Visas, Flights, Money and Payments

Passports & Visas

Below you can check more detailed info for each country (Note the following info is approximate and may vary):

Mexico

• Entry Requirements:
  • Please note you may or may not need to fill in a Migratory Form depending on your port of entry. If you don’t get a Migratory form, you should get a passport stamp indicating your guaranteed days.
  • By plane:
    • Your flight ticket should include the costs of the “Forma Migratoria”. You shouldn’t need to pay any extra fee.
    • It is compulsory to have an exit flight ticket (your airline will ask for it at your check-in). In case you are exiting the country by land (as it happens in some of our tours) you can purchase a valid ticket at Onewayfly.
  • By land:
    • Around 630 MXN / 30 USD payment to obtain the “Forma Migratoria”.
    • You don’t need to have an exit flight ticket.
• Exit Requirements (by air or land): It is probable that officials ask you to pay an exit fee of 558 MXN / 30 USD. Normally, we don’t need to pay this fee. If officials insist on us paying, we are obliged to show them a bill where the cost of “DNR, Derechos Migratorios” is detailed. Therefore, it is very important to keep your flight invoice and/or any type of bill you receive when you enter Mexico. Finally, remember to never pay unless receiving an official bill.

Belize

• Exit by land requirements: Departure fee of 20 USD / 40 BZD.

Guatemala

• Entry Requirements:
  • If entering by plane: It is compulsory to have an exit flight ticket (your airline will ask for it at your check-in). In case you are exiting the country by land (as it happens in some of our tours) you can purchase a valid ticket at Onewayfly.
  • If entering by land (as it happens in some of our tours): You don’t need to have an exit flight ticket.  You will probably need to pay a small 10-20 QTG fee.

Finally, note that the mentioned requirements may sometimes not be asked, but it is better to have everything needed, just in case. When crossing borders while on a tour, your crew will be assisting you at every moment. We will avoid any extra payments as much as we can. Please contact us if you have further doubts regarding visas and borders.

Extra Notes

Trip Prices

Our prices are per person and include all the accommodation, transportation and transfer from the arrival airport, use of the vehicle and its equipment, and meals and activities listed as included.

The trip prices exclude:

• Travel Insurance
• Flights, airport transfers and any other transportation costs while not on the trip
• Personal taxes (including border taxes)
• Passports, visas and vaccinations
• Optional Activities
• Extra accommodation or upgrades
• Contingency expenses in case of war, natural disasters, etc
• Any further spending money

Deposits and Payments

• If you book your tour 61 or more days before the departure date, you must pay a 20% deposit. The balance of the tour cost must be paid not later than 60 days before the departure.
• If you book your tour 60 or fewer days before the departure date, you must pay the full tour cost at the time of booking.
• If the tour needs to be cancelled by us, we will refund you the full deposit/payment.

Cancellations

If you wish to cancel your tour, you must inform us by writing an email to [email protected]. Cancellation charges are calculated on the day written notification is received by us. The table below shows the number of days before the tour departure date that we receive written notification, and the percentage of the total tour cost that will be payable as cancellation charges:

Please note:

• The cancellation charges do not cover extra hotel accommodation.
• Once you begin the tour, no refunds will be made unless in case of major force.
• We reserve the right to cancel your tour for any reason where we are forced to do so -for reasons outside our control-. In the event of a cancellation, we will tell you as soon as possible. Our tours require a minimum number of 4 participants to enable us to operate them. In the event of cancellation by us, we will offer you the choice of purchasing an alternative tour from us or receiving a full refund of all you have paid to us.

Click here for a full list of our booking terms.

Guaranteed Trips

You can check which departing dates are guaranteed on each trip’s page. If you book a trip on a Guaranteed Departure, it will run unless we are forced to cancel it for reasons outside our control.

Money while on the trip

We’ve designed our itineraries to include most of the activities. Therefore, you’ll only need a minimum amount of extra money. Please remember that some activities and meals, drinks, laundry, souvenirs, restaurants and taxis are on you. We recommend checking the meals and activities included in our trip notes and also the approximate costs for optional activities.

Our passenger’s daily expenses normally vary from the equivalent of 5 to 30 USD (paid in local currency), depending on the tour and person. Some days maybe you don’t expend anything, but other days you may book any optional activity, buy some souvenirs, have a fancy dinner and then drink some tequila at night! 😉

As a general rule, it’s always better to bring a little more than you think you’ll need. It is a good idea to have some USD in cash that can be exchanged almost anywhere, and a debit card to withdraw money at ATMs.

Exchange Rates

The cheapest way to pay for daily expenses during your tour is in local currency (except in Belize, where USD are accepted everywhere). Exchange is normally possible in every big town that we visit. We recommend exchanging at your arrival at the airport, as the rate will be similar to the rates in towns. Please note that exchange houses normally use rates around 1.5 units lower than the official daily rate…

Tipping

At Lupita, all tips for included activities (local guides) are included in your tour price!

We make sure our crew is well paid. However, if you consider we’ve done an excellent job and you can afford it, a tip will always be appreciated! Keep in mind that your overland crew might transform your experience from good to exceptional. An approximate amount could be 2-6 USD per day per crew.

For tipping in restaurants and optional excursions, it can be useful to hold on to your smaller notes and coins to make tipping easier. A 10% tip is common in the countries we visit as a general rule, only if you are happy with the service!

Cash or card?

We believe an appropriate mix of cash and card withdrawals is the best method for your trip. We recommend you create a cash passport for extra safety (you send only some money to your cash passport so your main card stays safe). There are usually plenty of ATMs along most of our routes. If you plan to use this method, please inform your bank where you are travelling to avoid security blocks.

Common cards such as Visa and MasterCard are accepted in most cities, but be ready for commission/exchange charges depending on your bank and card provider. Please note that bank exchange rates will be applied to each withdrawal, and normally also a withdrawal fee equivalent to 2-4 USD.

If you are planning to exchange, make sure that your USD and EURO notes are no more than 8 years old and in good condition. Some of the exchange offices refuse damaged or marked bills. Also, bring a mix of small and large bills since in some areas it’s difficult to change amounts over 50 dollars.

Last, but not least, note we don’t recommend bringing traveller checks since it’s getting harder and harder to find where to change them. Additionally, note that in case of emergency, it is possible to receive money instantly through Western Union or MoneyGram.

Contingency money

Although contingencies are very rare, it’s always better to be cautious. Some eventualities might result in extra costs. We recommend having around USD 500 extra available in your account for emergencies such as natural disasters, civil unrest or events that might cause a change of the itinerary, like border closures or transport strikes.