When Not to go to Mexico

Our sales team had a good year in 2006 so several of us are being rewarded with a trip to Acapulco. Never mind the recent news... we're looking forward to a great vacation. Anyway, it doesn't take one long to figure out that organizing a dozen schedules can be a bit, eh... daunting, shall we say?

We were originally shooting for March but now the date seems to be flying all over the 2007 calendar. It turns out fares in March are ridiculous thanks to some obscure event called "spring break". At one point, a few people wanted to shoot for September or October.

Having vacationed on the western side of Mexico, I immediately started raising a stink. "You don't want to book a trip to Acapulco in September." Apparently, quite a few people didn't realize that...

a) Western Mexico gets hurricanes
b) July - October are "prime time"
c) Oh yeah... they tend to form right in the waters off of Acapulco

In case you're thinking of Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta or Acapulco, take a look at what happened in 2006. Of the 18 named storms, 17 formed after July 11th. Hurricane John was particularly troublesome. 1997's Hurricane Pauline was no slouch, dumping 16 inches of rain on Acapulco. Of course, the same goes for the western Pacific although the 2004 hurricane season should've straightened people out.

So... just keep that in mind when planning a trip to the tropics. The Internet will help you figure out when to plan a trip. My cousin and I visited Ixtapa during Labor Day Weekend in 1995 and had a great time. The weather was ideal. Yet, when my wife and I went to Los Cabos over Labor Day Weekend in 2000 for his wedding, the wedding day was pushed off by a day due to a hurricane in the Pacific. Do some homework and you can avoid situations like the photo listed above - Cancun after Hurrican Wilma.

Do you have any stories you can share about poorly timed trips to the tropics?