Five years into my expat life, I look forward to downsizing. In fact, I recently bought a small, manageable, lock-and-leave property in Guanajuato, in the Colonial Highlands. It’s a far cry from what I thought I wanted when I first moved to Mexico… Then, I’d wanted a good-sized house, instead of an apartment as I’d had in the U.S.
I’m in an SUV in La Paz, in Mexico’s Baja California Sur. The sun is hot and we’ve rolled down the windows as we drive through town. We go at a leisurely pace, stopping at street corners to obey the four-way stop signs; La Paz is too low-key to need many stop lights.
This isn’t five days a week; it’s closer to seven with 12- to 14-hour days. The stress has mounted, your health has suffered, and forget a personal life. You think constantly of retirement, but it is five years in the future. Sound familiar? Fifteen months ago, that was my life…and it was certainly not my own.
In this video, IL’s Mexico editor Glynna Prentice talks about the cost of living in Lake Chapala, Mexico. Lake Chapala, located in central Mexico, is an affordable expat haven that is one of the easiest places to retire abroad, thanks to thousands of English-speaking expats and US-style amenities. It’s a part of the world where it’s easy to afford a cook, a maid, and a gardener.
Someone asked me recently what city in Mexico has the best climate. Questions like this are subjective, so at the time I said, “It depends.” It depends, of course, on your own tastes and temperament. But the question made me think about climate a bit… and some places do stand out. So here are my picks for the best climate in Mexico.
I spent a month in Guanajuato, in Mexico’s Colonial Highlands, this past spring. I loved it so much that I plan to spend a lot more time in the Highlands this next year. (In fact, I just bought a house here.) There’s so much to like about this region… Guanajuato—like much of the Colonial Highlands—has four seasons, so I look forward to getting out fall and winter clothes.
In the right places overseas, you can live well without burning through your retirement nest egg. Where? I’ve told you about some of them already this month—the top-ranking countries in International Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index. All a perfect mix of culture, climates and lifestyles.
When my wife Janina and I decided to move to Mexico from Oklahoma City, one of our biggest concerns was our finances. We moved out of our home country at the ages 29 and 30…far from retirement age. We came to Mexico with every intention of finding work.
The stress reached a breaking point; it was time to take some serious action toward retirement. We decided to sell everything we owned and start living our dream five years ahead of schedule.
If you like your beach living with comfortable amenities like first-run films, great restaurants, and plenty of night life, then consider heading to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. This relaxed resort town on Mexico’s Caribbean coast has all these comforts…along with some of the most beautiful beaches around.
Glynna Prentice is International Living’s Mexico Editor for a reason…she loves the country and she loves to report back to IL readers regularly on the benefits of living in Mexico.
Strolling the streets of this mountain town—which dates back to the 16th century—it’s easy to see why as many as 10,000 expats choose to live here full- or part-time. San Miguel de Allende offers romantic, historic Mexico at its most approachable.
I think I’ve found our place.” That’s what Tim Leffel told his wife Donna after his fi rst visit to Guanajuato, Mexico.
I’m sitting in a rooftop restaurant in San Miguel de Allende, sipping on a margarita from a frosted, salt-rimmed goblet. Below me stretches out a cityscape of tiled rooftops, gaily-colored colonial buildings and cobbled streets. Shadows are lengthening, and as night falls and the air cools, locals, expats, and tourists will throng the town’s main square.
In Diane Pearl’s view, taking a conventional retirement is the worst thing you can do for yourself; people start feeling old, she thinks, if they have nothing to do…and it’s all downhill from there.
In this video, IL’s Mexico editor, Glynna Prentice takes a tour through the scenic city of San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico’s Colonial Highlands. San Miguel has beautifully-preserved colonial buildings, fine dining, great shopping, and arts and crafts.
Patrice Wynne now lives in San Miguel de Allende, and her unique take on life and business in central Mexico is an inspiration to anyone who thinks that the challenge of starting over is one to be savored.
IL’s Mexico editor, Glynna Prentice is in the town of Tequisquiapan. This is a charming spa town in the state of Queretaro, in the Colonial Highlands of Mexico. The video footage shows a bride in a horse-drawn carriage…just as she’s making her way into the church to get married.
If you’re looking to retire in a lively college town with plenty of activities, you should look to scenic Guanajuato, Mexico.
IL’s Mexico editor, Glynna Prentice, takes a video tour of Queretaro, in Mexico’s Colonial Highlands. Queretaro is one of Mexico’s best locations for high quality of life.
Guanajuato, the hilly capital city in Mexico’s Colonial Highlands, is often overshadowed by San Miguel de Allende, at least among gringos. And the 500 or so expats living in Guanajuato probably wish it would remain that way…for this beautifully-preserved Spanish-Colonial city offers an enviable quality of life.
On your next visit to the expat haven of Mérida in Mexico, you’ll now be able to read the local news in English. Mérida’s first print English-language newspaper starts publication on Tuesday April 12.
With nearly 6,000 miles of coastline, Mexico has plenty of beaches—and beach resorts where you can lie in the lap of luxury. But what if you’re on a budget? No worries… Mexico still has some very affordable beach destinations.
We first visited Costa Rica when our cruise ship docked in the country’s Pacific port of Caldera in 1994. From then on we visited as often as we could, taking relocation tours and thoroughly exploring the country.
Sandra Dayton pours me a shot of Xtabentun, a sticky liqueur made of honey and anis. It tastes just like Good ‘n Plenty candies, I think. Sandra says it is “good for gas” and “you’ll need it because we’re going to be working on your stomach.” What have I gotten myself into now, I wonder? Sandra settles in to tell me her story.
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