| Many of my
attendees are women (and men) who have just escaped from a bad marriage
and want a place to figure out what life means.
The Most
Important Advice
No matter who
you are, where you want to go or what your income, please go to Mexico
and visit for a several months before you pack everything up and move south.
Visit as
a tourist for a couple of months, and if you like it, then try living in
your chosen spot(s) for six months to a year before you decide it is for
you. Believe me, I have been thanked for this advice more times than
I can count in the past decade. That doesn't mean that nobody I gave it
to ended up living in Latin America.
It simply means
that some of them found out quickly that it wasn't for them and saved themselves
a lot of unnecessary expense. Others found out that it was very much for
them, but had a much better idea of what to expect when they finally made
the move.
While living
in Latin America is certainly less hectic than living in our urban or even
rural society, it will require some effort to adapt to a different lifestyle
and way of doing things.
Living in Latin
America means choosing how you want to spend your time. One thing that
people living abroad have consistently asked me is to dispel the myth that
they are merely living out their lives and doing nothing. These are the
most active people I have ever known.
While some
do flee South, buy or rent a little house and spend the rest of their lives
watching sunsets, they are the exception. There are so many social activities
and civic projects for retirees to be involved in that they must learn
to manage their time or they will find themselves "working" too
hard.
For those who
are younger, there is an attraction to living abroad that is hard to deny.
I did it in my twenties and thirties and found it to be a life changing
experience.
For some, moving
to An American colony is exactly what they are after. This name is something
of a misnomer. It does not mean that groups of Americans (and Canadians)
are the only inhabitants of a town. It merely means that a large number
of foreigners live in a community.
They generally
live in close proximity to each other in exclusive subdivisions, but there
are usually several members of the foreign community who live in less expensive
housing among the Mexican residents of the town. That is great if that
is where you are at and you will certainly find your place in the sun in
Latin America.
For others,
moving to a foreign culture means becoming immersed in it. Most people
are somewhere in-between. They want to experience and learn about the foreign
culture, but they also want to be able to keep in touch with other foreigners.
I will show you how to do that, as well.
The stories
in my book Live Better South of the Border, and the articles in my newsletter,
Latin America Travel & Business Report, will introduce you to the joys
(and drawbacks) of living in Mexico. My purpose is not to encourage you
to move there. I want to give you an honest evaluation of what living in
Mexico is like. It may not be for you..
If you have
to be concerned about every penny you will spend (and I am not putting
you down – many people are on a very limited income and simply want the
most for their money), then the only way to know what your own personal
lifestyle will cost you is to go down and see. Excluding transportation,
you should be able to make a trip to whichever country you choose and try
it out for a little while without bankrupting yourself.
Go, enjoy.
Live a little.
"Mexico"
Mike Nelson
is the author of a dozen books on Mexico and has been called an expert
on Mexico by the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Dallas Morning News and
many expats who have moved to Mexico after reading his book, Live Better
South of the Border. The book is available on this web page. To order his
newsletter, or just to learn more, visit his website at http://www.mexicomike.com/.
This article has been adapted from Live Better South of the Border &
Latin america Travel & Business Report newsletter.
Escape From
America Magazine
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