Daily essentials checklist

These are the things that you need to to make sure that you've got before you leave the house.

Bottled Water:

Have you packed bottled water? You can buy water everywhere, but it's good to go ahead and carry some that you can trust.

Sunscreen, hat, and sunglasses:

Mexico City’s sun will burn you if you do not put sunscreen on your face and on your hands. Even during winter time, put on your sunscreen. Light, mineral-based sunscreens that absorb into the skin are preferable. Greasy or thick sunscreens will catch pollution and feel gunky on your skin by the end of the day.

For facial sunscreen, I recommend Elta MD. It is light, mineral-based, and won’t feel heavy or greasy.

Mexico City is sunny most days of the year, so make sure you have a hat and sunglasses if you go out in daytime.

Antibacterial Wipes:

We used these often! For example, when we were on a boat in Xochimilco and were about to have lunch, the wipes were the only way to clean our hand!. If you buy water or a bottled beverage that has been in ice that may not be clean, use an antibacterial wipe to clean the bottle and rim before you drink from it. 

Travel bag:

Make sure you're putting everything you need for the day into a backpack you can carry for many hours. 

Consider carrying a “theft proof” bag. These bags have small clips on the zippers, which keeps thieves from easily opening compartments. They are also designed with materials and straps that discourage grab-and-go thefts. These types of street crimes are not as common in Mexico City as they are in Western European tourist destinations (Barcelona, Rome, Prague); however, these bags will make you feel more secure.

Lightweight Puffy Coat:

Carry an extra jacket, especially in the winter months because Mexico City can get very cold at night time. You’ll notice locals favor lightweight puffy jackets that they can easily take on and off and stuff into purses. We love our Nautica puffy coats my mom bought at Sam’s Club! In the winter time, you will need hat and gloves at night time, but nothing wooly or fur-lined.

Baby Wipes:

DO NOT FLUSH TOILET PAPER IN MEXICO AS IT WILL CLOG THE TOILET. Since you can’t flush anything anyway, we favored baby wipes that we carried with us… everywhere. There are little trash cans next to toilets where people throw away toilet paper or wipes.

Here’s how you do this in the least gross way possible: After you wipe, you take more toilet paper and wrap the used toilet paper or wipe in a nice, clean strip of fresh toilet paper and throw that in the trash. This is the most sanitary way to dispose of toiler paper or wipes when you cannot flush them.