A lot of people are curious about what it’s like to travel today — especially when it comes to Mexico, which is one of the few countries that U.S. travelers can easily visit during the pandemic. Mexico City, the nation’s capital, is traditionally a hub for everything from culture and architecture, to fashion, cuisine, nightlife and art. But what is it like today, during the pandemic? What pandemic travel advice should you follow? (Click on that link to see some of my recent posts on this topic.)
To get the latest information directly from Mexico’s biggest metropolis, I turned to Ubish Yaren of Mexico Underground. A true expert about all things Mexico City, Ubish is the perfect person to provide insider travel tips and a pandemic travel update from Mexico’s capital. You can watch the complete travel video interview here (or scroll to the bottom of the page if you’re viewing this on the travel blog site).
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If you’re a fan of Mexico travel, you should check out Ubish’s various social media channels. On his YouTube channel and Twitch channel, he publishes live tours of Mexico City and lots of useful travel information in English. He’s a great guy to know if you want to understand Mexico City better. You also shouldn’t miss Ubish’s colorful Instagram feed, which features fantastic photos of cuisine, architecture, attractions and other visuals that make the city so great.
“I have seen tourism change so much,” Ubish said in the video when I asked about Mexico City. “Before it was completely different, and then, you know, food documentaries started to appear. The “Coco” movie started to appear and that changed a lot the tourism business here. It has been very interesting to see how all of these has changed over the last few years.”
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So what’s Mexico City like right now, during the pandemic? “Right now we have had a lockdown in Mexico City, since before Christmas, around the 20th of December,” Ubish said. “It feels very similar to the first lockdown that happened in March, because they tell you it’s only going to be for a couple of weeks and then the date, it’s almost there and then they’re like ‘all right, we’re going to extend this another two weeks.’ So right now, it was supposed to end this lockdown on the 10th of January, but it’s extended.”
While taking a Mexico City vacation now is not the best idea (most stores are closed, museums are closed and restaurants are only open for take-out), there are still some activities for those who go. “There’s still a few things that you can do now, especially if you like to walk, there are many places to walk,” Ubish said. “If you like to ride your bicycle, there are a lot of neighborhoods that are great to ride your bicycle.”
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Be sure to watch the full video to hear his first-person account about what Mexico City is like to today, whether and when you should visit, and to hear some of his top Mexico City travel tips. It always helps to know a local when you travel, and even more so now. Please feel free to share your own travel experiences as you begin to travel again — and also contact either one of us when you have questions about travel to Mexico.