36 Hours in Mexico City + My Budget Stats From My One-Month Backpacking Trip in Central America + Mexico

Do you love spontaneous adventures, travel tips and stories that will inspire you to pack up and go? Well, welcome to the Wigging It Travel Podcast. I'm James, your host, and each week I bring you travel tales, practical advice and interviews with travelers from around the globe. Whether you're planning a big trip or just dreaming about one, you'll find everything from hidden gems to epic fails because travel is not perfect and that is what makes it beautiful. So grab your backpack and let's wing it.

New episodes every Monday, wherever you get your podcasts, and on YouTube too. You can find Winging It, and more fantastic travel podcasts from around the world at voyescape.com. The link is in the show notes. Let's go and explore the world. Hello and welcome to this week's episode, the last one of my month long trip in Central America and Mexico. And this is Mexico City, which I had about a day and a half to explore before

and after Oaxaca. End of the trip, tired, but I was determined to get out there and see some classic sites. So these are the obvious places to go and see in Mexico City city center. So as I mentioned in the Oaxaca episode, I was flying to Mexico from Guatemala and I visited Mexico City either side and I flew from Guatemala City. The aim was to go there by overlands, but if you look at the map, that is a long, long way on a bus and I had no time to get that completed. So flights from.

Guatemala to Mexico City cost around 150 Canadian dollars and to go to Oaxaca and back was about 150 return as well. And my aim in Mexico City was to see the main sights. So I stayed at hotel after Oaxaca by the airport and it's called Hostel Mexico DF Airport. It's about 64 Canadian dollars a night. Had a private bathroom and it's walking distance to the airport and it has a breakfast as well. I had to leave really early so I didn't get to do the breakfast but quite quiet and it's just there for a transport hotel really, but very comfortable.

So let's go to before Oaxaca. So I arrived into Mexico City and I was determined to use the metro and for my time in City I was using the combination of Uber and metro. So we get to the metro first. A metro card, you can buy that at the station. So you come out of the airport, you walk to I think it's gate number 10 or 11 near there. It's not obvious but just follow the signs for the metro. I got one, I spoke to the lady there, paid for it. She asked how much I want to top up and I said probably the equivalent of five.

US dollars and she's like where you going? I was like here there and everywhere. She's like, there might be too much but let's do it anyway. So I topped up for five US dollars and actually each ride cost 25 US cents. So just be aware if you're for a day it's only a couple of dollars that you'll need. You can get Ubers into the city centre, probably cost around 15 to 20 dollars. That's an option as well. So first up I went to Plaza de la Constitución also known as El Zucalo.

I got a bit confused on the metro system and I got off somewhere and I walked for half an hour through this area and that was like really intense. Loads of people, covered markets on every street, a little bit dirty as well. Definitely not the trendy part of Mexico City. But got through that and arrived into the Cicalo, the historic heart of the city and one of the largest public squares in the world. And it's surrounded by iconic landmarks like the Metropolitan Cathedral, which you can go and see, the National Palace and colonial era buildings.

and it's kind of a hub for culture, politics, protests and history and gathering of people who wanna maybe discuss some stuff. So pretty cool, huge, huge Mexican flag in the middle. Great to get some content. I was pretty parched at this point, so I walked five minutes to a cafe called Balam and expect Western prices here. We're right in the center of Mexico City, but the coffee tasted incredible. There's a roastery as well, just off the main square. Pretty cool. And I wanted to walk towards the...

Palacio de Bellas Artes, which is like the most iconic cultural landmark. It's the kind of the art deco art nouvelle style architecture. And it's a grand palace that hosts like ballets, world-class performances, opera and stuff like that. But on the way, I saw a random cafe had no one in it. It's so a case of the years. I thought, you know what?

first taste of Mexican food in Mexico ever. Let's get a few of those in and for a couple of dollars, unbelievable. No idea what it's called, but it's on the way to Palacio. So I got to Palacio de Bellas Artes and it's quite a cool place to sit, chill out, get some content of the architecture, because that's pretty incredible. And I walked around it and it's pretty nice. You're going to get approached by some people, it a like, maybe like Leicester Square in London where they wanted to sell stuff and...

They give impression they want to talk, but they show you what they're selling. So just be aware of that. Pretty easy, not like horrible or anything like that. Just be aware that you're to get approached. And I walked around, very busy, sat there, enjoyed my music, looked at the whole area and admired the whole view of Mexico City. So that's kind of the end of exploring. So I walked from there to the metro station to the airport. I was a bit worried about getting to the airport in this huge city and getting stuck in traffic. And I got to the airport.

got off at the wrong stop, tried to walk around, had to go around a different way and you can walk from the metro station at the airport to the terminal. Yeah, that was my first experience in Mexico City. Let's go forward to after Oaxaca. So I got in from the airport, walked to my hotel, checked in. They do sort of lay check in maybe an hour earlier, but I got there like three hours earlier. Had a coffee. They gave me some breakfast as well. Very nice of them. Checked in and straight away I got an Uber because I don't want to waste any time on the metro. And I got an Uber to Romanorte, which is a very

popular place to check out for backpackers in Mexico City. So let's check out and I love the buildings, a kind of mix of old and new, many trendy cafes in this area, leafy streets and a dream to walk through. Great weather as well, 30 degrees, sunny weather. Romanorte or Roma as a whole is known as Mexico City's trendiest neighborhoods, bohemian vibe and vibrant cafe culture. Lots of bars there as well, art galleries, boutique shops, some of the city's best restaurants and bars.

but also more importantly great for hostels and meeting people if you're Mexico City because this place is huge. Like 20 million plus people in it. I was hungry at this point so I settled in for bit with chain called La Payne Quotidian which is I think a well-known chain in Europe as well. I a breakfast and a coffee meal thing and it cost maybe 10 Canadian dollars but I had fruit, croissants, scrambled eggs, yogurt, coffee, orange juice, the whole lot. It's huge. Unbelievable. And from there...

After fuelled up and being a bit more awake, I walked 20 minutes to the Angel Independence. That's a cool sight to see. This is a weekend and there's a festival going on around it. People dressing in costumes, big loud music, no idea what it is, what was going on, but it sort of circled the Angel Independence because it's on a roundabout. So I watched that, enjoyed the music, joined in a little bit, went to a viewpoint, got the Angel Independence photo. And I think in Latin America, you've got to expect some sort of festival happening on any day of the week.

So I started to tire and I walked back into Roma just to check out a few more cafes and have a coffee and then got an Uber back to my hotel. And that was it. Very quick and no messing about in terms of seeing Mexico City from a standpoint of maybe a day and a half. I would advise using Ubers, it's a bit quicker, but it's a city that is so big that you probably need a week there to check it all out. And it is a very popular place for backpackers to base themselves. And I'd love to go back.

They fly direct from Vancouver, which is a rarity for Vancouver. Costs about 500 Canadian dollars one way. So I got back to my hotel, chilled out and I had a 4 a.m. start next morning for the flight back to Vancouver. But I loved Mexico City and Mexico in that very short time that I had to visit. Much more to offer that city and Mexico as a whole. I need to go back and do more of the country. And I thought I'd come to the summary of the trip actually. I've got some stats and figures and thoughts about it. So El Salvador.

Absolutely incredible, very raw. You don't really know what to expect, very cheap. You can do a very comfortable trip there on not very much money, but the people are so nice. They're kind of welcoming people back into their country now. It's a new thing for them. It's quite a small country, so you can get around pretty quickly, either by bus, by Uber, or by shuttle bus. And I just think it's a place that I just have to go back to, and I'm seriously contemplating set up a tour group.

I love those mine ruins, so that's an easy one to tick off as well. Lake Atterland needs more time, but the feel was great. It was a bit windy when I was there, so the water was bit choppy on the boat. I'd love to go back when it's bit more calmer, and I'd love to do some paragliding there, that'd be pretty cool. And there's loads of little towns I've dotted around the lake to go and see. And Antigua was just the perfect place to hang out, chill, recover from the hike, drink coffee, have great breakfast, great food, and kind of get into that immersive backpack experience of being like a digital nomad.

caught up with some podcasts and YouTube work there as well. And as I said, for Mexico City and Mexico, I need to go back and see the rest of the country. It's huge, so much to see and do, and different cultures within Mexico. Even Oaxaca, I I saw Oaxaca City, but the Oaxaca state is worth exploring as well, right? So, loads more to see and do. Love the sun, love the food, love the people. Can't wait to go back. You're probably thinking, budget, how much did it cost? So I've got some stats for you here. Overall, on the month trip, I spent...

1457 Canadian dollars. That's an average of $50 per night and it's for private rooms only. So that's not bad, right? Because if you're traveling as a couple, you half that each. 25 Canadian dollars, that's going to be 15 English pounds. Heading towards 20 US dollars each. That is decent value, I'd say. Flights, I took eight, which is probably six more than I wanted to, unfortunately. And for me, not proud of it.

but I ran out of time, spent too long in El Salvador, I loved it too much. But I spent 2,040 Canadian dollars, so an average 255 Canadian dollars per flight. And I think lesson learned was I needed more time to do overland from Guatemala to Mexico, huge lesson. Awkward because of a time constraint. So this is a flight to San Fran, San Fran to San Salvador, Guatemala City up to Flores, back to Guatemala City, over to Mexico City, over to Oaxaca, back to...

Mexico City and then up to Vancouver. Not great. Restaurants and cafes combined was 902 Canadian dollars and I labelled coffee within that as $136. So I drank probably 90 coffees, right? Three a day on average. $1.50 a coffee, which sounds about right. Activities come at 386. That includes volcano tours, coffee tours, walking tours, anything else in between.

Transportation costs $261, so you could lump that in with flights, but this would only be buses and shuttle buses in between the countries. And I got other of $318, which is laundry, chargers, ATM fees, groceries, souvenirs, and miscellaneous. So total spent was $5,365.85 Canadian dollars. But $1,000 on that is the unexpected flights I didn't expect to take.

So it would have been nearer $4,250 Canadian dollars, closer to my $4,000 Canadian dollars budget. So total deficit of about $1,315, but not too bad in the end. This is the average per day, not including flights. El Salvador was $87.85 Canadian per day. Guatemala is 140 Canadian per day, and Mexico is about 65 per day. So overall, a great trip, a must for everyone.

Plain to see and do, safety was not a problem. Traveling solo, and I met many other backpackers traveling solo, especially in El Salvador, which is cool to know if you're looking to go there. And as I said, really looking into hosting a trip to El Salvador early next year, or late next year, depends on the weather, right? And what I can lock in and get people interested in. A trip which mixed activities and chilling out. I mean, I saw some unbelievable stuff. Takao at Mine Ruins, Akitaneango Volcano. I saw the Santa Ana Volcano, even though I go right to the top.

That lake there was incredible. Saw an amazing city in San Salvador, Antigua and Oaxaca, similar vibes, done a coffee tour at the La Jente, that was amazing as well. So these are great activities that I had on my list. The only thing I didn't get done on my list was the Santa Ana volcano right to the top to get the views. I tried twice and failed, but next time I'll go back. It's not too bad a hike, three hours max. So thanks for tuning in. This is the last one of that whole trip. It's cool to wrap that up and get going. If you want to hear more,

of that trip, head to the William Child podcast and look at the previous episodes. I've created a playlist for El Salvador on Spotify as well. So if you want specified ones for El Salvador, check that out. If you want to see what I got up to, you can check out Roaming with Hammo on YouTube. That's my YouTube channel and I've got vlogs for every part of that trip. That's pretty cool as well. And going forward, I'm now planning my next big trip. I don't know where it's going to be.

Lots of things in the air at the minute. The main thing is waiting for citizenship in Canada. And when I get that, I'll start planning properly for the next trip. But I'm thinking it's going to be either Australasia Pacific, somewhere there, or somewhere in South America. Haven't decided yet. I'll catch you next time. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast. Always helps a podcast that's free. Cheers.

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