"What Passport/Visa?" Traveling Like A Mexican Resident

[Jzmackenzie]

My husband Don and I traveled back all night, Tuesday, by bus from a visit to McAllen, Texas. We walked to the boarder from the U.S. side and were waved through the check point by a Mexican military man without having to push a button. We boarded the bus in Reynosa, Tam. and left for Leon. We caught another bus in Leon, GTO, for GTO,GTO. The entire time we did not have any requests to show our U.S. Passports or Mexican Visas. On several of my bus travels, alone into Mexico, the same welcoming treatment has occurred when I was traveling in the manner most often used by Mexicans who have limited travel budgets.

On the trip out of country on the same bus line, we were stopped and boarded four times and asked for U.S. Passports or Mexican Visas. However, coming back in, nothing - no immigration or aduana stops, no bag searches, nothing but a welcoming smile.

I wish I could say the same by air. That is when I get treated not only like I was born in a foreign country, but like I have intensional harm toward others on my mind. I prefer bus travel more all the time. Bus travel is easier on my emotional outlook, my wallet, and better for the environment too!

[NanN]

I hear you on air travel. I flew up to Toronto, from Leon through Houston the last Saturday in July. Granted it was a weekend but the volume delays at that airport were staggering. United tried to sell me a ticket with an hour and a half connect time - I chose the 4 hour option and am glad I did.

It took 2 hours and 15 minutes from the time I cleared immigration to get to my gate in another terminal. It was only about a 10 minute wait in line at immigration as they had lots of staff working and they seemed to be funneling the few Canadians present into one row on the foreigner side of things, and we clear immigration with the swipe of our passports.

Customs was also fast because my bags checked through all the way to Toronto so they just took my form and waived me on.

THEN came the lines for security - yes, lines plural and huge. One line snaked around most of the lobby outside of customs. This line was to get on the escalator up to security and they were letting people onto the escalator two and three at a time so it took forever. Finally I was on the escalator thinking I had cleared the lineup for security but no such luck. Another line even longer snaked around in front of security. Everyone had to step into the "box" before clearing security and since two lines share one "box" it was a real bottle neck. People were missing connections all around me and I was sure glad I had gone for the ticket with the longer connection time.

[Mykul]

We have used the bus systems within Mexico for years. My wife did not have a visa for the U.S. so we have always had to fly direct from Calgary to somewhere in Mexico (usually Vallarta, sometimes D.F.) and then bus to her home in Aguascalientes.

We got a U.S. Visa this year so we will fly directly to Leon via Houston for vacation, which is nice as it saves us a bit of travel time, but I never look forward to the U.S. airports security.