Thanks for the suggestion! We passed through there on the way from CDMX to San Miguel de Allende. We hope to spend more time there on our next visit because it has been so highly recommended.
Yes, we think Queretaro is another great possibility. We didn't spend enough time there for us to include it in the video, but we really want to get to Queretaro the next time we go to Mexico
Being American-Canadian, I resent how the US/Canada sensationalize the crime in Mexico as if the US were immune from it. I studied in Mexico as a foreign language teacher, and never felt threatened. Like any where in the world, one has to be aware of ones surroundings. I enjoyed your video!!
Wonderful! Oaxaca was our favorite city that we visited in Mexico, and it would be our top choice if we were to live somewhere in Mexico. I'm glad you enjoyed your time in Oaxaca!
This is exactly why people should spend 1-2 years bouncing around every few months in short term rentals until they find the best fit. Our biggest struggle is deciding which country. We are actually thinking TWO countries for a while so don’t have to deal with all the immigration paperwork as many countries are making retirement visa harder to get. Mexico 180 entry makes it an easy choice on top of the food and weather.
Yes completely agree. We're thinking something similar, but instead of two countries half and half, we're thinking of spending about half our time in one country and half our time traveling. We're still trying to decide...
I'm keenly interested in Queretaro. - I have yet to visit. I hear they have a larger Asian population. While I love Mexican food, I would personally find it hard to live in a place without good Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai restaurants. Also there is at least one Asian market where I can buy my Asian grocery staples like natto, lao gan ma, dried shiitakes, tofu, rice noodles and Asian greens. Perhaps "best city for Asiaphiles??" I've seen your videos on Malaysia but we are weather-wimps concerned about the heat and humidity. But we plan to check it out anyway because it has so much going for it. And I can practice my Mandarin (which is on life-support).
Thanks for watching our video. We passed through Queretaro but just saw the city through the window of the bus. Several friends of ours went to Queretaro and loved it. We hope to get to Queretaro too.
Very interesting. I did not know this about Queretero. Thanks for sharing. Do you have some sources that led you to beleive Queretero has a large asian population?
@@travelrefocused Tangerine Travels mentioned it. And did a video at a Korean bbq. Backpacking brunette mentioned all the international companies and people. And two vegetarian vloggers went to the same (maybe only) Asian market.
When picking a retirement city we first crossed off all cities with hot weather and cities with huge expat groups ( USA light is not our thing ). We have settled on San Cristobal de las Casas, although not sure what that says about our personalities. 😉
How wonderful to choose San Cristobal! We had San Cristobal on our itinerary, but ended up changing our plans at the last minute due to circumstances at the time. We were sad at first but realized it will give us somewhere new to visit next time we go to Mexico, maybe make our way to Guatemala from there. Thank you!
What fun to see our SMA dominoes game on the video! I had no idea you'd meandered to 14 cities here in Mexico. You did a terrific job categorizing them. We are currently in Puerto Vallarta which is tropical and lively. Next stop? Guadalajara!
It makes me so happy to see this video. I've been to most of the places you mentioned, and I totally agree on all counts, especially Oaxaca. I'd like to see you add some of the border towns and something along the Baja to round out the geography. Plus, anywhere in Chiapas should be included too. But great job. Nice to see you make it to Bacalar! That's off the beaten path for most. I'd add in La Paz, Tecate, Puerto Escondido, and Sayulita (in order: whales, best border town, surfing, and chill.)
Great comment, thanks! We went to Tecate many years ago, but haven't been to any of the other places you suggest. At least not yet, but hoping to explore more of Mexico. We have just discovered your channel and plan to watch your videos as soon as we get a chance. Thanks again!
Thanks for the very interesting video! We just watched several videos on the area to the south of Mexico City - Taxco, Tepotzlan , and Puebla, which was much larger than we anticipated. The whole area looks very interesting. Puerto Vallarta would likely go on the extrovert, party side of things, even though we did none of that in our last trip there. Thanks again for lots of great ideas for our trip coming up next month.
👏👏👏Thank you 🙏! 👏👏👏 I’m so excited to explore some of these wonderful, whimsical, places. 😀 I love the LIGHT SHOWS in Las Vegas so that will be fun 🤩 I’m also interested in visiting Puerto Vallarta. I know, I know, it’s very heavy with the tourist. However, I feel that their are lots & lots of PROS . Thanks 🙏 for this beautiful clip! Mind, Body, Fitness Expert, Blake
Great video on Mexico. I would say you are spot on with your analysis of the cities we have visited so far. Next on the itinerary is Mexico city and Oaxaca. I hope you are just as spot on about Oaxaca as we are pretty excited about that place. Keep up the great work and safe travels.
Thanks, and once again we appreciate the photo for the thumbnail. We did really like Oaxaca. The weather was better than Yucatan (not as hot), and it seemed more genuinely Mexican than Ajijic. We hope you enjoy your time there!
Hmmmm, that's a tough one. Ajijic has a bike lane along the main road that is separated from the traffic, and some streets in Mexico City and Merida are closed to traffic on weekends so that cyclists can use them for biking. In general I would say that the roads in Mexico are not particularly bike friendly.
@@snailtravelers it's so much to discover people don't know the city it's wonderful the state it's so big lots of towns 'but the Sierra Madre it's awesome' hope you to see it sometime 'regards
Good suggestions! We visited Ensenada several years ago and really enjoyed it. We haven't visited La Paz or Mazatlan but have heard good things about those places too. Thank you for the recommendations.
Good choices. As someone who chose Portugal years ago, but still remembers countless trips to Mexico in the sixties and seventies (even staying for months at a time in Guadalajara, Pochutla, Oaxaca, Ixlán del Rio, Nayarit, and Ruíz, Nayarit), I still keep an eye on what is going on in Mexico. When we lived in Guadalajara, way back in 1969, the city had about half a million people and was really nice. Anyway, I think though that your recommendation of Villahermosa would only be valid for those who are fluent in Spanish and are used to living in +30º C heat, with syrupy humidity. Campeche and Mérida suffer from the same problem--heat, heat, heat. Curiously, you neglected to mention Puerto Vallarta, where so many retirees end up. One city that is rarely mentioned is Mazatlán. I spent a lot of timej there (I admit it was many years ago) and I really enjoyed the city. There is also the capital of Nayarit, Tepic, which is never mentioned as a possible place for retirement. Yes, you would need Spanish and there wouldn't be many fellow gringos around to socialize with, but it has a good climate and is not far from the beaches of the states of Jalisco and Nayarit. In conclusion, perhaps for lack of time, you forgot Querétaro, which has become the go-to city for expats.
Great suggestions! Your comments about Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Querétaro are consistent with what we have heard about those places, but we didn't include them in our video since we didn't visit them on this trip. We have also considered Portugal as a possible retirement location, perhaps we will see you there someday!
@@snailtravelers Portugal has the advantage of making it easy to get residency if you have a modest retirement income or if you have online income. We don't have the tropical beaches that Mexico has and it is about 25% to 50% more expensive than Mexico, but it does have some things that Mexico doesn't have: safety, economic stability, political stability, low levels of corruption, good, safe roads, and access to all of Europe. If you become a resident of Portugal, you can visit 26 EU countries in the Schengen Zone, without showing any passport. If you are driving, there is no border, no checkpoints between any of these countries. I can drive 10 km. up to the Spanish border and cross freely, only noticing that I am in Spain because the signs change to Spanish. In fact, we often cross to buy cheaper petrol, go shopping in different supermarket chains, or to eat something different.
The video idea is wonderful: cities for different personality types. I learned about Villahermosa which I didn't know about. I'm planning on CDMX in May.Also It was neat to hear about the Mexican manners/customs class that Emily took. Happy new year to both of you! Looking forward to your future videos! Not sure if you have done a video on it yet but how you fund your travels. Saw that you had one on costs.
Thanks for watching our video! We hope you enjoy your upcoming trip as much as we did. We lived very frugally for many years so that we could save up to travel the world. We are also very careful with our budget when we travel so that we don't overspend.
@@juliehoole1721 Thanks so much for watching our videos! We have an app called Trail Wallet that we use to record a purchase when we're at a store or buying something. I'll then transfer that info to Excel at the end of each day, but really the Trail Wallet app is enough to keep track of it all. I think Trail Wallet is no longer being updated, but there are other similar apps.
If visas aren't an issue we would choose Malaysia over Mexico. We met so many wonderful people and made many friends in Malaysia. It is much easier to connect with people in Malaysia since Malaysians speak English. Thanks for watching our videos!
I would add and recommend Santiago de Querétaro. Best secret in Mexico. Very safe with perfect weather.
Thanks for the suggestion! We passed through there on the way from CDMX to San Miguel de Allende. We hope to spend more time there on our next visit because it has been so highly recommended.
I really like the approach to this video. I found it very helpful for my retirement plans and just to visit. Nicely done.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
hoping to visit Mexico in near future (why i'm checking your videos). another place recommended by many RUclipsrs is Santiago de Querétaro.
Yes, we think Queretaro is another great possibility. We didn't spend enough time there for us to include it in the video, but we really want to get to Queretaro the next time we go to Mexico
Being American-Canadian, I resent how the US/Canada sensationalize the crime in Mexico as if the US were immune from it. I studied in Mexico as a foreign language teacher, and never felt threatened. Like any where in the world, one has to be aware of ones surroundings. I enjoyed your video!!
Yes, we spent six months in Mexico and never felt threatened. I think safety in Mexico is better than most Americans believe it to be.
I just returned from spending 2 weeks in Oaxaca and loved the city!
Wonderful! Oaxaca was our favorite city that we visited in Mexico, and it would be our top choice if we were to live somewhere in Mexico. I'm glad you enjoyed your time in Oaxaca!
This is exactly why people should spend 1-2 years bouncing around every few months in short term rentals until they find the best fit.
Our biggest struggle is deciding which country. We are actually thinking TWO countries for a while so don’t have to deal with all the immigration paperwork as many countries are making retirement visa harder to get.
Mexico 180 entry makes it an easy choice on top of the food and weather.
Yes completely agree. We're thinking something similar, but instead of two countries half and half, we're thinking of spending about half our time in one country and half our time traveling. We're still trying to decide...
I'm keenly interested in Queretaro. - I have yet to visit. I hear they have a larger Asian population. While I love Mexican food, I would personally find it hard to live in a place without good Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai restaurants. Also there is at least one Asian market where I can buy my Asian grocery staples like natto, lao gan ma, dried shiitakes, tofu, rice noodles and Asian greens.
Perhaps "best city for Asiaphiles??"
I've seen your videos on Malaysia but we are weather-wimps concerned about the heat and humidity.
But we plan to check it out anyway because it has so much going for it. And I can practice my Mandarin (which is on life-support).
Thanks for watching our video. We passed through Queretaro but just saw the city through the window of the bus. Several friends of ours went to Queretaro and loved it. We hope to get to Queretaro too.
Very interesting. I did not know this about Queretero. Thanks for sharing. Do you have some sources that led you to beleive Queretero has a large asian population?
@@travelrefocused Tangerine Travels mentioned it. And did a video at a Korean bbq. Backpacking brunette mentioned all the international companies and people. And two vegetarian vloggers went to the same (maybe only) Asian market.
@@snailtravelers hi I’m Mexican live Chicago but my retirement it Querétaro buy house private place fraccionamiento san gil beautifully.
When picking a retirement city we first crossed off all cities with hot weather and cities with huge expat groups ( USA light is not our thing ). We have settled on San Cristobal de las Casas, although not sure what that says about our personalities. 😉
How wonderful to choose San Cristobal! We had San Cristobal on our itinerary, but ended up changing our plans at the last minute due to circumstances at the time. We were sad at first but realized it will give us somewhere new to visit next time we go to Mexico, maybe make our way to Guatemala from there. Thank you!
What fun to see our SMA dominoes game on the video! I had no idea you'd meandered to 14 cities here in Mexico. You did a terrific job categorizing them. We are currently in Puerto Vallarta which is tropical and lively. Next stop? Guadalajara!
We miss that fun time we had with you guys and the rest of the group, and hope our travel paths cross again. We're enjoying your videos too!
It makes me so happy to see this video. I've been to most of the places you mentioned, and I totally agree on all counts, especially Oaxaca. I'd like to see you add some of the border towns and something along the Baja to round out the geography. Plus, anywhere in Chiapas should be included too. But great job. Nice to see you make it to Bacalar! That's off the beaten path for most. I'd add in La Paz, Tecate, Puerto Escondido, and Sayulita (in order: whales, best border town, surfing, and chill.)
Great comment, thanks! We went to Tecate many years ago, but haven't been to any of the other places you suggest. At least not yet, but hoping to explore more of Mexico. We have just discovered your channel and plan to watch your videos as soon as we get a chance. Thanks again!
@@snailtravelers thank you! Are you still in Mexico now?
@@EatWalkLearn We actually just left recently, we were getting close to the 180 day mark.
Always excited to see a new video from the Snail Travelers!
Thank you very much!
Thanks for the very interesting video! We just watched several videos on the area to the south of Mexico City - Taxco, Tepotzlan , and Puebla, which was much larger than we anticipated. The whole area looks very interesting. Puerto Vallarta would likely go on the extrovert, party side of things, even though we did none of that in our last trip there. Thanks again for lots of great ideas for our trip coming up next month.
Thanks! Enjoy your upcoming trip, and we look forward to seeing any videos you might make. Take care and safe travels.
👏👏👏Thank you 🙏! 👏👏👏
I’m so excited to explore some of these wonderful, whimsical, places.
😀
I love the LIGHT SHOWS in Las Vegas so that will be fun 🤩
I’m also interested in visiting
Puerto Vallarta.
I know, I know, it’s very heavy with the tourist. However, I feel that their are lots & lots of PROS .
Thanks 🙏 for this beautiful clip!
Mind, Body, Fitness Expert,
Blake
Thanks! We had hopped to visit Puerto Vallarta but didn't have enough time. Maybe on our next visit to Mexico!
Great video on Mexico. I would say you are spot on with your analysis of the cities we have visited so far. Next on the itinerary is Mexico city and Oaxaca. I hope you are just as spot on about Oaxaca as we are pretty excited about that place. Keep up the great work and safe travels.
Thanks, and once again we appreciate the photo for the thumbnail. We did really like Oaxaca. The weather was better than Yucatan (not as hot), and it seemed more genuinely Mexican than Ajijic. We hope you enjoy your time there!
Any thoughts on a European style cycling friendly city?
Hmmmm, that's a tough one. Ajijic has a bike lane along the main road that is separated from the traffic, and some streets in Mexico City and Merida are closed to traffic on weekends so that cyclists can use them for biking. In general I would say that the roads in Mexico are not particularly bike friendly.
Visit Morelia Michoacan..
What is the best town where they don't speak english?
I think Villahermosa would be a good choice. It's a medium sized city but not too many expats, and it feels more authentic to us. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful video. Happy New Year 2022.
Thanks Yasin! Happy New Year to you as well.
@@snailtravelers Thank u. 😀
IF?IF you like mountains an canyons nature beauty's go to Durango specialty Sierra Madre
We have watched RUclips videos about Durango and it looks spectacular! We hope to visit Durango next time we are in Mexico .
@@snailtravelers it's so much to discover people don't know the city it's wonderful the state it's so big lots of towns 'but the Sierra Madre it's awesome' hope you to see it sometime 'regards
Ensenada, La Paz and Mazatlan
Good suggestions! We visited Ensenada several years ago and really enjoyed it. We haven't visited La Paz or Mazatlan but have heard good things about those places too. Thank you for the recommendations.
Zihuatenejo - for the person needing a chill vibe and relaxed atmosphere
Thanks for the suggestion! I just googled "Zihuatenejo" to find out more about it, and it looks really nice. Do you live there?
Wow, 1st one to do a like on your video. I'm number 1. Happy New Year
Thank you for liking our video. Happy New Year to you.
Good choices. As someone who chose Portugal years ago, but still remembers countless trips to Mexico in the sixties and seventies (even staying for months at a time in Guadalajara, Pochutla, Oaxaca, Ixlán del Rio, Nayarit, and Ruíz, Nayarit), I still keep an eye on what is going on in Mexico. When we lived in Guadalajara, way back in 1969, the city had about half a million people and was really nice. Anyway, I think though that your recommendation of Villahermosa would only be valid for those who are fluent in Spanish and are used to living in +30º C heat, with syrupy humidity. Campeche and Mérida suffer from the same problem--heat, heat, heat. Curiously, you neglected to mention Puerto Vallarta, where so many retirees end up. One city that is rarely mentioned is Mazatlán. I spent a lot of timej there (I admit it was many years ago) and I really enjoyed the city. There is also the capital of Nayarit, Tepic, which is never mentioned as a possible place for retirement. Yes, you would need Spanish and there wouldn't be many fellow gringos around to socialize with, but it has a good climate and is not far from the beaches of the states of Jalisco and Nayarit. In conclusion, perhaps for lack of time, you forgot Querétaro, which has become the go-to city for expats.
Great suggestions! Your comments about Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Querétaro are consistent with what we have heard about those places, but we didn't include them in our video since we didn't visit them on this trip. We have also considered Portugal as a possible retirement location, perhaps we will see you there someday!
@@snailtravelers Portugal has the advantage of making it easy to get residency if you have a modest retirement income or if you have online income. We don't have the tropical beaches that Mexico has and it is about 25% to 50% more expensive than Mexico, but it does have some things that Mexico doesn't have: safety, economic stability, political stability, low levels of corruption, good, safe roads, and access to all of Europe. If you become a resident of Portugal, you can visit 26 EU countries in the Schengen Zone, without showing any passport. If you are driving, there is no border, no checkpoints between any of these countries. I can drive 10 km. up to the Spanish border and cross freely, only noticing that I am in Spain because the signs change to Spanish. In fact, we often cross to buy cheaper petrol, go shopping in different supermarket chains, or to eat something different.
Well done. You have given me some new places to visit. Thank you
Glad to hear that! Thanks for watching.
The video idea is wonderful: cities for different personality types. I learned about Villahermosa which I didn't know about. I'm planning on CDMX in May.Also It was neat to hear about the Mexican manners/customs class that Emily took. Happy new year to both of you! Looking forward to your future videos! Not sure if you have done a video on it yet but how you fund your travels. Saw that you had one on costs.
Thanks for watching our video! We hope you enjoy your upcoming trip as much as we did. We lived very frugally for many years so that we could save up to travel the world. We are also very careful with our budget when we travel so that we don't overspend.
@@snailtravelers We've been watching you for some time (since Malaysia) and love your slow travel. What do you use to track your spending?
@@juliehoole1721 Thanks so much for watching our videos! We have an app called Trail Wallet that we use to record a purchase when we're at a store or buying something. I'll then transfer that info to Excel at the end of each day, but really the Trail Wallet app is enough to keep track of it all. I think Trail Wallet is no longer being updated, but there are other similar apps.
Great concept for a video 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks for watching!
If you have to choose only one for living, no matter visa..…Malasya or Mexico? and why? i always concern about mexico crime issues
If visas aren't an issue we would choose Malaysia over Mexico. We met so many wonderful people and made many friends in Malaysia. It is much easier to connect with people in Malaysia since Malaysians speak English. Thanks for watching our videos!
@@snailtravelers A yes due the language, but I think if you speak Spanish Mexican people are much more open.. But Malaysia is way more safe country
@Kai Ikaika eh???? Are u serious?
Great content thanks and all the best for the new year .
Thank you very much, and happy new year to you as well.
Happy New year to you both! :)
Thank you very much, and happy new year to you too!
Happy New Year🎉!
Thanks! And also a happy new year to you!
Happy New Year 2022
Thank you, and happy new year to you as well!
@@snailtravelers welcome 🙏
Would be very interested in your take on Mazatlan
We haven't been to Mazatlan so can't really comment, sorry.