The Cabo “Cheat Sheet”
So, you’re getting ready for an outstanding break in Cabo? What do you need to know to make sure you’re ready for the trip? Here’s a quick checklist of items to make sure your trip is successful, rather than stressful:
☑ Make sure you have your passport. A valid government-issued passport is now required for re-entry to the U.S. If you don’t have a passport, or need to renew one, do it early enough to receive it before you travel. You should allow at least 6 weeks for new passport applications, 
and 4 weeks for renewals – that time may increase during holidays. Keep in mind also, for many airlines, if your passport will expire within 6 months of your trip, they have a right to decline acceptance.
☑ Make a photocopy of your passport to keep with you in a safe place. Every year we have one or two guys who lose their passports somewhere. Don’t carry them around with you in Cabo – use your room safe. If you do find yourself in a situation where your passport is misplaced, your photocopy can speed up a replacement from the U.S. Embassy in Tijuana, but it can take up to a week to get a replacement – and costs money.
☑ Here’s a new one – make sure the name on your airline ticket is exactly the same as your passport, and that your birthdate and sex are a part of your travel record. The Dept. of Homeland Security has a new initiative to match tickets and passports. If they don’t match, they can delay you in security to check your identity more carefully. Solve that problem by making sure the names match in the first place – first, middle and last. If you already have a ticket that doesn’t match, call the airline or your travel agent and see if you can get it changed before you arrive to the airport.
☑ When you reach the Cabo airport, you’ll go through immigration and customs – they’ll give you the proper forms on the plane. Once you exit Customs, look for the TransCabo representative – usually in an orange or beige shirt with a TransCabo logo. He or she will check your name on their list and get you on a shuttle and to the hotel. Your arrival information was provided, based on your registration record, so make sure that’s accurate. If you arrive late on the same day, it’s okay. If you are delayed to another day, please contact us at 877-257-1458 to let us know.
☑ Did you get your annual flu shot yet? Cabo is safe and clean and there have been no flu outbreaks, but you will be sharing space with guys from schools across the nation. If you normally get a flu shot, go ahead and get it before your trip. It couldn’t hurt!
☑ Don’t bring a lot of cash, expensive jewelry, cameras, or computers. Cabo is a very safe place, compared to the rest of Mexico, but thefts occur. If you don’t need it, don’t bring it. The hotel has computers you can use for Email and phones to call back to the states for free. The bank ATMs in town work with any major bank ATM card, and most give pesos or dollars.
Many students do fine with $100 cash and their ATM card. The majority of restaurants, clubs and activities (ATVs, surfing, snorkeling, etc.) take major credit cards. When you do use cash, you’ll almost always get better deals when you pay in pesos. And don’t forget to do the math at the ATM machine. One hundred pesos, is about $8.30 U.S. and you’ll pay a fee of $3.00 to make the ATM transaction. Take out 1,000 pesos – about $83 – or more, to make it worth your while.
☑ Bring sunscreen! At latitude 22, Cabo is south of Havana, Cuba and the sun is much more intense than in the U.S. – especially if you’re from the north. An hour in the mid-day sun in Cabo can be the equivalent of 2 or 3 hours at home, so bring sunscreen and use it! Just remember, anything more than 3 oz. has to be packed in checked luggage. A hat and sunglasses also will come in handy.
☑ If you plan to bring your cellphone, make sure you keep it on “airplane mode” and only use
the wi-fi setting. The hotel has free wi-fi throughout, so you can get email, but the roaming fees for cellular and data services are high if you don’t have an international plan with your carrier. If you need to use cell service here, update your plan to include international use in Mexico. Otherwise turn off the cellular services, or don’t bring your phone.
☑ Please do not stop for alcohol on your way in from the airport. The hotel prohibits students from bringing alcohol into the property. In exchange, they will have bar specials during your visit. Outside alcohol will simply be confiscated, so you lose the investment.
☑ You will need a credit or debit card to check in to the hotel. The hotel will place a $50 reserve on the card. This doesn’t “charge” the card, but it means that $50 of your credit limit or bank balance will be suspended until you check out. Please be aware of this, to insure you have enough credit or checking balance to do what you want while here.
Your trip to Cabo can be an exciting and even inspirational experience. Hundreds of men return from the ALA program each year with ideas, energy and direction for themselves and their organizations.
Prepare well to stay safe and healthy and to take advantage of the wealth of experience and knowledge from the speakers who will be with us each week. You’ll return to the States more confident in your abilities and more focused toward your future success. You won’t get THAT from many other break weeks!
OPTIONAL: We have a relationship with a K-12 school here in Los Cabos. If you have any books you’d like to donate – English, Spanish or French language – that are suitable for K-12 readers, bring them down. We’ll get the books to them at the end of our sessions.
Need a copy of the information sent when you registered online, with info about what to do when you reach the airport, how to pack and prepare? Download that HERE. Have any other questions about your trip? Email us at info@AmericanLA.org, or go to our Facebook Fan site and ask on one of our discussion groups.