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How do you establish a foot hold in another country?

14K views 53 replies 16 participants last post by  kcowan 
#1 ·
We are looking hard at Mexico. Puerto Vallarta area. Not hard enough to move there permanently, but it's a the top of our list for countries we want to spend time in, this coming winter.

How do you establish a toe hold? Do you just fly there and see what happens? Do you try to connect with expats on a forum to get someone to show you around?

I know quite a few snowbirds and they all selected their destination based on the advice of a friend or family member. My parents purchased their place in Arizona because my Uncle had a place there. My Uncle bought because a buddy at his golf club had a place there.

We aren't looking to buy property. We just want to find some locals and learn what we can about where the best places for snowbirds are.

I'm a planner. lol!

Should I worry less and just take a flier? No guts, no air medal?
 
#2 ·
How do you establish a toe hold? Do you just fly there and see what happens? Do you try to connect with expats on a forum to get someone to show you around?

Should I worry less and just take a flier? No guts, no air medal?
It depends on how one cares to do things, but my best experiences in foreign lands have been to take the road less travelled. Take a flier. Get the locals to show you around. Avoid the expat hangouts. But that's not for everyone. Some prefer to be in a place that feels just like home, where everyone around is from home and nothing is different except for the weather.
 
#4 ·
Sure but where?

In PV, it appears wealthy folks go to Amapas and Conchas Chinas. The "value" folks seem to go north, toward Bucerias and maybe even Sayaluta.

We won't have a car so I'm concerned about our ability to explore Bucerias or Sayaluta. I know there is a bus but it probably only runs once or twice per day.

I'm interested in getting a bike and riding the hills. Perhaps I could pick up a mountain bike from Walmart or CostCo and just leave it when I go. We're both interested in walking around and perhaps some snorkelling. We like street food but I'm concerned about the less frequented carts and potentially picking up something nasty.

Do we book 5 days of hotel and then wing it? Do we book hotel for the whole time, since we haven't been in decades? Do we not book hotel at all and look for something when we get there?

I was reading a review of a B&B type place that was going for $60 per night on the web. Several of the reviews said to not book because you can show up and the sign shows $15 per night.

How easy will it be to get from the airport to Ampas? I'm guessing we would take a cab and pay ****** rates? That wouldn't be a big problem but I enjoy a good value as much as anyone. lol!
 
#6 ·
I would drive down if you have a month...carretera de peaje highways are better than Canada's.Bucerias is a dump...skip it. Sayalita is cool if you like the surfing lifestyle including various herbs to enjoy. Nuevo is for a nice club med thing,downtown PV is very cool and at the south end is a large fruitcake scene...further south are many remote hotels on private beaches etc. Go to Barra de Navidad at least 1 week. You need a car! Or rent one but it costs like $30 US/day...don't pay the $30 upcharge for special insurance lol....wear your seatbelt you'll get stopped every time as a tourist. Bring your own bike...ones down here are heavy steel 1990 jobs. Street food is primo...always eat there...shrimp on a stick with a lime is better than any restaurant in Canada. Always only eat Mexican food...no pizza,no hamburguesas. Book a few days near where you want to explore...do it Nov,early Dec,March or April...cheap. Airport to anywhere is pretty cheap taxi...anywhere to airport taxi is even cheaper. Buses go everywhere, we use them all the time...like 15 pesos.
 
#12 ·
I would drive down if you have a month...carretera de peaje highways are better than Canada's.Bucerias is a dump...skip it. Sayalita is cool if you like the surfing lifestyle including various herbs to enjoy. Nuevo is for a nice club med thing,downtown PV is very cool and at the south end is a large fruitcake scene...further south are many remote hotels on private beaches etc. Go to Barra de Navidad at least 1 week. You need a car! Or rent one but it costs like $30 US/day...don't pay the $30 upcharge for special insurance lol....wear your seatbelt you'll get stopped every time as a tourist. Bring your own bike...ones down here are heavy steel 1990 jobs. Street food is primo...always eat there...shrimp on a stick with a lime is better than any restaurant in Canada. Always only eat Mexican food...no pizza,no hamburguesas. Book a few days near where you want to explore...do it Nov,early Dec,March or April...cheap. Airport to anywhere is pretty cheap taxi...anywhere to airport taxi is even cheaper. Buses go everywhere, we use them all the time...like 15 pesos.
I don't know if you have verified the validity of your personal auto insurance (liability) and collision in Mexico or not, but I have found my auto insurance is not valid outside Canada or US. This includes cc coverage of rental card for collision. Therefore we will not in any way expose ourselves and our assets to this kind of risk, same as I would not travel without appropriate travel medical insurance. YMMV

The optional country of origin rental car insurance to eliminate this risk is of relatively low cost considering the potential outcome.

Anecdotally I have found few people that are aware of this potential risk and take appropriate action.
 
#8 ·
My wife and I spent the fall and winter crisscrossing western and Central Mexico by vehicle and camping in all sorts of places: at the outskirts of small pueblos, secluded and touristy beaches, sierras and valleys, and everything in between. We are going back next fall for another six monthsto explore Pueblo, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Campeche and Yucatan Peninsula with a month or two in Guatemala and Belize. My advice: explore as much as you can before settling anywhere and, if you do find a place you like, just rent an apartment or casita for a few months. We actually spent a week in Barra de Navidad/Melaque and quite enjoyed it. A lot of older expats and snowbirds (I was initially shocked and wanted to leave right away...), but the village is pretty much the same I visited back in 1980 as a university student with its dirt streets, roaming chicken and unpretentious atmosphere. We will be spending a month there in January with my 81-years old mom in a simple but pleasant 1-bedroom apartment a block for the beach for 7500 pesos per month, including internet. Contact me if you have any questions. Cheers, Phil
 
#10 · (Edited)
#11 ·
The greater PV area offers something for everyone. It extends from Rincon de Guayabitos to Barra de Navidad. Served by the airport. I have been going there every year since 1996. I have stayed in every place except Barra de Navidad but a good friend moved his sailboat from Marina Vallarta to Barra 10 years ago.

Like many others have said, there is something for everyone. Your question is comparable to asking where you should go in the GTA and the answer is "It depends!"

Do you speak Spanish? How well?
What is your budget?
Do you wish to explore or just find a chillout place?
Are you adventurous or do you like familiar things?
Is it for full-time or just seasonal?
Do you tolerate ******* Americans and/or gay people?
Are you looking for ocean or just heat?

This is a starter set that you need to answer in order to get quality responses.
We have owned for 10 years and spend 6 months here every year.
 
#18 ·
My Spanish sucks pene but my wife was born in Mexico City and is fluent. She left when she was very young. She tells me she speaks with a thick accent but she sounds just like the crazy Spanish chicks with 3 inch fingernails at the salon to me, when they get chattering.

Budget is a harder question. While we could afford quite a bit, I don't see why we would go to rural Mexico and spend the same amount we could spend in Purtugal, Spain, or Italy. I would like to get away with about $5000 CDN for 3~4 weeks. In future, we would want to keep it under about $4K CDN per month, based on a 5 month stay. I'm hoping we could do it for $3K CDN.

I think we could do Italy pretty nicely for about $7.5K CDN per month, based on a 4 month trip, so hopefully Mexico would be well under that or we might as well go to Italy.

Yes, we wish to explore. We'd like to meet locals and we would like to meet expats but more important to meet locals. Chilling on a beach is good but I can't stand it for more than a couple of days in a row.

We like adventure but my wife can't do zip lines, or anything too physical. ... but the more we see, the better.

We hope it would be seasonal but that would depend on the cost and how much we enjoy it. This trip would be reconnaissance for an annual snowbird lifestyle that would start in the winter of 2018/2019.

I have no plan to ever buy in Mexico, or anywhere outside of Canada, but I'm not fixed on that position. If I fall in love with another country, I might consider moving there one day. For now, we are just renters and explorers.

Almost all of my friends are ******* Americans. I like them a lot but they can get tiresome, particularly when they explain to me how Obama ruined their wheel bearings. Gay people are no problem but I wouldn't want to room above a gay bar with loud dance music any more than I'd want to room above a rave. I need it quiet enough to sleep at night (12am to 8am) but road noise or music in the distance is fine. If I can hear my watch chain vibrate on the night stand from the beat of the music, it's a bit loud.

We want ocean. We like to swim and snorkel. Also, we love beaches. We don't need the entire time to be on the ocean but it would be fine if it was.

We are not flashy people. I do have a nice camera but would probably leave it at home. Also, I don't drink. My wife drinks occasionally. I think I've seen her drink about 5 times in the 9 years that I've known her. We don't mind going to a bar or hanging out with drunks but we aren't big drinkers ourselves.
 
#13 ·
RBull...all rental cars in Mexico are rented with required liability,its the law down here. The ****** scam is to say that 5 million liability is required in Jalisico (province) which is BS but most newbies pay it. If you want collision etc that should be no more than $5/day extra...I dont bother.

Another ****** scam is the Turista police to ticket you for no registration on your rental car...this is more BS...keep the rental agencies phone number in case you get shook down with this, the rental agreement is your registration.

I will say though that in all the driving I have done in Mexico only the Bucerious area and CD Constitution on the Baja are regular ****** traffic traps.
 
#15 ·
My car is a diesel 2006 VW Jetta Wagon. It's in great shape but the guys I work with ask me when I'm going to replace it. Amusingly, I just got it about a year ago. It replaces a 2001 Golf TDI that we drove around the continent for 6 years and sold for what we paid for it, when the station wagon opportunity came up. It's a $4500 car, although it's in perfect condition and has heated leather, sunroof, and all that stuff.

Would that be a beater in Mexico? From what I can tell from watching YouTube videos, it wouldn't stand out for it's opulence but it would be far from the worst car on the road.
 
#17 ·
The period when I was driving around in Mexico was mostly the years 1996-98 and a few times after that, the last being in about 2002. My few trips there since have involved flying into Mexico and have not involved driving, except a bit with others. Your Jetta would, I think, be a high-end beater, if we can say. It should not stand out and, valued at $4,500, is not a car you need lose sleep over if it gets stolen or damaged. That's why we went there with a beater. Just not a car to worry about.
 
#20 ·
Tom, if I was you I would stick to the Baja initially...its one long beach, not too many club meds....mostly locals. Maybe buy a motorhome or class C of some kind to tour on. Theres an incredible number of camping spots . No disco or zip lines till you hit the end at Cabo which is completely forgettable. You may want to join a Baja caravan...cost maybe $1200 for a few weeks of being shown around then back across the border...like a Mexican wading pool to get your feet wet. After that you'll know the ropes & branch out from there. We used Baja Winters many years ago was well worth it!
http://www.bajawinters.com/
 
#24 ·
Theres a hospital next to me here...$60 to see a doctor buy since we are in Nuevo Vallarta its a bit pricey...$40 is more like it in Bucerious.
Prescriptions are same as Canada...drugs are very reasonable . You can get most stuff over the counter other than things like opiates...you even need a prescription for Tylenol 1's here lol.
We got our dental done here...about $28 to clean teeth by a dentist that included a check up.Wife took care of 2 filings to fix...that cost just over $50 each. We made an appointment but there were 2 dentists and 6 hygienists and we could have had walk in service. Very clean/modern/professional. We wont use dentists in Canada again.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Driving to and within Mexico doesn't present any issue but you will need a couple of things, assuming you will be there as a tourist for a relatively short period. First, you need to get your FMM (Forma Migratoria Múltiple) which is essentially a tourist "visa" valid for up to 180 days that you get from the INM ( Instituto Nacional de Migración). If you drive there, you will get it at the border or on line before your departure. Cost is now 500 pesos. If you fly, it will be handed to you during the flight by the flight attendants and in this case, the cost in included in the fare. Do not lose it, you need to hand it to the INM before flying back to Canada, or at the aduana office when you leave Mexico (most people don't hand it back but legally we are required to do so), otherwise you will have to pay again to get a new one, plus the bureaucratic red-tape they might try to impose on you.

Second important thing when you plan to drive in Mexico is to obtain Mexican auto insurance, wherever you are driving in Mexico. Canadian-US auto insurance is not valid in Mexico. Again, you can get it before crossing into Mexico (I get mine from Don Smith in Nogales), or on line. If you stay for an extended period of time, you can cancel or suspend your Canadian auto insurance temporarily while you are insured in Mexico. Don't forget to reinstate your insurance before crossing back into the USA. My Mexican insurance cost about $400 per year, full coverage and liability, for a 2004 Nissan X-Terra.

Next is the Temporary Import Permit (TIP) for your vehicle. If you only travel to the Mexico Free Zone (all of the Mexican state of Baja and portions of Sonora), you are not required to have a TIP. Otherwise, you must get it, either on line, or at a Banjercito office at the border. The TIP is valid for up to 180 days and should match the validity of your FMM. It includes the fee ($44US + tax) and a refundable deposit that varies from $200US to $400US depending on the age of your vehicle. This deposit is refundable as long as you stop at the Banjercito office to cancel it before it expires. This must be done or you lose the deposit.

Driving is Mexico is not very different from driving elsewhere. Just don't drive at night, not because of bandidos, but because you won't be able to see pot-holes the size of VW bugs, giant topes (speed bumps), burros, chicken, cattle, goats handing on the road, pedestrians, cyclists, drunk drivers, cars without headlights, etc. But other than that, driving in Mexico is not a big issue, and while Mexican drivers can sometime drive like maniacs, they are not aggressive whatsoever. Mexican roads are not so bad especially if you stick to toll roads, but you would then miss most of the best places, little pueblos, etc. I personally try to avoid toll roads, not because of cost, but because I enjoy driving slowly, no more than 3-4 hours a day, and stop at little pueblos to check out the outdoor markets and have lunch. As for road blocks or police, we hear a lot of horror stories. In our case, every road block we had to stop, the police officers waved us, or if we had to stop, they were very pleasant and polite and let us go after asking a few questions and checking our documents. No bribe (mordita), no threat, no attempt to ticket us for something we didn't do or didn't have. We may or may not have been lucky, but that was our experience driving 25,000 km over six months. In some areas (Chiapas, Michoacan, etc.), you might get stopped at a road block manned by masked community "vigilantes" armed with guns. Just smile and wave, and drop 10-15 pesos in the donation bucket and you're good to go. If you want, you can keep a few cold beverages in your car for the guys. They always appreciate the gesture.

That's the easy part. The rest is up to you. To tell you how much my wife and I enjoy Mexico, our original plan was to drive the Americas from the Arctic to Patagonia over a period of two and a half years, with a one-month stay in Mexico before crossing to Central America. After spending our first month in Mexico, we realized that passing through this incredible country in a month wouldn't do it justice, so we decided to stick around the whole winter, and go back next fall for more. We might just scrap our original plan entiredly and hang out in Mexico for several years. And Mexicans as a group are probably the most gracious people on the planet.
 
#35 ·
A friend rented a car for a week while here. At the airport, he found one offering a mid-size sedan for $205 US a week. When he went to pick up the car, he was subjected to a time share shark, but he just said No and got the rental for the price quoted.
 
#34 ·
Thank you. This has been an extremely helpful thread.

My wife and I really appreciate the generosity of you folks for helping us have a nice retirement. Best regards to you all and may the wall of Trump crumble like his polling numbers.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Does anyone have extended or snowbird experience in the Yucatan or Quintana Roo? My husband and I vacationed in Playacar (resort area immediately outside/south of Playa del Carmen), and are excited to return. Fantastic weather, food, and the Mexican people were a breath of fresh air, after years of travelling in the US. So warm and friendly.

I'm most interested in the area between Playa del Carmen, south to Tulum. (Tulum ruins are a magical place, by the way.). Open to other areas in the region, prefer by the ocean, and we're not partiers.
 
#41 ·
the one at the resort in Mexico was upfront as to what it was so we avoided it.
similar experience :) .... during check out we got pushed to go to some meeting with sales guy in order to become timeshare members (promissing free vauchers to the SPA).... I just said that if we would like to become, I'll give them a call and will make appointment... and I never did... . However, 2 days later , another resort worker was chasing us pushing to schedule such meeting :(.
Otherwise this resort was really good, but those timeshare pushes were annoying...
 
#42 ·
The time shares were more like the tour desks in Mexico. The sign was there, on check in the bribes were mentioned but there was never any follow up or any one chasing us.

In DR, there was no desk or schedule but the staff at the entrance would ask everyone who passed by, unless they recognised them as someone who had previously said no.


Again, two visits don't tell the story for the many other locations etc.


Cheers
 
#43 · (Edited)
We experienced a more aggressive time share hustle in various locations in Thailand than we have in Mexico, DR, or Florida.

We have attended three presentations. One in Florida, our first, and two in Thailand. In Florida we were paid $100USD to attend. In Thailand we got to stay at a very nice four/five star resort for one week for each of the two presentations.

I spent my career in high end sales so I was interested to hear the pitch from the gopher, the pitcher, the closer, and management. DW felt intimidated. I found it somewhat entertaining. It was so predictable.

No, we did not buy. We could have bought the Florida unit on the open market for 20 percent of the cost. Never really considered the Thai timeshares...or the vacation club that they tried to peddle after we said no. In my view, it was a scam. We checked on the web, my screen came up with all sorts of warnings and sad stories.
 
#44 ·
We experienced a more aggressive time share hustle in various locations in Thailand than we have in Mexico, DR, or Florida.
Cannot tell about Thailand as we never been there and not planning to go :)
Have been in Cuba about 20 times, ZERO timesharing was offered :)
P.S. Recently read article that there are about 1 MIL US expats in Mexico , about 150K - Canadian... Never though that number can you so big :)
 
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