BajaNomad
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These Americans all left the U.S. for Mexico—here’s how they found their ‘perfect location’ and made it happen
Jul 2 2022
Janet Blaser, Contributor
@WHYWELEFTAMERICA
In 2006, after years of living paycheck to paycheck in California, I decided to move to Mexico. I was 50, and a prior vacation in the beautiful
coastal town of Mazatlán had convinced me that an easier, happier and more affordable lifestyle was possible.
And I was right. Now, at 66, having spent the past 15 years in Mazatlán, I frequently get questions from people who want to make the leap, too.
There is no one way to make your expat dream a reality. With about 1.5 million Americans living in Mexico, everybody does it differently.
I’ve met and made friends with so many wonderful people who moved to Mexico. Here’s how they handled the most common challenges of relocating and
created new chapters abroad:
Challenge #1: Making it happen
Tip: Buckle down and do the research.
Moving can be a dreadful process. It’s complicated, time-consuming and often expensive.
Some people are comfortable making spontaneous decisions, like my retired friend Glen Rogers, who bought a house a few days into her first trip to
Mexico 20 years ago. But most of us will look for answers before we make the move.
My advice? Do your due diligence. Reach out to experts, as well as people who’ve done it and have been living abroad for years. You may even want to
consider using a relocation service that will guide you from start to finish.
Decide on a few primary sources of information so you don’t get bewildered by everything that’s out there. Ask every question, even if it seems
silly or inconsequential. And if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. (A good example is the myth that there’s “free health
care” in Mexico.)
I’ve found these three websites to consistently have helpful and up-to-date information:
Sonia Diaz Mexico: Offers in-person and virtual services and information about visas, taxes, vehicles, health insurance, moving, pets and more.
https://soniadiazmexico.com
Dream Retirement in Mexico: Host Risa Morimoto investigates everything expats need to know about moving to Mexico in sophisticated, well-researched
videos, podcasts, webinars and courses.
https://dreamretirementinmexico.com
Best Mexico Movers: Long-time expats themselves, Chuck Bolotin and his wife have many years of experience helping people move from the U.S. and Canada
to new homes all over Mexico.
https://bestmexicomovers.com
Challenge #2: Finding the perfect location
Tip: Clarify what you want and value in life.
Mexico is a big country with lots of lifestyle options. Beach or mountains? House or apartment? Cosmopolitan city or small-town casual? These are just
some of the decisions you’ll need to make when moving here.
Jan Davis found that living in an expat community was a priority. “For me, it’s important because of the tendency to attract out-of-the-ordinary
people. San Miguel de Allende draws a lot of mild eccentrics — like me,” she tells me.
Holly Hunter and Dan Gair moved from Maine to Mexico. They spent a month exploring different towns within a two-hour distance limit from the airport,
looking for a property in their price range that answered the question: “What would you do with your life if you had all the money you would ever
need?”
A bumpy dirt road led them to Mayto Beach, which would become their next home and also where they would start Rancho Sol y Mar, a sustainability
education center and resort.
https://ranchosolymar.com
Kerry Watson retired in her 40s after spending more than a decade going back and forth to different places in Mexico. When the time came, she asked
friends who loved Mexico where she should go. The “overwhelming answer,” she recalls, was Chapala, Jalisco.
“I still remember the first time I crested the mountain pass towering over Lake Chapala,” she says. “I cried because it was so beautiful. I was
immediately bonded to the town. It felt like I was coming home.”
Challenge #3: Navigating new cultures and customs
Tip: Go slow and be easy on yourself.
A slower pace of life is part of the deal; learning patience is a necessity.
Even if you really want to move to Mexico, it’s likely to still be a big step outside your comfort zone. Those who’ve done it, myself included,
say that no matter how much you prepare, there will still be surprises, even years down the road.
You learn to expect that you’re going to make mistakes, and the only way to learn and move forward is exactly that: Learn and move forward — with
humility and a good sense of humor.
“I continue to adapt and sometimes be baffled by things,” says Linda Laino, who has lived in San Miguel de Allende for 10 years. “Be prepared
for nothing to go your way.”
“I try to never forget I’m a guest in this beautiful country and to have respect for the customs and way of life, however inconvenient they are at
times,” she adds.
As they were preparing to move to Mexico, Cat Calhoun and her partner realized that “fear was not a sustainable fuel source” for the day-to-day
tasks they needed to take care of.
“We deliberately shifted our focus from ‘running away’ to ‘moving toward,’” she tells me. “We became excited about learning Spanish,
immersing ourselves into a new culture, living on less and having more time to enjoy each other’s company, create art and travel.”
Janet Blaser is a writer who has lived in Mazatlán, Mexico since 2006. A former journalist in California, her work now focuses
on expat living. Janet’s first book, “Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats” is an Amazon bestseller. Follow her on Instagram and
Facebook.
https://janetblaser.com
https://www.amazon.com/Left-Anthology-American-Women-Expats/...
https://www.instagram.com/thejanetblaser
https://www.facebook.com/TheJanetBlaser
From:
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/02/these-americans-all-left-the...
[Edited on 7-5-2022 by BajaNomad]
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
We know we must go back if we live, and we don`t know why.
– John Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
Affordable Domain Name Registration/Management & cPanel Web Hosting:
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TMW
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Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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There has always been people moving either state to state or country to country. I think most do it for a better job but there are those who do it for
a better lifestyle.
The fact remains that 75% of the people live within 25 miles of where they grew up. Why I don't know maybe the ties they have with family and friends.
I personally have not lived near my hometown since I was 17 and joined the navy. I've lived in 7 different states always looking for a better job that
paid more money. Moving was never a problem for my wife and kids. My wife always found a job and the kids always fitted right in. Of all the places I
lived San Diego was the one I liked the most. Close to places I enjoyed going to, the desert and Baja. But San Diego has grown too much for my liking.
I like Bakersfield with it's small town flavor. Yes it's hot in the summer. It's close enough to the desert and Baja to suit me.
For those that have moved to Mexico and found their place in the sun I say good for them. Whatever floats your boat and makes you. happy.
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advrider
Super Nomad
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Registered: 10-2-2015
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Good info.
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bajatrailrider
Super Nomad
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Location: Mexico
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Yes its good info I have been coming to baja since 1975 . Moved here in 2007 better life do what I want. Being a outdoor guy Calif is not fun anymore.
Great weather less hassles no bumper to bumper traffic . Have meet very nice people enjoy life
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13165
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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It is interesting how many HAVE moved to Mexico and adapted so well. Then there are those that go back after a month! For sure it is not a place for
everyone. I think there is a special breed of human that loves Baja Norte and Baja Sur especially.
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BajaTed
Senior Nomad
Posts: 859
Registered: 5-2-2010
Location: Bajamar
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My take away was the "moving toward" analogy.
I now speak Spanglish to a degree.
I now know what manana really means.
I found out some people come to Baja for "reasons".
I'm told I live in the Alta.
Es Todo Bueno
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9006
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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This article completely leaves out an important point: how did she suddenly go from "living paycheck to paycheck" in California to apparently retiring
in Mazatlan?
I mean, I get that living in Mexico is cheaper (especially back in 2006, not so much now) but you can't completely walk away from SOME income stream.
Finding work as a foreigner takes time and dealing with red tape. You really have to have either a nest egg, an income stream......or another job
where you are living "paycheck to paycheck".
We moved to Mexico in 2008, full time. Bought a new travel trailer in the States, towed it to a single RV pad with utilities very close to the plot of
land we bought. We built a glorified RV space on a 1/4 acre with a small casita, a LARGE 38x40 bodega and a 33x45 shade structure (over a slab of the
same size) that contained our outdoor kitchen and dining room. No enclosed walls except on the side with the adjacent casita.
That was all built for 60k in 2008. All utilities in, lot graded and fenced as well. It didnt include the cost of the land.
But we had an income stream from a defined benefit pension from where I worked (but NO medical!) AND we had sold our house in San Juan Capistrano for
about three times what we paid for it in 1995.
Back in 2008, I knew a couple retirees who were "making" it on 1200.00/month SS checks. But that was then, this is now. I dont know how a single
person could do it. Consider medical alone, unless you are in the Medicare system or choose (gulp!) IMSS.
Mexicans can pull this off because they often have many members of the family with an income in the household OR they are getting money from a
relative in the States. It's part of their culture, living like that. And the ma and pa are still working, too.
In my experience, to retire as early as 50 (I was 55), you either have to make a lot of money/have a steady income stream OR live WAY less
extravagantly than you did in Cali.
One other thing REALLY helps: no kids to continue to support into their 20s or put through 4+ years of college (times the no. of kids you have!).
All this is still possible, I guess. But Mexico is far from the bargain that it was even 5-10 years ago.
This article seems to concentrate on how you will "fit in" in the culture in Mexico. That has never been a problem, in all my travels in Mexico. Most
Mexicans are easy to get along with; they tend to be more easy-going than the Americans and Canadians I encounter.
Now, admittedly, I grew up in SoCal with Mexican-American friends and took five years of Spanish in school from Jr High into high school. My Spanish
is only OK......
It WOULD be better, if I hadn't retired in an area of Sonora that WAS predominately gringos (changing RAPIDLY!). Most all the Mexicans here speak some
English and want to use it whenever they can. Oh well.
But Mazatlan is pretty much the same way. Lots of gringos (though not as high a percentage, certainly). Lots of Mexicans with enough English for a
gringo to get by.
I was disenchanted with the article and what it DIDN'T really talk about.
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SFandH
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6926
Registered: 8-5-2011
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If you sell a house in California and buy the equivalent house in Mexico, you'll have PLENTY of money left over. Significantly fewer Americans would
move to Mexico if it were more expensive.
The same goes for renting.
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bajatrailrider
Super Nomad
Posts: 2423
Registered: 1-24-2015
Location: Mexico
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that is very true I had my house Rancho Park CA Very expensive area house was Pd for. Anyone know that area expensive to live there. My home in Mex
100.00 bucks a month. food motos 4x4s off road toys expensive every month . Better then giving money to those rats in So Cal
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JDCanuck
Super Nomad
Posts: 1159
Registered: 2-22-2020
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There are a lot of cheaper places globally to relocate to than Mexico, but none of them have the unique personality that drew us to Baja. Hopefully
this remains the same .
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