By Carol Stanley

Contributing writer to Latinworld.com

You are finally retired, and want to find a new and exciting life. The house is sold, the family is spread out, and frankly you feel like it is time for you to kick up your heels.

There are many attractive places to relocate south of the border. This is the time to investigate, check out real estate prices, and find your perfect lifestyle. Almost anywhere you look there will be a wide selection of homes to choose from. Most cities in Mexico boast of economical living in comparison to the United States real estate prices. Generally speaking food costs, utilities, transportation, entertainment, and health care are fairly reasonable.

Be aware that moving to a foreign land has some challenges. The language is probably one of the biggest challenges. In Mexico many people speak English, but there will be times when you struggle to communicate. Also, there are cultural differences with regards to time. Things move a little slower in Mexico so don’t be surprised if 9am is really 10am. Things are different south of the border and you will have an adjustment period to go through, however, this is part of the learning experience.

Some of the things you will have to look into are as follows:
1. Laws of the country and how they apply to U. S. citizens
2. Banking in a foreign country and where to have your direct deposits go
3. Pet laws
4. Taking your automobile to a foreign country and costs
5. What you can bring, and what is best left behind
6. Papers that need to filled out before entering your place of choice
7. Medical care including medicare benefits
8. Learning the new language
9. Finding affordable housing that suits your needs
10. Activities
11. Traveling (back and forth to the U.S.) flight availability and costs

There are more things to look into, but this is a beginning. All relocating experiences offer challenges and can be exhausting; and moving to a foreign country will just offer a few more things that need to be addressed.
Here are some suggestions for retirement destinations in Mexico:

San Miguel de Allende
Puerto Vallarta
Loreto
Lake Chapala
Cancun

Check out the many websites, make some calls, find expat forums and ask questions. The best advice is to spend some time living in one of these exciting places. Actually it is a good idea to visit several places, and the longer you stay you will get a true feeling for the place. You may be willing to give up certain comforts, but there are some things that are important to you, and those things should be addressed.

You could very well have that adventure of a lifetime.

Featured Blog Contributor:
Carol Stanley is a well known speaker and author. She writes frequently on baby boomer and retirement topics. Her latest book, For Kids 59.99 & Over can be found at all online bookstores. www.babyboomerpower.com, www.boomercarol.com

By Fabio Rodriguez

San Miguel de Allende is a charming town northwest of Mexico City. It seduces visitors with its Spanish Colonial city center, cafes and restaurants. It helps that it is driving distance from Texas, but one of the major allures is that the cost of living is much lower. For example, a gardener charges around $2 an hour, a house cleaner that cooks and cleans is around $80 a week (in the states, this would cost a minimum of $80 a day). More than 10% of the town’s residents hail from the United States or Canada. As millions Americans face retirement in an economy that has ravaged their savings, places like San Miguel de Allende have an extra appeal. Another area where savings are to be had is in the real estate market. In Florida, property tax on a $500,000 home is around $10,000 a year and you’d have to add another $10,000 or more for hurricane insurance. The property taxes on a nice house in Mexico range from just a couple hundred dollars a year to a thousand. Most of the homes in San Miguel don’t require home owners insurance because houses are stone and stucco so they don’t run a high fire risk.

Despite the recession or maybe because of it, many Americans are still coming to San Miguel. On the edge of town you can find condos for around $250,000, you’ll find starter homes on a golf course for $200,000. It also may surprise you to find Starbucks, Home Depot, Office Depot, Costco, Blockbuster and of course a McDonald’s, however if you are in Mexico, I would suggest the Posole instead of burgers!

Jack Watson, President Carter’s former Chief of Staff, is now a San Miguel resident. He was recently asked, “As this town grows and becomes more American, is there a danger that is it going to lose its flavor?”

He responds, “Absolutely, I’m concerned about the influx of lots of people because one of the really special things about this place is the nature of the place, so if it is overwhelmed by people coming from the United States or from where ever, you’ve got lots of problems.”

Moving to a new country after having spent most of your life in the same place surrounded by your friends and family is not always an easy decision to make. Getting to know a new culture can take some time, so it is always advisable to take this step very cautiously so it doesn’t turn out to be a cultural shock and overall a bad experience. After all one thing is to just visit Mexico for a week or on a short vacation and a completely different thing to pack up all your belongings and move there.

One of the first things you should bear in mind when considering moving to Mexico is the language. While not a necessity, a good grasp of Spanish can come in quite handy when living in Mexico. Learning some of the most common expressions a list of  “modismos” (which could turn out very, very, very long) is always useful.  Although learning Spanish is not a requirement, (there are many Americans and English speakers) it’s best to have some basic conversational skills down to help you find your way around the country.

Where to Live

Before making the decision it’s best to visit Mexico several times before even thinking about moving there. It is always a good idea to stay for an extended period of time so you can experience and get the feel of what it would be like to live in Mexico, that way your move will not result in such a big shock when you make the decision.

In a next entry we will be looking into the legal process behind getting all your paperwork organized.

The picture used on this entry was taken from Flickr, kindly provided by user: Photoscott at http://flickr.com/photos/scottandress/1289720929/sizes/o/