Category: Travel

Hostels get a bad rep in the United States. I’ve never seen the movie “Hostel” but apparently it did some mental damage to American mindsets. As so many things do.

I stayed in my first hostel in New York City at 18 with my soon-to-be college roommate, Jess. We road tripped to NYC and she booked us a bunkbed hostel room. I had no clue what this meant and remember being slightly stunned when we arrived at the small space with community bathrooms.

In 2015, I took my first backpacking trip on a one-way ticket to Costa Rica. This is where my love of hostels really began.

After the trip, I was obsessed with the idea of traveling the US and staying in hostels. I wanted to write about them, take photos and turn around this false idea that Americans have about hostels. And then, I realized how few even exist.

From the furthest southeast corner to the uppermost northwest of the quite massive state of Michigan, it’s around a 10-hour drive. Within that distance, I have yet to discover more than 5 hostels in the state.

These are the hostels I’ve found in Michigan:

Hostel Detroit
Opened in 2011, at the time it was the only hostel in Michigan and the first in Detroit in 15 years.

The Hamtramck Hostel

Bellows Bunkroom at Creekside Cottages, Interlochen, MI

Michigan Hostel at Mt. Bohemia

Coming summer 2022: Hostel SoHa, South Haven

Near Michigan & worth mentioning:

Lost River Hostel, West Baden, IL

If you are aware of additional hostels in Michigan, please comment or email me. I’d love to add them to the list!

I’m heading back to the United States with my cat Marley in 2.5 weeks. Starting my long to-do list of selling, packing, prepping for the move home for the summer.

I began researching what I need for Marley’s flight home.

Our Delta Airlines flight is already booked. It’s mandatory to call Delta to book a flight with a pet that will be traveling in the cabin because they only allow a certain amount of pets per flight. Luckily this time, I was only on hold for 2 hours before getting an agent to help book.

With my Delta American Express card, I get my first checked bag free. This is helpful because Marley’s carrier is my only allowed carry-on, so I only have to pay for a second checked bag.

(If you don’t have your own Delta American Express card, feel free to use my referral link to grab yours! As of May 2022, you’ll earn 2 miles per dollar at Restaurants worldwide and U.S. Supermarkets, 2 miles per dollar on Delta Purchases, and Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding! If you use my referral link, I may receive bonus points with your sign-up.)

Michigan Agriculture & Rural Development

With the exception of lions, leopards, jaguars, tigers, cougars, panthers, cheetahs, and/or any hybrid cross of any of the listed animals (i.e., large carnivores*), the State of Michigan has no specific international movement requirements for cats. Please visit USDA’s pet travel website to check for requirements from other agencies.

MDARD

USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service

APHIS Veterinary Services (VS) does not have any animal health requirements related to bringing (importing) a pet cat into the United States (U.S.) from a foreign country.

Please check with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) as they may have regulations related to importing a cat into the U.S.  

USDA APHIS

US Fish & Wildlife Services

If you are traveling abroad with a personal pet, you will probably need to obtain a permit if your pet is exotic (not a dog or cat). 

FWS.gov

Center for Disease Control

A general certificate of health is not required by CDC for entry of pet cats into the United States, although some airlines or states may require them. However, pet cats are subject to inspection at ports of entry and may be denied entry into the United States if they have evidence of an infectious disease that can be transmitted to humans. If a cat appears to be ill, further examination by a licensed veterinarian at the owner’s expense might be required at the port of entry.

Cats are not required to have proof of rabies vaccination for importation into the United States. However, some states require vaccination of cats for rabies, so it is a good idea to check with state and local health authorities at your final destination.

CDC.gov

Delta Airlines

If you’re traveling internationally with your pet, be prepared by knowing the strict regulations governing international pet travel. Remember to make arrangements in advance, and note that Delta and Delta Cargo  will no longer accept warm-blooded animals on flights with an average flight time of greater than 12 hours for animals traveling in the hold and/or Cargo. Before you travel, do the following:

-Contact the embassy or consulate of the destination country to determine pet travel regulations

-Obtain all necessary paperwork (such as health certificates and documentation ) regarding your pet’s travel

-Contact your local veterinarian to ensure your pet is in compliance with foreign health regulations

-Check with the CDC about the importation of pets into the United States

-Check with APHIS about international animal export regulations

Delta International Pet Travel

Check Delta guidelines, kennel requirements and fees for pet carry-on.

UPDATE:

I decided to take Marley for a vet check-up and ask for a health certificate prior to flying just to be safe. The vet asked for her vaccine history and we needed to boost her dewormer/flea & tick. The vet printed out and signed a health certificate good for 7 days.

As expected, I was unable to do online check-in because I have the cat’s flight to pay for.

At the airport, I went to the Delta check-in counter and they required all documentation including vaccine records and the health certificate. I asked the agent if the health certificate was a required document from Mexico to the USA and he said yes.

TLDR: You do need vaccine records and a health certificate to fly from Mexico to the USA (at least on Delta).

Just as in my home in the United States, I’ve seen the familiar grocery bagger awaiting at the end of the line when checking out. My first job was actually as a bagger at Meijer. I was 15 and I think I was paid $6 per hour. All I remember is being taught how to pair goods together in bags. Dry goods, cold foods, and non-food items all separate.

It didn’t seem much different here in Mexico. One different thing I noticed was nearly all of the baggers, known as cerrillitos, cerillos or paqueteros, were elderly. I always do my best to witness how other people respond to situations in other countries to learn what is appropriate. In touristy Playa del Carmen Walmart, I watched most people say Gracias and walk away. I saw some give a few coins. I didn’t think much of it. It’s common to tip paid positions – and they were obviously an employee of the store, so they must be paid. Right?

Wrong.

My friend Laura often invited me to the grocery store with her when she went. Laura has lived in Mexico many years and is very knowledgeable about life and customs here. While waiting in the checkout lane one day, I asked her what is customary to tip the baggers. I learned something quite shocking from her answer.

Baggers are not paid by the stores

The baggers are not paid by the grocery store. Their position is entirely voluntary and they fully rely on tips as earnings for the day. The stores allow elderly persons to come in to earn extra income via tips on their own time.

COVID’s effects on Elderly Baggers

At the start of COVID in March 2020, it was the choice of the baggers if they continued to volunteer as a bagger during the pandemic. The organization which oversees the volunteer program, National Institute for Elderly People (INAPAM), would not offer compensation for those who chose to stay home.

In March 2020, the grocery store Soriana stopped allowing the elderly baggers to volunteer. In December 2020, Walmart México broke its partnership with INAPAM.

For two years, many had risked their lives or lost this form of income that many of them rely on to support themselves and their families.

In June 2021, a Walmart in Mexico City decided that after a ban on plastic bags and the pandemic, people no longer wanted their groceries touched. They disallowed baggers over 60 to return to volunteer. The volunteers protested.

From my perspective in Playa del Carmen as of late 2021, most grocery stores have allowed the volunteers to return to bagging groceries.

Why are the elderly working as baggers?

In The International Journal of Aging and Society, José Mauricio Argüelles Pérez states in his paper titled The Meaning of Work for Elderly Grocery Baggers in Monterrey, Mexico: A Precarious Job or a Social Opportunity? that one reason elderly volunteer as baggers is the “social problem of an aging society that in the past did not provide for sufficient ways for all people to save up a retirement pension.” He also says, “for participants their jobs have important meanings for their entire lives; for example: keeping busy, having social relationships with others, and encouraging self-esteem.”

So what should you tip your cerillito?

The verdict is out on a set price. After reviewing many TripAdvisor and Facebook group posts, many people choose to tip as little as 5-10 pesos to their bagger. Some tip closer to 50 pesos. Of course, tip what you can and your heart desires.

Please keep this in mind when you are grocery shopping next time in Mexico. Remember that a smile, “Hola” and “Gracias” and a little tip go a long way.