It was over a year since I had traveled outside of the US and to start off our summer, my siblings and I decided the time was now or never. We booked our trip to Mexico City and Oaxaca, Mexico and I am so happy we did! I think a big reason why our trip went as smoothly as it did was because we prepared ourselves for this first time of traveling during a pandemic.

My lovely best friend has always created itineraries for our trips, no matter how big or small. I love how organized and put together you feel before and during a trip, that I knew I needed one for this trip to Mexico. This itinerary however was not to be followed hour per hour. It is simply an outline of how our trip would go with all of the important information such as flights, hotels, top attractions, etc.

Since Mexico City and Oaxaca are such popular destinations, I wanted to share all of this information with you in case you find yourself traveling there soon. Traveling during a pandemic is also so new to us, and I wanted to share some tips and information of what to expect for whenever you feel ready to travel again.

Let me quickly sum up our Mexico trip for you. My brother and sister and I flew from LAX to Mexico City and stayed at the City Express Plus Reforma El Angel for 3 nights. (CHECK OUT MY MEXICO CITY GUIDE HERE) 

We then flew to Oaxaca City  and were picked up by our tour guide from Tours Oaxaca Plus. For our first night we stayed at the NaNa Vida Boutique Hotel and checked out the next morning to travel 3 hours south and stayed at Hotel Diamanté for 2 nights. We traveled 3 more hours south the next day where we visited some popular beaches and then in the evening we traveled back to Oaxaca City where we stayed at Hotel CasAntica for the remainder of the trip.

Our form of transportation in Mexico City was Uber, and in Oaxaca we fortunately had our tour guide drive us everywhere. 

When it came down to covid regulations, you really need to research if the country you are traveling to has certain travel restrictions. For Mexico’s case, we did not need to prove a negative covid-19 test in order to enter the country. We did however need to get a negative covid test within 3 days of traveling back into the US. It was so easy to find a place to get a covid test. The laboratory we went to was actually less than a 10 minute walk from our hotel so it was very convenient.

The type of tests we got was the antigen one but the ones that were accepted were, antigen test or a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), including but not restricted to RT-PCR, RT-LAMP, TMA, NEAR, and HDA. All of this information was easily assessable directly from our airline website.

Below I am sharing a simple itinerary that I used for the few days I was in Mexico City along with some restaurant and attraction recommendations that we did not get a chance to experience. 

 Oaxaca Itinerary

MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2021:

5 AM	Wake up & get ready for flight
7 AM	Arrive to Airport
9:05 AM	MEX > OAX   Depart Mexico City
10:16 AM	Arrive in Oaxaca
11:00 AM	Picked up by out Tour Guide
12 PM	Travel 30 min (Ruta Zapoteca Tour that is part of our guided tour) (Be sure to visit Monté Albán)
3  PM	Check in to NaNa Vida Boutique Hotel Murguía 405, NaNa Vida, Oaxaca, Oaxaca 68000, Mexico
4 PM	Grab dinner near hotel
8 PM	Get rest at hotel for busy day ahead

TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2021:

6 AM	Check out of Hotel
7AM	Meet with our travel guide (Drive 3 hours south for Sierra Sur Tour)
12 PM	Check in to Hotel Diamanté (2 nights)
1 PM	Explore Sierra Sur Tour
8 PM	Get rest at hotel for busy day ahead

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021:

7 AM	Travel 3 more hours south (Huatulco Tour)
10 AM	Explore and tour beaches and more with guide all day

THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2021:

6 AM	Check out of Hotel
6:30 AM	Explore the beaches on the coast (Playa la Entrega, Playa Maguey)
6 PM	Drive back to Oaxaca City
6:30 PM	Stop for food along the way
12 AM	Check in to Hotel CasAntica

FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021:

7 AM	Wake up
8 AM	Get Covid Test (Lab is 7-10min walk from hotel) Need to complete a Attestation Form for our flight back (72 hrs in advance) Test type accepted: antigen test or a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), including but not restricted to RT-PCR, RT-LAMP, TMA, NEAR, and HDA.
9 AM	Go back to hotel to get ready for day & grab breakfast
12 PM	Visit Benito Juarez Mercado for some shopping
2 PM	Explore Oaxaca City & Mercado in Centro

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021:

12 PM	Schedule early morning pick up with tour guide (for airport next day)
6:30 AM	Go back to Benito Juarez Mercado for final shopping
8 PM	Pack up for flight back home

SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 2021:

4 AM	Check out of Hotel and drive to Airport
5 AM	Arrive at Airport
6:40 AM	OAX > MEX   Depart Oaxaca
7:55 AM	Arrive to Mexico City  2 1/2 hr LAYOVER IN MEXICO CITY
10:20 AM	MEX > LAX  Depart Mexico City
12:15 PM	Arrive to Los Angeles

 

THINGS WE DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO DO: 

• Visit Puerto Escondido (we plan on staying here next time)
• Carrizalillo beach , SUNSET “la punta beach”

OTHER AIR BNBs & HOTELS WE CONSIDERED: 

(Keep in mind that prices fluctuate)   

 HOTELS           &              AIR BNBs

Parador del Dominico - $31/night NO BREAKFAST  Oaxaca Centro LINK	Casa en el Corazon de Oaxaca - $73/night LINK
Hotel Trebol - $47/night Oaxaca Centro *Free Breakfast LINK	Casa el Jardin Secreto - $93/night LINK
Hotel CasAntica - $62/night Oaxaca Centro *Free Breakfast (only for 2) LINK	Nana Vida Hotel - $75/night Oaxaca LINK
Hotel Casa de la Tia Tere - $72/night Colonia Centro *Free Breakfast  LINK

WATCH MY OAXACA VLOG ON YOUTUBE: