Q: We plan to drive from San Diego into the Mexican border city to meet with friends. We’ve heard from recent U.S. visitors who said they had to wait three or four hours to get through the border police hassle. What’s your advice?

A: It’s similar to planning a trip to any big city or airline flight. A crowded time at border stations is any weekday six to eight am and four to 6 pm, when people need to cross in both directions to get to and from daily work.

The most crowded is from about 10 am Saturdays and 6 pm Sundays, when tourist traffic is heaviest. Those hours are often made even slower because of time-consuming security and legality checks on items and people going into the US. Of course, be sure you have all necessary ID with you, and are not taking any banned liquids or other materials.