11 WORST things to do AFTER moving to Mexico 

Apartment hunting tips, renting in Spanish cheatsheet & 11-point Move to Mexico Checklist! Download the FREE 32-page Move to Mexico Quickstart Guide (PDF) 👉🏼 backpackingbrunette.com/mexicoguide/

Your videos have helped make my decision to move so much easier! I’m currently 8 months away from finishing my lease in the states and these videos have given me peace of mind.

Gotta say … have not been homesick one single day😊 I love living in Mexico. Visited the USA briefly in September. Couldn’t wait to get back to Mexico, and honestly don’t care to return to USA!!

I’m 6 months in and I couldn’t agree with you more! I’ve never been more social, I worried about how much I was spending, I was timid with my spanish and over used Maps! I would add that if you hangout with someone who speaks Spanish don’t let them talk for you. Insist on speaking for yourself so you can learn!!!🤓

talking about feeling homesick being normal and not an indication of making a bad decision was... perfecto ;)

Alex I have lived in Mexico for seven months now. Everything you said in this video rings true for me. Unfortunately I am one of those who is guilty of slacking off on learning Spanish. 🥺 One of the most important don'ts is something I heard on the Almost Retired In Mexico You Tube channel, and that is don't try to get too many things done in one day. Life moves slower here. In your home country maybe you planned to run three or four errands a day, well here in Mexico, plan on running only one. This will help reduce frustration and stress.

Ha! I am one of those still watching :) One of the recent Mexico frustrations has been furniture shopping. A lot of places are 4-6 weeks out :( hard to live on a place when it is empty. The search continues!

I’ve been in Mexico full time three years now. Best decision. Thank you for your info. Re my Spanish learning it’s poco a poco and continuing to try. I appreciate that you still respond to your subscribers.

Really great content, I have been in Oaxaca 7 months now, have been fluent in Spanish since age 21 (now a youthful 64), and you are right on with all of this. Especially the not freaking out about going off your budget when you are just getting to know a place, buying stuff for an apartment, figuring out the best places to shop and eat...excellent pointers!

I'm still watching!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still watching. Looking forward to learning a little more about life in Guadalajara. 🇲🇽

Thanks for another great video!

Great advices . Thank you

Snuck in some "day in my life" content! What did you think about where Taylor took me?? 👀 Special thanks to the Move to Mexico Membership folks who shared their thoughts and advice with me while I was preparing to film this video! Learn more about our community here: backpackingbrunette.com/register/

We love your channel and tips, thank you.

Great video Alex! And congrats on your move to Guadalajara! We are planning a move to Mexico city at the end of March. Im struggling leaving behind “my stuff” i know it sounds crazy, its very stressful ! Im clearing out the garage and home slowly. 25 years in one place makes it harder. Ill be leaving my three grown daughters behind. Seeking a new adventure in retirement with my husband. Im already homesick. Lol and very excited about the change too! Keep the moving content coming !

Hi, Alex. We have learned a lot from your videos over the last year or so, along with a few other expats who we have been following. We have now been in Ensenada for a little over 2 months. We decided to come here largely because by driving here we could bring our 11 year old diabetic dog, who wouldn't be able to tolerate flying to more distant places. Unfortunately, she graduated to dog heaven a couple of weeks ago, but had a great life with us. So far we are loving Mexico. We lived in 2 airbnb's for a month each, keeping our eyes and ears open for the right longer term furnished rental closer to the beach, which we ultimately found (much nicer furnished house a couple of minutes walk from the beach, and less money than the airbnb's). We have to be back in the US in mid-March, but will be back, for sure. We still work on Spanish daily and do try to engage locals in their language when we can - they appreciate it. Thanks for your common sense advice! We'll continue to follow your adventure as we pursue ours!

Always some great recommendations, thank you Alex!

Mucho éxito siempre Alex

Thanks for your honest words and experience 😊

We fing hate south Florida and will not be homesick. We are moving to Queretaro and can not wait!

Your tips for motivation are appreciated.

Still watching. Thanks, Alex. These thoughtful tips are helpful for people moving to any new country. Hi Louise!

Enjoyed this video - your recommendations are spot on. Thanks for your content

Great advice 🎉

Excellent info Alex. I agree with all your DONT'S.

I have been a fan of all your videos! I have considered moving to Mexico and will be visiting Guadalajara for 10 days in late December and New Year. Thanks for sharing your experiences and inspiring me to get out of my shell! Voy a celebrar la cultura rica de Mexico.

As always, another informative video where you're talking directly to me. 🤗

Thanks for the great information! Your calm demeanor really sets a nice tone and makes these changes not seem so bad.

Bravo, Alex. Really good points you made. You put a lot of work into your channel and it shows. Thanks for another great video and keep up the good work.

Such great perspectives!

My wife and I relocated to Morelia a year and a half ago. She's Mexican and I'm from Reno, Nevada. It's been a wonderful experience for us. We've had great experience with renting, and housing issues. We rent a beautiful home for $400.00 USD monthly. We're able to live very well on my Social Security, with plenty left over monthly to save. We're a ten minute UBER ride from City Center. I've seen no crime since being here. I'm sure it's here if you look for problems, but if you mind your own business, you'll be fine. Just be aware of your surroundings. My only advice is to do your best to get out of debt, at try to assimilate into the culture!

My husband and I are definitely moving to Mexico, we are just waiting for our home to be built, the supply chain has pushed everything back and made it all a few months later than it was supposed to be. He has taught English while living in Columbia, and he is fluent in Spanish. I on the other hand know how to count from 1 to 10, know a few words and colors. So I really must get busy on my Spanish. Thank you for your encouraging yet realistic videos. ❤

Great video and congratulations on the transition. I really enjoyed the 'closet confessions' or 'closet advise'....it could really become a welcome part of your content. Loved it!!!

Love you are in your new new home, talking positive life style we all need.....

Made it to the end...just enjoying...day dreaming about Mexico...Enjoying Oregon USA...Thanks for this video.

Great Video! Got my PR arranged and plan on spending a Loy of time in MX. Your content is very helpful.

🥸second time watching - more insight - thanks 🙏

Just watched your video on a plane heading back to Cancun to pick up my temp residency card. Thanks for all the cool vids Alex

Your videos are wonderful. We are having our first interview for our temporary residency at the end of April and can hardly wait to get this done. I am furiously taking notes and hope to be calmer once we land as my husband and I are truly looking forward to experiencing this beautiful country with its amazing people. Our daughter in law is Mexican so the draw is very strong for us to learn Spanish so we can effectively communicate with our new family without a translator. One word at a time. Thank you for every video. Muchas gracias.

Thank you for this post :)

Hi there Alex, so now that you moved to Guadalajara I'm even more excited to watch your videos 😃 XOXO ♥️

Hi Alex! I totally can relate to/attest to most of the points you made! Ive been Subscribed to you for over a year and your videos definitely helped me with my journey to mexico. Im here now in Puerto Vallarta and starting to make informative content as well :). Love your channel!

Your videos have been very helpful! I’m coming to Mexico to finish my temporary visa process. Officially moving to Merida in June!

Your videos keep getting better... : )

As of Christmas eve, I will be moving to Durango with my fiance.I visited for 2 weeks back in July and I've never had so many stares in my life lol. Thank you for these tips as they will be helpful. As a woman of color, I hope everyone is welcoming to my presence.

Thank you for all of this! Yes, I'm doing my homework before choosing a state, city, colonia. There's so much to see! ✌🏼💜

Excellent video Alex. Full of great tips. Thank you so much. We were in Colonia Lafayette last week and enjoyed it so much. I hope you will continue being happy in Guadalajara. What's not to love there, right?

1/4 way in and I love this video!

Alex I love your show/content

Genial tu video

My like always! I enjoy all yours videos!!!

still watching!!

2 years in, living in Cordoba, Ver. I thought I could speak Spanish fairly well after the equivalent of a BA and being able to enjoy reading everything from periodicals to Cervantes. I had a great deal of difficulty understanding and speaking. I was in tears at times. Just like you can't trust Google Maps, you can't trust Google translate often. But it's better than nothing. I'm doing pretty good now, but at times I still have to ask people to repeat or to write what they are saying. I still read several hours per day, but I get out with yoga and bicycle clubs, neither of which I did in the States. My solution for becoming truly native fluent is an 8th grade Spanish teacher who is the daughter of a yoga friend. Having a teacher who teaches teenagers proper grammar, elucution, and writing is a godsend. And you are correct; my lifestyle is very different here. The most important budget thing to learn is that it is a global economy and a Samsung TV costs about the same as the US, as does an equal quality mattress. What is cheaper is labor. So eating in a good restaurant is cheaper because the cook and other staff is paid less. I pay my all‐ around handyman $700 pesos a day and my housekeeper $450 pesos a day. I had to argue with them a little to raise their pay to what I found online to be national standards. So, you can live incredibly cheaply, if you want to live like a Mexican laborer, or a little cheaper if you want to live at US middle class standards or somewhat better. We are very happy here.

I've been in Mexico since January and these tips were good reminders for me. Don't get me started on missing my Sunday brunch with a bloody mary 😂 However I have fallen in love with my new Sunday ritual of chilaquiles and a michelada. Best of luck in Guadalajara!

Me gusta ir al barrio de Santa Teresita hay muchas tiendas , (muchísimas) , y puedes caminar y sentir la buena energía de la gente . Y llegar a las birrierias (platillo típico de Jalisco) , muy sabrosa birria.

I’m still watching! I would so love to connect with you!❤

Hi! I’m still here at the end! We did 6 months in Guayabitos de Nayarit. Fell in love! Now, 10 years later we’ve decided to move there permanently! We have a year to get ready to go. No problemo! 😅 I’m binging on all your videos! They’re perfect! Thank you, Alex!

Looks like you both are happier In Gudalajara

I finished watching the next day! Hello from Sacramento

Same info for Men moving to the Philippines

Still watching @11:43.. and admiring your roof top!!! I think, I asked in your last vid, approximately what area you are in.. I was in Chapalita in a hotel.. And walked all over... cheers

I am planning on moving near PDC, but maybe puerto Morelos, definitely not Puerta adventuras because that place, at least south of the highway, is crazy prices and usd! I am from canada Ontario. Thanks for the great video

Thank you great video!! I can write fluency in Spanish yes but speaking is hard

Hi Alex I was watching you to the end! I'm Rhys, the long-time video editor who reminded you to yourself an ergonomic setup. Unfortunately in the past I have had some stents in my heart which qualifies as a preexisting condition and not covered any way I can find in Mexico. Though healthcare is affordable in Mexico, I cannot be on the hook for heart surgery, should I need it. So Mexico is a no-go for residency. 😢 But.. I can get affordable insurance in Ecuador that will cover me in Mexico on vacation. Looking at Cuenca which is a beautiful enough City that I'm not totally heartbroken.

🤗👍 saludos Taylor & Alex

Hola from Reading Pennsylvania USA

I am feeling overwhelmed and a little scared. I guess that is normal. I am will be one of the ones who is afraid to speak Spanish, I always like to do the right thing and when it not I feel really frustrated. Learning to chill.

Good video. I was in Guadalajara recently. While I made it to Centro and to Tlacapacapacdadaca (or whatever) as well as to Av. Chapultepec--our AirBnB was four blocks away--I did not make it to the section of the city where you live, as I had planned to do. My spouse would never agree to moving to Mexico or anywhere else outside of where he grew up. (There's no financial motivation for the move.) Still, it's something I've fantasized about and have watched a lot of videos about Mexico. I have a very basic grasp of Spanish and was able to order at an expensive sushi restaurant. But telling a waiter that I wanted huevos sobre luz, as Google Translate suggested, didn't get me very far. I had an omelette instead. It was the first time I've been somewhere that English wasn't widely understood, so I was forced to try to speak Spanish. Did reasonably well but kept my requests quite simple. 😁 I'm not sure how I'd be able to handle that stress long term, but short term we found a bar that didn't play music at 2000 decibles so we were fine. And then on the final day there, I developed symptoms from Covid. Thought it was just a cold, but once home I tested and was positive. I feel sorry for the folks on the plane with me. C'est la vie. (That's Spanish, isn't it?)

I will be moving there this summer. I am an American Citizen born in Mexico and I can hardly wait to retire in Tulum. My 1st stop is Juarez to visit my cousin. Then I am heading to Tulum. Hope to meet you one day

Hi. I watched the entire video. Always do. I just have to get bills paid off before moving. I can't have those bills follow me to Mexico.

Nice

I have had difficulty finding any activities like I attended in the U.S. I took classes, joined interest groups, attended seminars. But the language hump is bigger than I expected. I'm taking lessons and using a couple of apps, but it's slooooow. I moved away from an expat area I lived in for 2.5 years. It was self-contained, but small-town and remote. The drive was about an hour to the main city (2 hours once they started road construction). I needed an ambulance once, but it would be 3 hours to the hospital. It turned out okay, but I decided to move closer to services. Now that I'm in the city (Ensenada), I am in a lovely Mexican neighborhood but am out of touch with things going on around me. For rentals, everyone here has said that tenants fix stuff themselves. Landlords don't seem to work on repairs unless it's big, like a leaking roof. But like you said, landlords vary in any country.

Google maps ROCKS. I use it for everything. 👍

Dr me fueron para Guadalajara! Ay, ay, ay!!! Warm regards🙏🏼espero que todo les salga bien, esperando por esos de Guadalajara!!!

Chris from Nanaimo. Canada

I plan on moving to Guadalajara 😊

AFTER SIX MONTHS OF LIVING ON MEXICO YOU WILL BE LOT OF MORE RELAX 'YOU WILL JOY MORE THE LIFE BELIEVE ME LIKE A MEXICAN LIVING ON CHICAGO I EXPERIENCE THE SENCE OF PURE LIFE I CAN'T WAIT TO GET RETIRED

Alex, you are talking about me, what mI doing here? thank you for open my eyes.

Hi!! I’ll be in Guadalajara in early February. Not sure if you do this, and pls disregard if you don’t, but wondering if you could recommend a nice boutique hotel in Americana. I’m looking on line and the same hotels are surfacing and I’m sure there are a few good ones that only the locals know about! Thanks in advance (but again, pls don’t feel obligated to respond).

Hi I’m Ty I really want to make the big move to Mexico And meet the friends I made online in person and to make new friends in Mexico and get my residency but I’m not sure where to start. But I know I have to improve my Spanish a lot more I practice every day but I don’t feel like I’m Not at the level of Spanish where I need to be right now my biggest question I want to ask is where would you recommend me to a Learn Spanish online. It would be a really big help getting your recommendations on where I can find a Spanish teacher online😊

❤❤❤

I still don't even know if I am retiring to MX, but I do know that my Spanish language speaking skills are still top notch.

i moved to aja a year ago and my neighbors are comimg for Thamksgiving on my patio

Alex. no subiste video el martes!!

How much cost of living in mexico for bachlor students

What part of Mexico you in ,I have a hearing problem, will that matter

I did learn some Spanish before going to Mexico

The number one worst mistake is to expect that Mexico be just like your country of origin

I'm still watching. Also, I miss bloody marys and brunch

👍 ... one silly question I have for you and or your hubby, "are you guys Croatian"? Lol I've been wanting to ask this for a while. I'm from Michigan too btw!

It is me.... One half day of work then retirement. Than in a couple months I will head that way.

Bike gang!

Hola. Alex como estas?

I am 60, so I just bring my social life with me a recliner LOL!

Hello, I'm Russell. Thanks for your channel. I watched your video on the amount you need to move to Mexico. It's a lot. I'm concerned about only making a little over $ 1100.00 a month on Social security. Will I be able to move there with a few thousand dollars saved? I think once I get established there I will be doing well.

My question is a recibe $889 from my social security a cualificación for my provisional residency only a need is my passport and letter from the social security is ok a want take my truck whit me a don’t want to sale is ok a want to now whit my tack for 180 days no problem please let me now thanks 🙏 👏👍yo habló español soy de Puerto Rico y vivo en alabama y me quiero mudar el año que viene no recibo mucho pero creo que puedo conseguir un apartamento por $250 y vivir cómodo si puedes hacer un nuevo vídeo de apartamento económicos lo agradezco en lo que me puedas ayudar gracias 👋👍👋

I've been trying for months to get an appointment at the consulates in Seattle and Portland for residency with no luck. It's actually encouraged me to look at other countries as an option so maybe a good thing.

Hi

Still watching 😂