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The smartly decked-out driver who picked us up from the airport in Mexico takes a sharp right turn. The narrow street we were following turns into a dusty, unpaved road. The simple homes that were dotted around the little town we just drove through give way to a canyon, covered with cacti and rocks. The heat of the day makes the air tremble and quickly our smooth ride turns bumpy. We drive deeper and deeper into the canyon. There are no homes out here, no people. We’re on our own, with the driver who seems absorbed in his own world, his brow furrowed as he concentrates on following this rollercoaster road and one of his comrades in front of him, further and further away from civilization. We even see vultures circling overhead. Did we make a mistake getting into this car?

Not to worry: what might seem like the start of a bad dream or spaghetti western really was just a display of resourcefulness of the drivers of Transcabo, the transportation company in Los Cabos. When our flight landed, the main road from the Los Cabos International airport to San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas was closed due to the Los Cabos Iron Man competition. So instead of following the highway, the experienced drivers took us along the much more interesting canyon road that led us past sights we would have normally only seen in the movies – or on a canyon zipline adventure. We also passed some all-terrain vehicles with intrepid drivers ready to explore the lesser visited parts of Los Cabos.

Fortunately, the Transcabo representative who welcomed us at the airport had advised us that we would be taking an alternative route and emphasized that “we weren’t being kidnapped” despite the drive through the backroads. In fact, we enjoyed this little extra tour before we were dropped off at the all-inclusive Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos.

This was a perfect example why we generally pre-arrange transfers in foreign destinations, especially if we don’t speak the language. (Our Spanish is not good enough to understand why a taxi driver would take us into a dry canyon on the way from the airport.) That arrival experience is just so much more relaxed when your driver is waiting for you at the other end. It means not having to worry about changing currency, language barriers and, in some places, finding a reliable ride.

Have a Margarita while you are waiting for your ride at the Los Cabos airport.

Much like my mother when I was five, our friends at Transcabo had given strict instructions not to talk to any strangers between the surprisingly quick customs and baggage claim procedure and the transportation meeting point. Apparently the time share and taxi touts at the airport can be a little assertive, so our transportation voucher instructed us to swiftly walk to the outdoor meeting point, conveniently located between two open-air bars. Just perfect if you’d like to get your Margarita on while waiting for your transfer! Judging by the large number of patrons, decked out with cervezas, frosty glasses and suitcases, it is a popular way to get that Cabo vacation started!