MEZCAL AFICIONADOS: DO NOT USE ONLY HAND-LUGGAGE WHEN VISITING MEXICO: CHECK A BAG

Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.

If you drink spirits, and will be learning about mezcal or simply imbibing while visiting Mexico, please, check a bag.

The four reasons I hear most frequently for visiting Oaxaca with hand luggage only, are; a fear of checked bags getting lost, delay when getting off the plane, cost, and not needing a big suitcase for a relatively short time being away. These are valid reasons, but if you are contemplating going on a mezcal tour and/or visiting any of the plethora of mezcalerías and/or mezcal or cocktail bars in Mexico, at least consider checking a bag. This is especially important  in parts of the country where agave spirits are known to be distilled, such as in Oaxaca.

The cost-of-checking-a-bag factor is easy to dispatch, and it is the least commonly cited of the four.  Why, one might ask. Firstly, some of my clients on my mezcal educational excursions, might be embarrassed to mention cost, because they are paying me good money to go out on a mezcal tour. Secondly, relative to what people spend for the rest of their vacation, including airfare, lodging, restaurants, other tours, buying gifts, etc., that $50 USD cost to check a bag is very little. Finally, and to my way of thinking most importantly, for consumers of agave distillates the savings buying from the source versus acquiring it back at home typically more than translates to a savings, even if just one bottle is purchased. For example, an online search reveals that a 750 ml bottle of del Maguey “chichicapa” mezcal in the US costs an average of $78 USD. A 750 ml bottle of espadín from that same village of San Baltazar Chichicapam (several years ago an “m” was added to the village name), today costs 300 pesos, or $15.68 USD, a savings of $62.32 USD. And for those readers whose memories are extremely short, just to summarize, if you pay $50 to check a bag, buying only that single bottle of agave distillate in San Baltazar Chichicapam will result in you being “ahead of the game.” The town is only about an hour’s drive from downtown Oaxaca. There are means by which one can acquire that mezcal, at that price, and not leave the city. I’ve periodically done favors for clients enabling them to acquire mezcal without touring with me again. For me personally, it’s more of a favor to the distiller which I’m happy to provide. They are all friends whose economic lots I am happy to do my part to ameliorate.  

And just remember, the likelihood of you buying only one bottle is rather slim, and if you purchase other more hard-to-get species and styles of distillation (i.e. here in Oaxaca distilled in clay or in a refrescadera), your savings increase. And if you’re so inclined you’ll be buying mezcal you cannot buy back home, from distillers who agave distillate is not even available outside of Mexico. I’m still somewhat surprised that clients will ask to go to palenques whose mezcal is easily sourced in the US! At least to some extent I think that mezcal aficionados gravitate to the products they simply cannot source back home; or at minimum to my thinking they should.

The odds of an airline “mishandling” your luggage is between .4  and .7%. “Mishandling” includes lost, damaged and delayed. Of course you should always keep medication, cash, credit cards and ID in your hand luggage. In any event damage and loss can often be resolved by airline or credit card reimbursement. In terms of delay, are you really in that much of a rush? Once again for me personally, I start out travelling by getting my mind set for the day to be long and tiresome, so when a delay occurs, it has more or less been anticipated. And regarding lost luggage, the odds of that happening are extremely slim.

Remember that in addition to taking along a piece of hand luggage, you can also have a small personal bag, in which you can take those important items noted above. This means that you can use the checked bag so that walking about in airports becomes less cumbersome. You don’t have to be as concerned about carry-on weight restrictions. You can save your hand luggage for delicate, easily breakable purchases for the way home, as well as for heavy items such as shoes and boots. This allows for greater flexibility when brining home one-liter bottles of mezcal since your heavy items will have been removed from your checked bag.

The least amount of stuff you plan to carry onto the plane with you, the more quickly and easily you will clear the x-ray machinery; security concerns diminish substantially. And the more comfortable and relaxed you will be walking through airports, into the washrooms, restaurants, etc. This holds especially true if you’re traveling with family members, young children in particular. The least amount of stuff you are carrying the easier it is to dedicate your effort to attending to your family members.

Often clients initially travelling with only hand luggage change their minds while in Oaxaca, ultimately deciding to buy mezcal, typically necessitating purchasing a piece of luggage here in Oaxaca. Wouldn’t it be better to use a checked bag from home? If you start out anticipating purchasing mezcal, consider leaving home putting one piece of luggage inside a larger piece, using one for mezcal and other purchases. Alternatively, check two bags, filling one with gently used closing and toys for the people in the villages, or even for hotel staff. I always bring a bag of clothing with me returning home to Oaxaca after visiting family in Canada. Oaxaca is the second poorest state in Mexico, so there is need.

A large piece of carry-on luggage which contains all of your clothing, shoes, and the rest, is at a disadvantage for two main reasons. Firstly, you must be more concerned about weigh limits since often these days airports are requiring that you place hand luggage on their scales. Secondly, unless you are travelling business class, you might encounter problems fitting your hand luggage either in the overhead bins or under the seat in front of you.

I can’t speak for others (i.e. drivers and guides) who take visitors to Oaxaca into the villages to teach about agave distillates, but for me, there is never any pressure on clients to purchase anything, neither from me nor from my palenquero friends. However, clients often feel guilty not purchasing due to only having a carry-on. They ask me if they should provide a gratuity as a thank you for the hospitality they are receiving, for the 10 – 20 samples they are imbibing at a single palenque, etc. Despite me assuring clients not to worry and that I always look after the palenqueros, their partners and employees and their children (either giving them money, buying a bottle for myself, toys for the kids, and so on, so as to ensure that my clients are always welcomed), sometimes my clients feel compelled to give some money. Those funds could have been expended buying mezcal to take home.
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Alvin Starkman operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca (www.mezcaleducationaltours.com
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