AM from La TAPO bus station. First class is excellent, clean and roomy. (5 hours, approx. $24). Use ADO or Uno bus lines. Click here or contact us for info on getting to the bus station from the Mexico City airport.

 

GETTING TO THE HOTEL:

Once in Veracruz, from the airport to the hotel you will have to hire a taxi (approx. 80-100 pesos/$8-10. Share the expense with other city center bound passengers if possible). Tell the taxi that you are going to Hotel Colonial or the Zocalo (Central park). The hotel is right on the zocalo. If you are coming from the bus station you will catch a taxi (approx. 20 pesos/$2) out front. Again tell the driver you are going to Hotel Colonial. This hotel is well-known and any taxi driver should be able to deliver you there with just the hotel name as reference. Beginning Friday at 3pm you will have a room reserved for you at the hotel (rooms are officially available at 3pm, you can probably occupy your room earlier than this).

 

FIRST ORIENTATION MEETING:

We will have an orientation meeting at the hotel on Friday the 12th at 3pm on the 5th floor terrace (terraza) overlooking the Zocalo. Ask at the front desk for directions to the 5th floor terrace.

 

ACCOMMODATIONS:

Standard accommodations are two bed/double occupancy rooms with private baths. If you don't have a choice for a roommate we will place you with a roommate of the same gender whenever possible. If you are traveling with a partner and would prefer a queen size bed please advise us. If you would like a single room they are available for a supplemental fee of $193.

 

MONEY EXCHANGE:

Bring travelers checks, cash or ATM cards. ATM machines are readily available. In Veracruz and Xalapa there are also several places to exchange dollars for pesos. If you are bringing dollars or travelers checks, the best exchange rate is given in the Mexico City airport. Personal checks are useless here.

 

PRICE GUARANTEE:

Our price is set based on the current peso exchange rate of 9 pesos to one dollar. We have not padded the price of the trip to allow for a large change in the exchange rate. Therefore, should the peso strengthen to a value of 8.80 pesos to the dollar or more the trip price will be increased to accommodate the change. Along the same lines, should the peso weaken to 9.20 pesos to the dollar or more the trip price will be lowered to reflect the change. Over the last 18 months the peso has not altered significantly from the current exchange rate.

 

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS:

Travel to Mexico for US residents requires either a current passport or birth certificate. Upon entering the country you will be issued a tourist visa. Do not lose this document, as it will be collected when you leave the country and you may be asked to show it while in Mexico.

 

MEDICAL CONCERNS:

If you are taking prescription medicine, bring your own supply. (Though there are many pharmacies and ample medical facilities in town.) Bring an extra pair of glasses if you use them. No vaccinations are necessary for travel in Mexico however it is advisable to get vaccinated against Hepatitis A. Diarrhea is a common ailment here. There are no vaccinations for this, but GSE (grape fruit seed extract-available in health food stores) seems to help the ailment and Pepto Bismol is nice to have along. You may want to consult your doctor about your travel plans.

In case of accident, serious illness, injury or theft, you may want to consider taking out traveler's insurance if your policy doesn't cover such things. Consult a travel agent about where to purchase travelers insurance.

 

CLIMATE AND DRESS:

Veracruz is at sea level and tropical. It will be HOT and humid. Bring cool clothing, but also pack more dressy clothing for the evenings, as the unwritten dress code in most clubs is dressy casual. The Costa Esmeralda and El Tajin ruins are tropical as well. Bring a bathing suit for the beach, perhaps a sunhat and light, long sleeve shirts and pants for the dawn and dusk hours when mosquitoes and sand flies can be a bother. Bring repellent as well. Xalapa is higher and COOLER and you may well want a light jacket and/or sweater for the evenings there. Rain is common in July and a light parka and/or an umbrella are highly recommended.

 

DRUG USE is taken very seriously in Mexico. Sentence for possession is 25 years and Mexican prisons are no place you ever want to find yourself. Please leave controlled substances at home. The US embassy will do very little to help you if you get busted, and we can do nothing.

 

REFUND POLICY:

Refund less $15 given with cancellations received 45 days before trip initiation. After that no refund is given. Should the trip have to be canceled for unforeseen reasons, each registrant will receive a 100% refund. While cancellation is extremely unlikely, registrants are well advised to make flexible travel arrangements or purchase travel insurance that covers trip cancellation costs. We cannot be responsible for any loss on nonrefundable travel arrangements. Consult a travel agent about where to purchase travelers insurance.