Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport
(
www.sloairport.com
;
903 Airport Dr, San Luis Obispo)
On the Central Coast, north of Santa Barbara.
AIRPORT
Santa Barbara Airport
Nine miles west of downtown Santa Barbara, off Hwy 101.
AIRPORT
Land
Border Crossings
It's relatively easy crossing from the USA into Mexico; it's crossing back into the USA that
can pose problems if you haven't brought all of the required documents. Check the ever-
changing passport and visa requirements
before
traveling with the
US Department of
State
(
http://travel.state.gov
).
The
US Customs & Border Protection
(
http://bwt.cbp.gov
)
tracks current wait times at
every US border crossing. On the US-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana, San
Ysidro is the world's busiest border crossing, with average wait times of an hour or more.
US citizens do not require a visa for stays of 72 hours or less within the Mexican border
zone (ie as far south as Ensenada). But to re-enter the USA, they need to present a US
passport or other WHTI-compliant document (see
www.cbp.gov/travel
)
; a regular US
driver's license is not enough.
WARNING: DRUG CARTELS
As of early 2014, the
US State Department
(
http://travel.state.gov
) has issued a travel
warning about Mexican drug-cartel violence and crime along the US-Mexico border. Trav-
elers should exercise extreme caution in Tijuana, avoid large-scale gatherings and refrain
from venturing out after dark. Cars with US license plates can be targets for theft and
carjacking.
