GETTING AROUND AS A SOLO FEMALE TRAVELER IN MEXICO

HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU TRAVEL SOLO FOR THE FIRST TIME TO YUCATAN – MEXICO:

1. You can rent a car from the arrival airport and you can choose to deliver it at the departure airport, in case you depart from another city. I recommend you rent from an internationally known Rent-a-Car agency, to be sure you are safe. I’ve heard a lot of stories when people arrived at Cancun airport and the rental company was either closed or they didn’t have the selected car for them and they had to upgrade at their own costs.
   
   Also, make sure to thoroughly inspect the vehicle and insurance/rental agreement before operating it. There is also limited parking in popular tourist areas like the Zona Hotelera in Cancun. Local police tend to pull over tourists, so always make sure you are abiding by all traffic laws.
2. Rent a scooter. For instance, if you need to go for a relatively short distance and spend the day there, a scooter is very easy to navigate through traffic and very practical. I even saw two girls on a scooter with a sidecar seat. I enjoyed the idea so much. And it will be much easier for parking, especially in Tulum.
3. Use public transport everywhere in Yucatan. Very cheap and practical.
   
   In Cancun, you have the R1 & R2 busses that can connect the Hotel Zone, Boulevard Kukulcán (downtown), and Avenida Tulum. The buses run every five minutes and will take you back and forth between downtown and the Hotel Zone. A one-way fare costs 12 Pesos which is roughly 50 cents in USD/€. The buses do not accept foreign coins and make sure to carry Pesos on you, not bills, as it is difficult for them to break big bills. There are plenty of stations between Zona Hotelera and Downtown, but it will stop all along the way if you make a sign. The drivers are very accommodating and friendly. 
   
   ADO buses are very popular in Mexico as they run between airports and popular tourist towns in Yucatan, but also between cities. You can book tickets online or you can buy them from ADO stations for destinations like Cancun, Tulum, Playa Del Carmen, and Chichén Itzá.
   
   In Tulum, Collectivo is quite practical and cheap, 20 Pesos for residents and 30 Pesos for non-residents from Pueblo Tulum to Zona Hotelera. The bike rentals will tell you that Collectivo doesn’t take tourists, only locals working in zona hotelera but it is not true. For the entire week I stayed in Tulum I used only Collectivo and had no problems.
4. Rent a bike and ride, especially if you are in Tulum and not a fan of Collectivo – public transportation from Tulum Pueblo (city center) to the Beach (Zona Hotelera). Several hostels and hotels include bikes in your stay, or you can rent directly from them, but they are a bit more expensive than bike shops. You can find them at every corner and rent them for around $/€ 6-10 a day. There are also options to rent mopeds.
   
   Tulum is divided into two parts, the Pueblo and the Beach, about 3 miles apart and there is a nice sidewalk so biking is a great way to get around. However, the beach road doesn’t have any street lights, so riding at night can be difficult without a headlamp.
5. Take the Ferry to the islands.
   If you plan to visit Isla Mujeres or Holbox Island, the ferry system in Cancun is at hand. Ferries run all day between the island from three different docks in Cancun: El Embarcadero, Playa Tortugas, and Playa Caracol, all located in the Hotel Zone (Zona Hotelera). Service is from 9 am to 9 pm at each departure location and ferries run every 30 minutes. Ferry fares typically cost $/€19 for adults and $/€ 14 for kids for a round-trip ride.