Many of us are seasoned Rocky Point vacationers and some of us are lucky enough to be Rocky Point residents. So…what are you to do when there is an surge of 50k plus temporary residents for Spring Break, Semana Santa, Bike Week, Memorial weekend, Roger Cline concerts…. Well, we have been on both sides of the “border” on this one.

If you are a spring breaker, day-tripper, concert-goer, or regular vacationer, we have just the tips for you. Expect long waits at the border. Prepare on the way down. Stop in Ajo, or Why for bathroom and snack breaks. Seriously, take a bathroom break. Sometimes there is a wait at least a mile back from the border getting into Sonoyta. If you have kids, or even if you don’t, we recommend bringing a portable DVD player and/or iPad and bring a variety of movies to help keep everyone in the car entertained. If you don’t have a wait entering Mexico, I can guarantee you’ll have a wait at the border on a busy weekend. We’ve had up to 3-hour waits after Roger Cline weekends. Another tip, when traveling with kids – it’s ok to go old school and let your kids out of the car seats or seatbelts while you’re sitting at a relative stop waiting to cross the border. It’s much better than the crying and whining, trust us. For adults, we’ll take turns as driver/front seat passenger. You can also walk along the car for a while if you need to stretch your legs. There are nice bathrooms in Sonoyta at the OXXO’s and Circle K. There is also a bathroom at the Lukeville gas station.

Another tourist must, please take advantage of the great local restaurants, or buy fresh shrimp, fish, and asparagus at the fish market. Go shopping on the beach for “almost free today” sunglasses, hats and jewelry. There are also lots of great shops at the Malecon, or the new Curios Market (formally known as “rodeo drive”). Not only does it lend to great vacation memories, but feel good that you’re helping the local economy. As the vendors like to say, made in Mexico, not China!

If you’re a resident of RP, just plan for unexpected delays, and crazy behavior – or get the heck out of town especially on Semana Santa. It’s probably a good time to head to Los Estados Unidos to visit friends, for some shopping, or attend some spring training games.

Maybe you just like to like to watch the tourist show. In that case, stay in town, a margarita or two will likely help. We wait all year to see the great times and fun vacationers are having, and the benefits to local businesses and infrastructure from the influx of the tourist economy.

If you don’t like crowds, and don’t want to leave town, well…batten down the hatches. It’s going to be a wild ride. Make sure your fridge is stocked, get your ROKU ordered from Amazon, it’s time to binge watch some Netflix.