Top-Down Volkswagen Beetle Tours Put Guests Behind the Wheel in Mexico Gay Nagle Myers - TravelWeekly.com
go to original October 15, 2012

Touring central Mexico’s colonial cities, tracking monarch butterflies in the sanctuaries in the state of Michoacan or exploring Mexico’s Pacific coast on a road trip in a classic Volkswagen Beetle convertible is the idea behind the Traveling Beetle, a Mexico City-based tour operator that offers three commissionable driving packages.

“All of our cars have been restored and their engines rebuilt and are meticulously checked before and after each trip,” said Traveling Beetle owner Nicolas Caillens. “Our cars may look vintage, but they are as good as new.” The last of the original Beetles rolled off the assembly line in Mexico in 2003.

All of the cars have a manual transmission, although automatic models will be introduced next year. Group size on the three programs comprises four guests in two cars plus a support vehicle, a tour leader/guide and a mechanic, according to Caillens.

The largest group is six cars and 12 guests plus the support team.

Most packages are offered year round except for the Chasing Butterflies tour, which is from November through mid-March.

“Although I understand some travelers may be worried about the idea of traveling by car in Mexico, it is important to know that most of the drug-related violence that occurs in Mexico is concentrated in a few states that we carefully avoid,” Caillens said.

“We stay updated on a regular basis and would modify or cancel an itinerary if the security conditions were to deteriorate,” he said. “Our guests are free to travel with the group in a convoy or on their own between each scheduled stop.”

Guests are given a radio and cellphone to communicate with one another and the support vehicle. “Guests are never on their own unless they want to be,” according to Caillens.

The Chasing Butterflies six-night package, priced from $1,895 per person, covers 500 miles with a drive time of one to three hours per day.

The tour departs from Santiago de Queretaro, two-and-a-half hours north of Mexico City, and visits San Miguel del Allende, Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Morelia, the pine forests of Michoacan and Mexico’s largest butterfly sanctuary.

The six-night Colonial Cities tour, from $1,995, visits six cities in three Mexican states, covering 600 miles, with three hours of drive time each day.

The 13-night Pacific tour, from $3,750, tours 12 towns and villages along Mexico’s west coast with up to 1,000 miles of driving.

Costs are based on two passengers per car and cover accommodations in hotels and haciendas, one meal a day, gas and use of a GPS.

The Traveling Beetle offers commissions from 10% up to 30% based on the number of bookings per scheduled departure.

For details, visit TheTravelingBeetle.com

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