32 replies to this topic

[YucatanStarTours]

Hello all you Yolisters. While I have been a member for nearly two years on Yolisto I am now entering my second phase of living in the Yucatan. I have been asking questions and answering questions for my personal life here, I am now going to be focused on travel related questions and helping people explore the Yucatan. Since moving to the Peninsula I have gained an appreciation for all it has to offer and now want to share that enthusiasm and passion with others. While I am far from opening my doors for business, I hope to gain insight on what people might find helpful in the Yucatan whether visiting for a short time or if you are already living here.

  We are several friends in our 30's both American and Mexican that want to custom fit tours for people.We have been traveling to the corners of the Yucatan Peninsula for years now and want to share the unique experiences with others. We have been practicing on our friends so far and have a lot of ideas of different services and markets to get into. Ideally we want to share experiences with great local people we have met, unique places, making the most of time while traveling and giving people an unforgettable experience.

  One idea we have had since we are not open is to offer free tours for people so we can get practice and have people just cover transportation cost. That way it is a great way for people that might live here and not want to pay tour prices but still get the benefit of having fun seeing a new place and not having to worry about anything. This would be targeted at people living here mainly. I know from talking to a lot of ex-pats that there is still a lot of the Yucatan for you to explore and perhaps with a little help, can get to see more. It may be having a bilingual person, driver for those long trips or just company if you are an older single adult.

  I look forward to asking and answering questions on here.

[Yolisto-Khaki]

I confess! I edited in the underline on Free Tours... but I didn't want readers to miss it. Expats and potential expats are always asking about how to go into business in Yucatan. This seems like such a great way to start a tour business, i.e. practice with their friends - then practice with expats... with no cost except expenses! Its wonderful to see younger expats making local friends and going into business together. We actually have several of these younger partnerships throughout the peninsula. Good luck to this one!

[CoyoteMan]

Good luck with your business, although Yolisto doesn't seem to be a place frequented by tourists. You will probably have better luck getting your name out on TripAdvisor or similar forums aimed at the tourist business. Yolisto's sister site, Yucatan Living, might be a better place as well.

Incidentally, I'm available to give tours, and like Yucatan Star Tours, will only charge transportation. Right now the cost to bring me down from Cape Cod is about $500, and probably another $300-$400 to rent a van.

-- Josh

[Yolisto-Khaki]

Actually, Yolisto is the right place for Yucatan Star Tours. They aren't open for business. They're still practicing on expats.

[YucatanStarTours]

Thanks for the encouragement and underlining Kahki. We are just starting this venture but it is already taking off very fast. I am working on a blog that will feature information and pictures on many of places in the Yucatan that we have been and like. Once I get that up I can share some photos with everyone.
  I realize that Yolisto is not the best tourist web page and we will be making a media blitz to all the appropriate websites when the time comes. We do want to get feedback from locals/ex-pats though and of course there are all the details of starting a business in the Yucatan and we can gain from others experiences.
  We will most likely start on the southern side of the Yucatan but want to relocate to Yucatan State to be centrally located. Mostly likely we will offer free walking tours of Playa Del Carmen for those who wish to get a brief overview of where things are and what there is. Also tours for people moving to Playa and we can do tours to show where to buy groceries, pay CFE and so on. Then the next step is overnight or day tours to Coba,local cenotes, Tulum, Valladolid, Ek Balam, Isla Holbox and Isla Mujeres. When we are more functional we will branch out to all the Yucatan. Right now some of us have day jobs before we fully launch the tour company so we are limited to length of tours.
  Also now we can offer advise on things in Qroo like the article on visiting Xcaret. We hope to be helpful to everyone who is looking for advice and we can bring More enjoyment to traveling and finding new things.

[Yolisto-Khaki]

What a great idea! Tourism is nice - but I really like your ideas for newbies and potential expats. Even if you just did one "how to / where to shop and pay" tour (monthly or quarterly) for expats and potential expats in Merida, you'd stay booked up all the time! One of my oldest friends does that in another state and her business is growing every year. When I first came to Merida, there was nobody to show newbies anything. I had to add extra days to that first trip to make sure I could find my way by myself. I would have taken a "how to / where to" tour in a heartbeat!

[nebinkwe]

I'd love to see a lot more of the Yucatan!
A tour company based out of Progreso that is
REASONABLY PRICED   would be a good thing!
Many of us (ex-pats) want to explore more of
our adopted home area, and / or have visitors
who want to see some of the local sights while they
are here with their hosts!!
We are based in Progreso for 6 months of
the year, and have only been to Izamal, Ticul,
Merida, and Uxmal so far, so, we have a lot of
the Yucatan to explore!  We still want to make it
to Chichen Itza, hopefully this season, and if
not, then in the late fall when we come back!
We (finally!) have friends that are interested in
coming to visit after the holidays, so, we'd love
to see more, experience more, and know where to take
them to maximize their enjoyment of their 1st time
to Mexico!

[Kaye]

nebinkwe, on 12 April 2012 - 03:10 PM, said:

I'd love to see a lot more of the Yucatan!
A tour company based out of Progreso that is
REASONABLY PRICED   would be a good thing!
Many of us (ex-pats) want to explore more of
our adopted home area, and / or have visitors
who want to see some of the local sights while they
are here with their hosts!!
We are based in Progreso for 6 months of
the year, and have only been to Izamal, Ticul,
Merida, and Uxmal so far, so, we have a lot of
the Yucatan to explore!  We still want to make it
to Chichen Itza, hopefully this season, and if
not, then in the late fall when we come back!
We (finally!) have friends that are interested in
coming to visit after the holidays, so, we'd love
to see more, experience more, and know where to take
them to maximize their enjoyment of their 1st time
to Mexico!

I wholeheartedly agree. I have a home at the beach in Chuburna Pto but, have been unable so far to venture out much in other places in the Yucatan, etc.  I have friends/family that want to come, but my knowledge of where to take them and how to get there is limited.  We would be learning and exploring together and that makes me uneasy.  I would love to leave the anxiety to someone else, schedule a tour for all of us, relax, and enjoy without GPS-ing myself to death and stressing when I got lost.  Do take Khaki's advice and consider this and also the Newbie tours to familiarize new residents...it's a wonderful idea.

[ASUAAN]

YucatanStarTours, on 12 April 2012 - 02:09 PM, said:

Thanks for the encouragement and underlining Kahki. We are just starting this venture but it is already taking off very fast. I am working on a blog that will feature information and pictures on many of places in the Yucatan that we have been and like. Once I get that up I can share some photos with everyone.
  I realize that Yolisto is not the best tourist web page and we will be making a media blitz to all the appropriate websites when the time comes. We do want to get feedback from locals/ex-pats though and of course there are all the details of starting a business in the Yucatan and we can gain from others experiences.
  We will most likely start on the southern side of the Yucatan but want to relocate to Yucatan State to be centrally located. Mostly likely we will offer free walking tours of Playa Del Carmen for those who wish to get a brief overview of where things are and what there is. Also tours for people moving to Playa and we can do tours to show where to buy groceries, pay CFE and so on. Then the next step is overnight or day tours to Coba,local cenotes, Tulum, Valladolid, Ek Balam, Isla Holbox and Isla Mujeres. When we are more functional we will branch out to all the Yucatan. Right now some of us have day jobs before we fully launch the tour company so we are limited to length of tours.
  Also now we can offer advise on things in Qroo like the article on visiting Xcaret. We hope to be helpful to everyone who is looking for advice and we can bring More enjoyment to traveling and finding new things.

HELLO THERES A AGENCY THAT HAS TOURS TO ISLA MUJERS FOR $889PESOS ALINCLUSIVE IS NICE YOU DON´T PAY ANYTHING ELSE IS CALL ACVACATIONS.COM.MX

[ASUAAN]

NEWBIE i work in a car rental company i can help you rent a van when you need one. incase you get lots of costumers, and good luck

[amber1]

Free tour for expenses only for expats?  What are the "expenses" and what does that give the expat? Nothing is for FREE! Gas only? Meals of course would be at the expense of the expat, but how can you carry this on...you have to make a profit while you are doing this...how can you expect to have a business that is viable without making $??? You must have deep pockets, and if that's the case, why even bother? Maybe I'm not getting the gist of this?

[Yolisto-Khaki]

Amber - they haven't opened their business yet. They're just a group of friends who are trying to see if they can make a go of a tour business without the need for a huge, up-front investment. They started out practicing on family and friends - and are now practicing on expats... I'm sure the "expenses only" price will go up when they are comfortable enough to actually hang out their sign. They're both Mexicans and gringos, and they're young enough to have the energy to do something like this. I hope they are successful beyond their own expectations... 2012 is certainly a good time to start...

[ChuckD]

I don't think you got the gist.    They want to practice the tours before they begin charging a fee.   Good idea actually.

[amber1]

Thanks Yolisto-Khaki and ChuckD.  After I posted I went back and actually read all the posts in detail...stupid of me to post without doing that first - sorry...I wish them well, and hopefully it will pay off for them in the end. I think it's a good idea, given they have the time and energy to put into it now.

Good luck with your venture YucatanStarTours! I agree with Y-K...2012 is a good year to start!

[YucatanStarTours]

To give you an idea of what we are doing we have a group that wants to go to Holbox at the end of the month. We are renting a van to the ferry and will be taking people out to the island. We are dividing the cost of the gas,van and ferry among everyone. It is a large enough group that the cost is lower then doing it yourself and much more easy.The benefits to our guest are: they get a chauffered trip to and from the port to home, we have arranged hotels based on what class they would like and using our connections getting them a discount. We will be showing them where to rent bikes, gulf carts, where restaurants are and what we recommend. They will be shown where to drive to see the best sunsets or where to walk to see the best parts of the island or birds. We have emailed one of our favorite eating places and they will be ready for us to arrive for our special breakfast in their tropical garden. We will be including in the price the ferry so we can easily purchase the tickets in a speedy way for them or take a luncha if one is available.
  We get the benefit of lowered travel cost and the experience of showing people around. Plus we get the joy of seeing places and seeing peoples faces see new places.

[fishinisfun45]

Excellent idea !

Would you consider including a brief stop at the duty-free zone shopping?  If so, I might be a "taker".  We have old friends who supply Whale Shark watching tours, if that might also help your business.  Have you picked the date?
steve

[YucatanStarTours]

fishinisfun45, I might have to get your contact for Whale shark tours if we are going to be handling more tours to Holbox or Contoy. I assume they work out of Holbox?
  We have set our date for this trip but knew we would not be able to fit in a whale shark tour.
  We would do a trip to the free zone. Since it is a longer haul, maybe a stopover in Bacalar? Then hit if the shopping the next day and bring our booty home.
  Have you been the the free zone? Friends of mine have and say it is hit or miss. Lots of plastic stuff and fakes but you can fine a deal.

[dilsteruk]

Just one thing to bear in mind, Our lawyer has told us that NO non Mexican can do any driving job here in Mexico, She said you an not be a taxi driver, chauffeur or take people out in your car on tours, we never checked into it any more but maybe anyone thinking of doing this should and maybe be careful about posting stuff on here?  Or at least until you check it out?

[amber1]

We know a couple of different people here that take people out on private tours in their own vehicles, but we didn't realize there was any law to the contrary in effect. Guess more research is in order on our part before we do any more recommendations. What a bummer! Thanks for the info though dilsteruk.

[dilsteruk]

It maybe worth a quick call to your lawyer? you never know we may of been wrongly advised but its not worth getting booted out the country for it!