House sitting adventures.

Traveling around the world is something most of us desire. Adventurers like to explore the most exotic places and get to know other cultures, some others like to be a little more safe and travel without having to leave their own country. Ether way, we all want to be able to travel and have a good time. The problem is that sometimes our budget is not enough to do what we want, specially for someone who has multiple responsibilities or someone who's retired with a limited income. 

JJ and I have been retired for a year and a half now, and we have been learning the ways of traveling without having to stress about our budget, always looking for good air fairs, hotels and anything that can help us to safe money and be able to travel more often. Our idea of retirement was to explore the world without having to be worry about
house, car or rent payments; we didn't want to use our retirement check only for bills! So we had in mind starting the adventure of house sitting which we're actually doing as I'm writing this blog. 

It's very difficult to leave your house
alone, specially if you have a garden and even worst if you have pets. Finding someone you can trust is not easy! We are lucky to have good friends and family to look over our pet and house when we travel, but this is not everybody's case. That gave us the idea of start helping other people to take care of their houses and pets in exchange of living free of rent for short and long term. Some of you might think this is a hard job, but is not at all! This is a good way of meeting new people and making new friends around the world, if you decide to do it internationally. The best part is saving lots of money in hotels or by renting a house. 
We're saving about $1,500 dollars in rent by taking care of this beautiful house for a whole month and keeping company to four loving dogs. We have plenty of time to go out and explore the charming town of Ajijic, Mexico which is by an amazing lake and surrounded by beautiful mountains.

With that said, if you are a friendly person who's caring, responsible, pet lover and you're willing to take care of a house like it was your own, this would be a great opportunity to travel the world for less. 
My advice, before making any commitments with house owners, make sure that the exchange would be fair for both parties. We have found that some owners are very demanding and it seems they're trying to find someone to work full time for them. House sitting is about helping each other, not about taking advantage of someone's situation.

There are some websites you can check out and  use to find house sitting opportunities...

MindMyHouse.com

Housecarers.com

Trustedhousesitter.com

Luxuryhouse.com

Hope this information can give you an idea of a fun way of traveling and save some money. If you have any question, I'll be happy to help :O)

Safe travels! 

This is the house we're taking care of and we couldn't asked for better!

My pink glasses.

 No body has it easy in this world, we all have to battle with different problems and fears. Who doesn't have a family, friends, relationship, money, job, school and what for me would be the worst a health issue? We all do! We're not alone and the moment we are able to realize it, it would give us the strength to move forward.
Long time ago a good friend of mine said to me "You like seeing everything with your pink glasses." I didn't understand what he meant, so he explained that I wasn't a realistic person because I didn't like to tell people that I had problems and that my life wasn't perfect. I knew my life wasn't perfect and I had issues too, but I also knew that I wouldn't resolve anything by complaining all the time. I learned at such a young age to look around and pay attention to people in worst situation than mine, so it made me realized that I had nothing to complain about. There is nothing wrong with having an optimistic personality, it's amazing what we can do the moment we start looking for something positive in between all the negativity that life can put us through.
It's very important to keep our HOPE! I've been in so many dark moments in my entire life, but keeping myself calm and with a positive attitude have helped me to find the light at the end of the tunnel.
I wasn't born with a "lucky star" like an other friend said to me. He thought that I was a lucky person because everything I wanted, I was able to get. The truth is that I worked hard to achieve all my goals, no body came and knocked on my door to give me what I desired. We all are able to have the ideal job, material stuff, a career, a perfect other half, a good life in general, but we have to put ourselves out there and make it happen. We are all able to make changes when things are not going the way we planned, but we have to be willing to take risks and let go of anything is not making us happy at the moment. It takes a lot of courage to make changes, but at the end it feels so good when you look back and realized that you made it.
So put on the pink glasses and start visualizing the kind of life you would love to have. I've been doing it myself for all these years and has worked out. I'm not saying that I have a perfect life, but I am happy with my achievements and anything I don't like, I always try to change it for better.



This is my very first paint that reminds me of all my dark moments, but at the end there always  has been a bright light waiting for me... I called it "HOPE"

Relocating in Mexico.

I still remember the time we were looking for all the information to relocate in Mexico. I used to spend a lot of time on line searching for all kind of information that could be helpful for us to have a safe trip. We decided to drive and take some stuff with us, so I was very concern about getting stop and robbed. I shouldn't felt this way because I'm Mexican right? :O), but the truth is I was very scare that something bad could happen to us, specially to my husband who's an American guy.

It's amazing how much information we can find on line, but I learned not to believe all what I found because a lot of the comments can be very disturbing.

The reality is that we had a very smooth drive from Las Vegas to our destination, San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico. All the fears I had became a nice experience, and I want to share it for those who might have in mind moving and starting a new life in Mexico or just for a fun road trip.

There are different crossing points into Mexico along the border line, the most popular are Tijuana which crosses through California, Nogales which crosses through Arizona and Nuevo Laredo which crosses through Texas. If you're going to the center of Mexico or all the way down south, I will recommend to cross through Nuevo Laredo. We took this way when we drove down to San Miguel de Allende which is in the center of Mexico, and it took only 8 hrs to get there from the border. Cross the border through Tijuana if you're driving to Baja (Rosarito, Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, Loretto, La Paz, etc) and take the Nogales crossing line if you're driving to the cities of Mazatlan, Tepic, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, etc. All these crossing points have toll roads which makes the drive to your destination faster, safe and fun. Make sure to carry some cash in pesos to pay the toll roads, some of them take dollars as well. Use a credit card for gas, hotels and other expenses, specially if you have one that doesn't charge international fees.

It is very important to be at the crossing line early morning, specially if you're moving to Mexico and you have something to declare. It would take about an hour or so to process your tourist visa and car permit so don't forget to bring all your personal and car documents with you. 

We processed our car permit on line and it was sent to us couple of days before our departure, visit this website for more info: https://www.banjercito.com.mx/registroVehiculos/

You can also obtain your tourist visa by visiting a Mexican consulate office in or near your city. Having your car permit and your tourist visa in advance will get you through customs a lot faster. It's very important to remember to obtain an international car insurance. You can buy it on line when you apply for the car permit or you can visit other websites like costco and Baja Insurance, we have used both of them and didn't have any problems at all.

Always check the distance from the border line to your final destination in Mexico. If is going to take more than one day to get there it is important that you spend the night in a major city or a big town, it would be easier to find a hotel and other amenities. Avoid to drive at night, specially if you're not familiar with the area. You and your love once would feel more safe and the road trip would be more fun.

 Keep in mind that you would find military check points along the way, don't panic! They're just keeping you safe by making sure no body carries drugs or guns. They usually ask where you coming from and your final destination, sometimes you might have to step out of the car for a quick check then you would be good to go!

Don't let all the bad news stopping you from traveling to Mexico, there are many places you can visit and feel totally safe. In a year and a half we've been living here, we haven't had an issue at all. We have our home base by the Pacific Ocean, but we have been exploring the country by staying in different cities for at less a month so we can get to experience each of them. It's amazing how much culture, history and beauty you can find in  this country.  

Mexico is a great destination for those who are looking to relocate. It offers a great quality of life with a very low cost of living, and the best is that you can choose from a small charming beach town, a modern city by the ocean or a beautiful colonial city. Check this website for more information about places in Mexico: www.visitmexico.com

I wish you safe travels and fun adventures!

Keeping yourself busy while retired in Mexico.

  

 I've been working on this art painting collection since we retired in Mexico. It's amazing how time passes by when we're doing something we enjoy! 

We all have a creative side and we need something to do that can help us forget about our daily routine. Painting, writing, gardening, anything that you can do in your spare time would give you a great satisfaction and would help you to relax.

Having a retire life doesn't mean staying at home and watching television all day long. Don't do that to yourself! Always look for an activity that can keep you busy and can make you feel alive.

 

Departure day!

Here we are ready to start our new adventure about a year and a half ago... it feels like it was yesterday!

Living in Mexico.

I have nice memories from Mexico when I was growing up, but I left the country before having the opportunity to go out and explore all what it offers. As a child and teenager my responsibilities were to assist to school and to help in the family business, so I really didn't get to experience the life of an independent person. My grown up life started in USA, this is the country who taught me how to survive and make a living.

It has been a year and a half since my husband and I moved to Mexico, at the beginning was a little tough for me, more than it was for him, adjusting to a more relaxed environment. Moving from a country where life can be very hectic and time passes by so fast to a beautiful colonial city (San Miguel de Allende) where people have a more mellow life style was driving me a little crazy. There was a moment were I started feeling anxiety because I didn't know what to do with so much free time. It took a while for me to realize the great opportunity I had to start doing things that I couldn't before. I had to work all the time to be able to have a decent way of living in a country where we hardly get a brake because the system teaches us to be this way.

Life in Mexico is not much different from the one in USA, it offers all what we would look for in the states, but I can say that people in Mexico have a less stress life style specially in the smaller cities.

The coast of living in Mexico is very reasonable, we are living very comfortable with $1,500 dollars a month from covering rent, utilities, cable, Internet, gas, groceries, entertainment and more.

The health system is so inexpensive, a private doctor's visit for a sinus infection can cost about $15 dollars with antibiotic included (Z-pack). I personally was treated for a sciatic nerve problem for a week with a German technique that relieved the horrible pain and put me back to normal for only $200 dollars. Not to long ago I found out about a government health program that Mexico has, this is a totally free health service that anyone without insurance can apply for and it's good for all kind of emergencies. I was surprised to see a lot of foreigners applying for it! I learned that when people from other countries get residency in Mexico, they also have access to this benefit. JJ and I applied for it as well and have it as a back up for big emergencies. I actually have used it to get my general check up and I didn't have to pay a peso for any of the labs, x-ray, etc! There is also private health insurance that you can purchase for about $100 dollars a month and IMSS which is another government full health insurance that cost about $300 dollars a year per person that even foreigners with a residency in Mexico can buy.

We have met so many people from the states,  Canada and all over the world in different cities in Mexico. Some of them like to be by the ocean, some others like the mountains in the center of Mexico and most of them like to be in places rich in culture with a lot of history. I always like to ask what made them choose this country, the answer is always the same... "Friendly people, beautiful places, inexpensive cost of living and quality of life." They also agreed that with the retirement check (Social Security) would be impossible to make a descent living back in their countries. 

Living in the states and thinking about moving to Mexico was a little scary for me, specially for what I heard in the news with all the drug cartels issues and safety. I wasn't sure if I would be able to adjust to live here after more than twenty years of living in USA and been used to a more Americanized life. All what I heard about Mexico's issues were truth, but it's not happening all over the country. Unfortunately the border cities are the once battling with this problem most of the time. I have to say that in a year and a half we have been living here and driving all over the country, we haven't felt unsafe or had any trouble at all. There is crime everywhere and each country battles with different social issues so we just have to be careful wherever we are and go.              

Time to retire in Mexico.

Dreaming about retiring keeps us excited and gives us hope that one day we would be able to live a more tranquil life. All the stress of having to deal with our challenges at work and the daily routine steel so much of our energy. Who doesn't want to be free to travel and have more time to do what we enjoy? There is no single person who doesn't think about it.

There is a perfect time for everything we want to do, but we have to make it happen. Life is a risk and if we don't try doing what we like, we become slaves of our own fears.

My partner and I decided to take the risk and follow our dream about a year and a half ago. It seems like it was yesterday when he asked me if I would be able to move back to Mexico. We always spoke about retiring one day but we never thought of doing it so soon. We both are in our 40's and the plan was to retire in our 50's, but he was having enough of his job as a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer and I was ready to go for a new adventure.

We made a trip to Mexico and visited three cities  which are known by having a lot of snowbirds every year and a big community of expats from all over the world. First we went to Ajijic, this is a charming town by lake Chapala which is only 30 min from Guadalajara city. Then we went to Guanajuato, this is a beautiful colonial city in the center of Mexico with a French influence. Our last city was San Miguel de Allende which is consider a magic town in Mexico, this is a beautiful city with an European and cosmopolitan life style but it keeps the charm of a small town. After going to these places, we decided that San Miguel de Allende would be the one for us to start our adventure in Mexico.

We went back to Las Vegas and started the process of our big move. We decided to sale all what we had. I was concern about been able to sale my business, a beauty salon, because I only had it for a year but that wasn't even an issue! We were surprised how easy everything flowed. That is when we realized that it was the right time.

It took about three months for all the process of selling and getting ready to move out of Las Vegas. Finally, we packed our truck and started our new adventure. We can say that we have not regrets of taking an early retirement, and living in Mexico has been an amazing experience! And yes, Mexico is safe and has many beautiful places to explore. Like any other countries, Mexico has its issues but it's not as bad as what we hear. 

My conclusion is that there is not a certain time or age to retire, it's all about planning and taking a risk. Retiring doesn't mean not having to work, it means starting a new life doing what we enjoy and living our dream.     

Adjusting to a new country.

 Being in a different country around people of a different culture can be so much fun and going through the process of learning and adjusting to new customs can be very challenging, but what would be life with no challenges?

The moment we start having fun and put ourselves in an optimistic mood, everything becomes so much easier and we start enjoying our adventure.

Learning a new language can be very intimidating, specially when we are so concern about making mistakes and having an accent. Also the fact that we don't belong to that circle makes us feel insecure because we are afraid of being rejected, but we can be rejected anywhere and rejection is in our mind most of the time!

Rejection is an issue that happens in every family, country and culture, but it's really up to us to let ourselves get affected by people with such a negative mentality or move on without having to feel miserable.

The truth is that going to a new country, learning a new language and customs is not easy, but it's so rewarding when we get the feeling of belonging there. It means we were able to achieved a goal!

My process of adjusting to live in USA was hard but very fun at the same time. I remember one time, when I wasn't able to speak English yet, I was waiting for the bus to go to school. There was this older man who asked me something, but I couldn't understand him and I didn't know what to say. My reaction to get out of the situation was to tell the old man by using signs that I didn't hear or speak! The poor man felt so bad that didn't know what to say and I was laughing inside of my silly reaction!

Don't let yourself to be intimidated by being around new people, culture, language or country. Enjoy the ride and the opportunity of exploring new places.

Hope and Faith.

There are many times when life puts our hope and faith into a big test, that it seems almost  impossible to be able to get out of the hole we feel like drowning. It's so hard to understand why we have to go through situations like these, even worst when we feel we don't deserve it because we always try to be a good human being. The truth is that those difficult moments are helping us to become stronger and they're taking us to something better, it means that is time for a change.
How many times do we feel unhappy with the city we live in, with our job, with our relationship, even with the way we look? and how many times do we find excuses to cover up all these issues?
Most of us are afraid to make changes in our lives, and prefer to settle for wherever we can get. Our insecurities don't let us advance and try something new.
It's not easy to go out there and start a new life, it takes a lot of courage to leave what we have and go to a new place and start all over again.
I would never forget the fist time my hope and faith were tested. I was 22 years old and living in California, after having a stable job and be able to have a good life, everything changed! I saw myself with no money, hungry, no friends, no family, I felt so lonely. My depression was so bad at the point that I wasn't able to leave my room because the moment I step out of the house, I felt like I was going to pass out and I was afraid no body would be there for me. Rebecca, who was the owner of the house I was living in, noticed I wasn't going to work. I had to tell her the way I was feeling, she gave me a hug then wrote her personal information on a piece of paper and told me to carry it with me all the time. She said to me "You're not alone, I will be there anytime you need me".
It was a tough time for me, but I was able to move on and I became stronger and learned to see the positive side of a negative experience. Now every time I go through similar situations, I know what to do and it's really up to me to stay in the same spot or to look for a solution.
Life is not unfair, it just challenges us to do better and explore new ways of finding happiness.

My first stop.

I left home and between all my excitement I felt sad, scare and wondering if I was doing the right thing. I forgot about it when I finally got together with my two friends who wanted to follow the same adventure of freedom.
We took the bus and had a long ride from the pacific coast of Mexico crossing all over to the north until we finally made it to the border city of Tijuana.
I was so excited to finally be there! I had the idea of Tijuana as a beautiful cosmopolitan city, where I would be able to realize all my dreams. The reality hit me so hard when I started walking around. It was ugly! It was all the opposite of what I had imagined, no pave roads, no green areas, no charm, no infrastructure at all. I was so disappointed that I felt like going back home, but then I remember what my dad said to me "You would be back in less than a month because you're not use to work for anybody and you like having a comfortable life". It wasn't even a month yet! It was only the first day so I thought that at less I had to give it a try, plus my pride was so big that I wasn't going to let my dad to tell me "I told you so".
That is how my first stop and adventure started in the challenging city of Tijuana.

Time to fly.

I would never forget that day I had to leave my home and family for the very first time, specially when I  looked at my mom and saw the pain on her eyes. It was very heart braking!
I was just turning eighteen, and I was so hungry for freedom, I wanted to be independent and explore the world. I never thought it would be so difficult to say good bye!
Finally after I was able to leave the nest, my adventure started and I felt at that moment that it was a perfect time to fly.
I had so many dreams and desires like any other young guy, but I never thought about the challenges and dangers that I would encounter on my way. Growing up in a small city by the pacific ocean of Mexico doesn't give you enough skills to go out to the big world, but I didn't know that; I just wanted to go out there and experience it all. That is how the adventure of my life begun.

Making a move

It's very difficult to make a move from one city to an other, even worst if is an other country, and leave everything behind. The idea of going to a new place where we would have to start all over again sounds very challenging, but the worst is to have the desire and refrain ourselves of doing it because we are scare of what would happen if doesn't go the way we want it. In my own experience, I've learned that life takes us in different direction, and that we have to follow our instincts to be able to find happiness. That's why I've been able to move to different cities and countries, without paying attention to negative comments from friends or family that don't agree with my adventurist spirit.

Life is short and the only way of living at the fullest is by trying to do what we like, what we love. If you like to travel and experience new cultures, go for it! I assure you that with all the challenges that you might have in your way, from having to make new friends, finding a job, learning a new language, it would change your spirit forever.
Remember, the world is so big and there is so much out there to explore and to learn. Don't let the challenges to scare you from doing what you like.
Good luck with the new adventures!