Why Mexico, especially the Yucatan?

Tomorrow, we’ll be boarding a plane in the morning and taking a 10-hour flight to return to Mexico. This trip is a little different for us, and not just because we’ve already been to Mexico 3 times.

In a way, we feel like we’re going home.

Mexico

Yes, we went to Romania with thoughts of finding a long-term base, and after a couple of months it became obvious that we weren’t ready to settle down. Although I did identify some things we could’ve done differently (like pick a larger city), we both clearly had the travel itch still.

Landing in Prague and making some friends really changed things. If Prague had a coastal area, I’m not sure we would’ve left.

We did discuss the possibility of returning to Prague or to another city in Romania (which does have some coast), but he felt the pull to return to Mexico.

That country does have a special place in our hearts. It was our first stop on our nomadic journey. When we returned to work on opening a business with a friend, Tigger did his first wreck dive there. We got a little more deeply connected to the community and had a variety of friends on the island on our second visit, and he celebrated his 11th birthday on Cozumel.

For me, Mexico was my first international experience when I was a teenager. It left a strong impression on me. Living and growing up in the western US also meant that I had a lot of experiences with a largely Mexican Latino population. I enjoyed the culture, the people, the food, and the language.

Now that Tigger will be officially entering the ranks of being a teenager, he’s wanting to settle down more. He still wants to travel but wants it in smaller doses with a home to come back to. Also, most of his online buddies are in the US so being in Mexico makes it easier for him to connect with them. In Europe, it’s around midnight by the time his friends are getting online back in the US.

And we are both REALLY missing having pets of our own.

Mexico

On the surface, some people may wonder why we’d pick the touristy Yucatan as our possible long-term base. There were several factors that went into our decision:

  • Warm ocean water. We’re both extremely fond of the water. I think Tigger is even more connected to the water. We both want to be able to swim in the ocean, as well as dive, year round. That isn’t something that Europe’s frigid waters can provide, and we’ve already established that being in Asia’s 24/7 tropical steam bath heat won’t work for us either.
  • “A better selection of food.” Tigger can be a bit. . . finicky with his diet, which did not help in Asia, where I was quite content. He’s enjoyed European food, but he leans more toward the Mexican food fan spectrum. I can find and make lots of different food almost anywhere, but finding really good Mexican food can be a challenge. Also, when making the shift from constant traveler to staying put, it’s nice to be able to easily find comfort and familiar food.
  • The people. As I’ve written before, we adore the people in Mexico. Except for the touts. I love how Mexicans live their life with so much joy and their general openness and friendliness. In many ways they’re a very “live and let live” type of people. We have some lovely friends who don’t live very far away either.
  • Cost. As we aren’t rich, and I’d prefer to not spend most of my day having to work while he’s still young, we need to get the highest quality of life for the price we can. The Yucatan is a bit more expensive than some other areas, but it’s still fairly affordable and inexpensive from a US dollar perspective.
  • Community. It’s harder for Tigger since he doesn’t speak the language. However, because the area has a large expat community and receives lots of North American tourists, his access to English-speaking kids is going to be higher there which will make socialization a lot easier for him. We didn’t know this when we originally decided to return to this region, but our good friends the Bohemian Travelers are moving to Playa del Carmen in September and that will certainly be a super great situation for both of us.
  • Comfort. While traveling we love to experience new foods and cultures. When looking at a place to live for a long time, though, we want things to be a bit easier. While we can function well in many parts of Europe in spite of the language barrier and cultural differences, we’ve spent so much time in the Yucatan that it’s more comfortable. We understand how things work, I speak Spanish, we’ve lived there before, we’re familiar with the area, and so on. The presence of tourists and expats makes shopping and finding our US favorites easier.
  • Visas. Mexico is one of the few countries that gives visitors 180 days to enjoy the country. Usually you’re looking at dealing with long-term visas that you procure in advance or doing a visa run every 2-3 months. Being able to arrive in the country and receive 6 months without a whole big process just makes it so much easier.
  • Continuing to travel. Locating ourselves not far from Cancun means that we are within a close distance of an airport that often has great fares to other places in the world, especially to Europe and the rest of North America. And Central America is within fairly easy reach. We’re not done traveling. We’re just changing how we do it. We’ve also only barely scraped South America, so when we’re ready to do another longer stretch of travel, we’re a lot closer to one continent we still need a lot more time in. And when it’s time for Antarctica, we’ll probably be going there from Argentina so . . .
  • Better temperatures. This is also a Tigger thing. I’m just fine with cooler temps, but he’s tired of the cold. While the Yucatan does get blazing hot in the summer, it’s much more comfortable during other times of the year. Unlike most of SE Asia which stays at a fairly constant “just kill me, please!” hot.
  • “Europe is getting old.” I am nowhere near Tigger’s level of being over Europe. In fact, while I’m excited for Mexico, I’m already fighting the temptation to plot my return to Europe. The wonderful public transportation system here will be greatly missed, too.

Mexico

One of the greatest parts of this lifestyle is the true freedom we have, though. We’re going to live in Playa del Carmen with the intention to stay for at least a few months. In the end, though, if we discover that either (a) we don’t really like the Yucatan as our long-term base, or (b) we’re not really ready to stop being nomadic, well, we can change things up. There are lots of other great places in Mexico for us to explore.

Either way, it’s really hard to go wrong with Mexico.

Have you been to Mexico? Which is your favorite area?

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30 Comments

  1. I get a bit cheesed off when people diss touristy places. There is a reason in the first place that it became touristy (although, granted, the subsequent encroachment of concrete in most places is deplorable), and that usually great weather, swimmable seas, great scenery. Perhaps it’s because I live on an island which “sold out” to tourism years back, that I feel defensive when folk criticize, as if there was nothing else here but the concrete! Having just spent time in the countryside, I have to say that I now knoe that I prefer the amenities being close to the resorts offers …. though perhaps I don’t wnat to be actually in a resort.

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    • You are so right about it’s touristy for a reason. Doesn’t necessarily mean I want to go there, but obviously there’s something worthwhile to see or people wouldn’t be visiting it so much!

      There are times when lack of amenities is all part of the adventure. At other times, give those amenities!!

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  2. I spent four good months living in Merida. Absolutely love the climate, the city and the people were on the whole friendly, kind and generous. Though I wouldn’t live there long-term, it was a great experience and it sounds like a good fit for you two 🙂 Hope you find yourselves very happy and at home there.

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    • I don’t think I could handle Merida’s heat. It’s even hotter than down here. We’re adjusting to the heat in Playa but very thankful we have A/C in our hotel room right now.

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  3. It’s always interesting to see all the factors that go into a decision like this. I’ve only been to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico which is also touristy but I’d love to check out more of the country and explore some smaller towns and villages. Looking forward to following along on this next chapter 🙂

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    • I’ve been all over Mexico, and it’s such a great country. Tigger has only seen the Yucatan so far. There are so many wonderful places to visit, and the culture in different regions can be quite different.

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  4. Good luck in your new home. I love Mexico, my favourite places were San Agustinillo on the Pacific Coast, Tulum and Isla Mujeres. Love the turquoise water on the Yucatan.

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  5. I have only passed through Mexico on my way to other places, but I would love to visit some time. Your reasons for going all make sense to me and it’s very cool to witness your process of tinkering with plans and not being so wedded to ones ideas that you’re not getting what you need.

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    • It’s so much nicer to not feel like you’re stuck somewhere. And, as you know, it’s SO important to make sure your needs are getting met. Luckily, Tigger and I have similar interests and needs so it’s easy to hit our important spots.

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  6. I can understand a lot of this, particularly staying still for awhile, and some place with nicer weather, oh and Tigger’s infatuation with Mexican food. I am curious to see how you guys do with it.

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  7. Hi Talon:
    One of the reasons we decided to move to Playa del Carmen 5 years ago was the amount of expats and turism. My kids learnt speak english playing with expat kids and they learnt spanish as well.

    This part of Quintana Roo, especially from Tulum to Cancun is great for expats!

    Travel safe,
    Lorena

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    • Yes, I wanted an area with more expat kids for him, but not a place that was absolutely overrun by them either. Playa seems to have a good balance. We shall see!

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  8. Sadly, we’ve not been to Mexico yet. But we’re looking forward to read about your adventures there. As adventures there will surely be.

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    • It’s an amazing country really. So much diversity. I look forward to showing Tigger more of it.

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  9. Someone else posed the question recently, ‘if you were to relocate to a beach (beach town), what would it be?’ I immediately thought of Tulum. Even Tom, who’s not much of a beach or water guy, loved the area. Also met nice peeps there. Let us know your whereabouts and we’ll introduce you if appropriate.

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    • I didn’t enjoy Tulum as much. The beach is great, but not as accessible, and there just isn’t that much to do aside from the ocean. I need more diversity of options. 😉 Right now we’re in the centro for a while. We’ll be moving into a house in El Ejido in August.

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  10. We are super excited to see you guys again too. We are going to get our diving, swimming, and eating groove on. I can’t wait!!

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  11. That sounds like the right decision with good reasons! We will be heading after 8 months in South East Asia to Europe and I cannot wait for more bearable numbers on a termometer! Never been to Mexico, but reading so much positive about it from you and other travel fellows, we wanted to meet those beautiful people and have a bite of a proper tacos, too.
    Cheers!

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    • Proper tacos are a VERY good thing. We left SE Asia in September, and when we stepped off the plane in Italy it was such a breath of fresh air. I just can’t do nonstop humid heat. For a few months, fine, but not year round. Ugh! Enjoy Europe!

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  12. Great, honest post Talon. It can become tiresome when some travel bloggers get a bit “snooty” about touristy places, so it’s nice to hear some positives. We’ve never been to Mexico but it’s on my list of course. 😉

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    • I hear ya. I don’t get the pissing contest some people get into. Some touristy places are that way for a reason. I sure hope you make it to Mexico some day. It’s an absolutely wonderful country.

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  13. It will be interesting to see if you find the “community” feel in Playa. I’m much more inclined towards Cozumel. Keep us posted!

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    • Yes, it will be more as well. I like Cozumel’s vibe a bit more, but the expats here seem more . . . balanced shall we say? I’m sure you know what I mean from our past conversations. 😉

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