Tijuana, Mexico is a vibrant and beautiful city full of adventures around every corner.  In order to experience this bustling city to the fullest, you must drop any pre-conceived notions of Mexico altogether, as too often these ideas have been influenced by a xenophobic media cog. This is a topic I find crucial to address as I have encountered way too many people (who have never been to Mexico mind you) that feel inclined to say I am going to be robbed or murdered while on vacation.  This is not to say that I don’t acknowledge particular crimes in Mexico, but it doesn’t compare to how the media portrays it.  Like with any trips to another country, you have to be smart and play it cool; travel light and have an agenda.

A question I often receive is “how do you manage to travel so much?” I’ll break it down for you in case you were curious as well. You don’t need to have a lot of money to have a fantastic time; I want you to know so that you’ll feel inspired to take these kind of jaunts as well. This impromptu trip across the border looked like this: hotel ($90), gas ($40), food (under $10 each meal).  Now split that between friends, boyfriends, or spouses and you have yourself a cost efficient weekend vacation.

If you want a clean place with a nice pool, I recommend Hotel Lausana which is located near the Otay border entrance. We had everything we needed for a quick trip like this and it was nice knowing this was the place we were coming back to.