Daily Daydream: Tulum, Mexico

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "Earplugs. A good pair has saved my sleep and sanity many times!"

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.

Travel Motto: "Don't be boring."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle (when the first class private suite isn't available)."

E-mail her at cteel@smartertravel.com.

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Whether or not the Mayans are right about the world ending in 2012, they sure knew how to pick a picturesque spot for a walled city. Come to Tulum to see what remains of this ancient town set on a cliff above a tropical beach, with the Caribbean waves crashing in the background.

Although the beach, the town, and the ruins all share the same name, the main draw is the archaeological site. The former port city will take you around an hour to explore. Make the most of a day trip to the area and stop by the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve while you’re there. The reserve is the third-largest protected area in Mexico, and features hundreds of species of exotic animals and plants.

Where is it? The Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Fly to Cancun (check prices) and take a two hour bus ride to Tulum.

Where to Stay? Posada Luna del Sur won the number two spot in Mexico for best service, in TripAdvisor’s 2012 awards.

What Else Should I Know? The ruins can get crowded with tourists bused in from resorts daily.

Who’s it For? People who think the Mayans were right about the end of the world.

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