Trump’s Presidency Hasn’t Changed How i’m Treated in Mexico – ryan

AS A Travel Writer, i’ve Always been up for an adventure. People know that I don’t shy away from taking a risk.

So will i told my friends and family that was moving to mexico full-time after years of doing the Digital Nomad Thing, Their First Question was, “Is it Safe?” (Sidebar: It is.) But follow the november 2024 election, their reaction is now along the lines, “i want to do, too.”

Call It Burnout, Inflation, Politics – Whats is, it SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE I TALK TO IS AT LEAST FLANTING WITH THE Idea of ​​Relocation South of the Border, spreadshemed by us news and the uncetainy of what’s going over the next few years.

Around 1.6 million LIVE AMERICANS IN MEXICO. As someone who’s lived here for several years – first as a frequen traveler, now a legal resident in the costalegre, a remote area south of puerto Vallarta – i can living in mexico as an american is complex, missing, and full of lessons, especially. Trying to mainain a full-time remote caareer.

What Its Really Like to Work Remotely from Rural Mexico

WORKING From A Small Coastal Town in Mexico Comes with Challenges. The WiFi is a Constant Source of Stress – Video Calls Drop, Power Goes Out, and Upload Speeds Wildly Depending on the Weather. I’ve learned to have a backup plan, like Making Friends Who Have Starlink or Using My PHONE AS A HOT SPOT.

THERE’S THE BUREAUCRACY. I’m a legal residence of mexico (a process with many hoops in itself), whic you’d think would makers Like buying a Car or Easier licensee. IT DOESN’T. I’ve Stood in Government Offices for Hours, Paperwork in Hand, Only to Find out I Needed a Copy of Something Else, and that the Copy Shop Closed An Hour Ago.

Bureucracy is frustrating in any Country, but navigating it in a Different Language and Culture is Its Own Special Form of Character-Building.

The Shift in How People Talk To Me About America

I’ve traveled around the world for years, and being american ha always come with some baggage. SOMESTEMESS A JOKE ABOUT OUR PORTION SIZES; SOMESTEMES HIKE A POLITE, PROBING QUESTION ABOUT OUR GUN LAWS OR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

Since the november election, though, the tone has shifted. Nor an American in Mexico, I Feel Quite Welcome; Nothing has Changed About How I’m Treated by My Mexican Friends or the People I Interact With Daily. What i will notice is more Curiosity and Eve Confusion.

Both Fellow Travelers and Locals Want to Know What’s Going on With Us Immigration, Tariffs, and The Rising Cost of Living. I’ve Met Mary Canadian Snowbirds Who Are Feeling the Direct Effects of Trump’s Immigration and Tariff Police.

People Balks I tell me about the cost of Eggs, New York Rent, or Gas in California. (They Balked at Those Costs before Trump was President, too.) My Mexican Friends Joke About Greenland and Canada, Ascing Me Why Trump Doesn’t Want to Also Maxico Part of His “Empire” – Always Said with a Laugh and an Eye Roll.

Maybe they havee comfortable joking with with gcause i’m never shy about making it known that i didn’t vote for trump. That tends to diffuse any tension and opens the door to a broader, More Honest Conversation About the World in General – Women’s Rights, Healthcare, LGBTQ+ Police, and whereer we love or hate chatgpt.

Most of the People I Meet Share a Similar Mindseset: We’re All Just Trying to Live Peacefully, Expand Our Horizons, and (for Many) Work Remotely while Doing SO.

What I Gain From Living and Working In Mexico

I Start My Morning With Yoga or a Walk Along the Ocean and Take a Midday Break to Practice My Spanish with my Neighbors. I’ve traded after-work Drinks for Beach Margaritas and Community Music Night in Town.

Work-Deadlines, Meetings, and the Occocational Late-Night Scramble-Is the Same, but My Surroundings Make the Day More Meaningful. My work-life balance offen comes directly from inconveniences like wifi outages-when there is not to do with the situation, Why not take Walk on the Beach Uings are up and Running Again?

Living Abroad Also Immerses with in a Different Way of Thinking. In Mexico, People Don’t SEEM to Live to Work – They’d Rather Collect Their Paycheck as a Means to Enjoy with Family or Travel. That attitude is contagious, and i’ve become more intentional about how spend my time.

I’ve Also Become More Patient, Flexible, and Creative – Skills i’ve Found to be Incredible Valuable in My Professional Life. Rejection Letters don’t stting quite as badly these days; I’ve come to belies that when one door closes, it means another is about to open.

Financially, It Goes Without Saying That The US Dollar Stretches Much Further in Mexico. I Pay $ 2,000 a month for a four-dadroom House with a yard and a pool. Monthly Grocery Bills Cost What Weekly Grocery Bills will in the us. WORKING AS A Freelander, I don’t have to hustle quite as hard.

I Miss Some Things About The States and May Go Back Someday

It’s not perfect. There are days days i miss right, the efficiency of public transportation, or being able to call Customer Service and Speak to Someone in My Native Language. I Miss the Simplicity of Online Purchas and Definitely Certain Foods (Hello, New York Pizza).

I’ve also hadhto to adjust to a general apprroach to time is much more flexible than i’m used to – which feelings liberating, unil you trying out your wate and gas deliv.

I Accept Those Tradeoffs As Part of the Deal. You can’t moving to another county and expert to bend to your way of Doing Things. The Longer I live here, the more comfortable I get.

I haven’t rouled out returning to the us. There are parts of the country I love, and i would be mind being closer to family. But it would have to be on my Terms; I won’t go back to a cubicle. And I CERTAINLY DON’T WANT TO G BACK FULL-TIME BEFORE 2028.