Living & Lifestyle
July 29, 2022

Mexico Newsletter —
August 2022

This month: High summer; Lifestyle intentions and settling-in to life in Mexico; Visiting Baja vineyards; Visas and residency; Topography & weather; and more...

by Matthew Harrup
Mexico Letter Box

Your monthly Mexico newsletter is filled with inspiration, meaningful knowledge, helpful connections, and tips for better living, lifestyle, and leisure in Mexico.

High summer in Mexico

August heralds the peak of the summer season in Mexico. The late afternoon and overnight rain storms are drenching the landscapes and turning the flora green and fragrant; children and students have begun their summer recess and families are dusting off the travel bags to escape their usual routines and enjoy the summer holidays away together.

Coastal climates turn noticeably sultry this month, and the rains bring a marked rise in humidity levels.  For some people with homes along Mexico’s coasts, this is the ideal climate to live in, whereas others leave their beachside residences this time of year and visit friends and family in their home countries—or elsewhere in Mexico inland where the higher elevations temper the heat and humidity.

The rainy season is a remarkable time of year to be in Mexico; although it brings some challenges: most noticeably potential power cuts, a proliferation of mosquitoes, and the advent of tropical storms that can make landfall along the coasts. If you own or rent a home in Mexico, a home insurance plan can mitigate the risks associated with summer storms. Our article about living well through the rainy season in Mexico shares helpful and practical tips and insights.

As people ease into gentler summer moods, it’s an ideal time of year to (re)discover the unique refreshment offered by authentic Mexican craft beers, and also an opportunity to get out and discover Mexico’s remarkable natural habitats.

Lake Chapala discovery program

If you’ve been considering a move to the Lake Chapala region in Mexico, the Focus on Mexico team have announced a new 6-day “life at Lakeside” program that enables attendees to discover local lifestyle opportunities and help you to determine if the Lake Chapala area is right for you.

Baja wine discovery added to our custom tours

Whether you’re visiting Mexico for a short vacation or living here and seeking to discover more of the the country you’ve adopted as your home, a custom tour enables you to make the most of your leisure time and absorb the experience of the activity instead of grappling with the details and logistics.

We’ve recently added a Baja California Wine Tour to our selection of tours, in partnership with a specialized operator that offers wine discovery visits to hand-picked selection of Baja vineyards. Tours can start in Tijuana, San Diego, or Ensenada.

Time scales for residency applications and visa exchanges

Our article about typical time scales for residency permit applications shares the latest information based on our associate’s experience of helping people through the application process.  When you arrive in Mexico with a residency visa in your passport, you must exchange that visa for a residency card—read about the typical time scales for that visa exchange process.

Immigration Assistance

When you need assistance with your residency permit application or renewals, regularization procedures, expired permits, or troubleshooting, consider using our Mexico Immigration Assistance Service.  If you already have your visa and need help exchanging that for a card in Mexico, we offer a visa-to-card exchange assistance option in partnership with our associates.

Lifestyle planning highlights for August

Discover how Mexico can become an integral part of a vibrant and abundant lifestyle situation for you.

Mexico named top choice

The annual Internations survey of expats named Mexico as the world’s top country for overseas living in 2022; as we remark in our article about this, a move to Mexico has the best chance of success when it’s underpinned by a plan that’s founded on your core intentions as that will provide a strong base from which to create a fruitful and sustainable new lifestyle here.

Spanish for lifestyle in Mexico

If you’ve been thinking about learning or improving your Spanish, take a pause this summer to engage with a language course that focuses on helping you to develop your language skills for living in Mexico.  Browse and discover Spanish language courses—you can learn from the convenience and comfort of your home, or attend a class in Mexico.  Meanwhile, our PinPoint Spanish articles share insights into language usage in Mexico.

Comprehensive lifestyle planning knowledge

Whether you’re considering a move to Mexico, in the throes of moving here, and even if you’re already here and considering ways to reformulate your current situations, our Mexico lifestyle planning articles and eBooks provide invaluable help and local knowledge:

Safe and enjoyable road trips in Mexico

There’s nothing quite like a road trip to help you feel a sense of liberty as you drive across open highways surrounded by Mexico’s spectacular scenery—whether that’s a clear ocean view, the vast expanse of the desert, skirting around majestic mountains and volcanoes, or discovering a road that traverses through one of Mexico’s tropical forests.

Here are some recent updates and links to resources that will help you to plan and enjoy your road trips across Mexico:

Get the insurance coverage you need to drive with peace of mind in Mexico

Your US or Canadian auto insurance policy will not cover you for third party liability when you’re driving in Mexico.  Mexperience is pleased to refer our readers to MexPro auto insurance, which offers comprehensive coverages valid in Mexico using English-language policies backed by a fully-licensed US insurance broker.  Get a quote online.

Mexico lifestyle notebook – August 2022

Enjoy highlights of hand-picked articles that have been recently added or updated, as well as gems from our archives.

A volcano in a coffee cup: Imported brands of coffee are available in Mexico, but the premium they fetch is questionable when you consider that Mexico’s highland topography and the rich nutrients in its volcanic soils combine to create an ideal natural environment for growing fine quality coffee beans—and these help to brew an extraordinary cup of coffee.

Feeling settled: Whether you’ve recently arrived in Mexico, or have been here a while and are grappling with the everyday challenges, the settling-in period takes time, patience, and compromise.  The article about finding your place here touches on the philosophical aspects of a move abroad; our free eBook guide to living and retirement has an entire chapter dedicated to the subject; and our Mexico Home Life section shares a stream of regularly updated articles about making the most of your everyday situations in Mexico.

Seeing the light: Mexico might abandon it’s annual clock-change ritual that it participates in each spring and fall—that is a very sensible notion as the country’s geographical location provides extraordinary daylight all-year round.

Covering medical expenses: US residents often ask if Medicare is available in Mexico (it isn’t); but there are alternative healthcare plans available that include private insurance, Mexico’s IMSS insurance, and medical evacuation.

Your home, your castle: Whether you own or rent, keeping your house and home in Mexico maintained and secure takes effort.  Our free eBook about house maintenance and home security is packed with tips and practical knowledge to help you keep your home in Mexico maintained, and secure.  Some time spent reading this can help you to understand the practicalities of running a home in Mexico.

Blowing hot and cold: Some people love the sultry summer coastal heat, others know (or later decide) that they would prefer to live in a year-round temperate climate.  Our article about hot coasts and cool colonial cities shares an overview of this fundamental location choice, and our article about Mexico’s topography helps you to understand how elevation affects the weather and climate across the country.

Treading carefully: If you’re visiting Mexico’s pyramids this summer, read about some helpful tips and practical advice for a safe and enjoyable visit to Mexico’s archaeology sites.

Your generosity attracts abundance: Finally, a reminder that tipping is an important part of everyday trading culture in Mexico—and learning to tip well, and tip often is an integral part of your everyday routines here.  Visit our section about Tips & Tipping to help you navigate this cultural nuance.

Matthew Harrup is founder and editor of Mexperience.

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Discovering more of Mexico

Mexperience offers extensive resources to help you discover, plan and realize your lifestyle and leisure experiences in Mexico.

Immigration and residency

Our extensive collection of articles and our free eBook, updated annually, help you to learn about what you need to acquire and maintain your legal residency in Mexico.

Immigration Assistance

When you need assistance with your residency permit application or renewals, regularization procedures, expired permits, or troubleshooting, consider using our Mexico Immigration Assistance Service.

Lifestyle planning

Our Mexico Lifestyle Planning section offers local knowledge, insights, inspiration, and ideas to help you consider choices and make your Mexico lifestyle plans.

Mexico home life

When you’ve made the move to Mexico, our Mexico Home Life section shares local knowledge, ideas, and inspiration to help you discover opportunities and settle-in well to your home and living spaces in Mexico.

Driving and road trips

Driving your own vehicle across Mexico’s extensive and well-developed road network provides an ideal way for you to explore these diverse lands and become acquainted with the local topography, the regions, the culture, and the local people in ways that no other means of transport can match.

Insurance coverages

A range of Mexico-related insurance services exist that can mitigate the effect and expense of unforeseen events and mishaps when you’re here.

Property and dwelling spaces

Our extensive articles and free eBooks share local insights and advice to help you find, settle-in and manage your home and dwelling spaces in Mexico.

Your leisure time

Whether you’re visiting Mexico or living here, there’s an abundance of travel and leisure options for you to explore and experience.

Mexico-US land border

Entering Mexico: Mexico does not require visitors to show proof of vaccination to enter the country.  Tourist permits (FMMs) and temporary import permits for vehicles (TIPs) are being issued as normal.

Entering the US from Mexico: The land border restrictions imposed by the US on visitors by land from Mexico, introduced in March 2020 due to Covid-19 have been lifted, but only for visitors who can show an approved vaccination certificate. US Citizens and US legal residents do not need to show this certificate. This article describes the reopening of the Mexico-US land border.

Spanish language study

Learning or improving your Spanish will enhance your experiences in Mexico, if you’re visiting, and especially if you’re living here.

Mexico Assistance Services

Connect to helpful Mexico Assistance Services that enable you to realize your Mexico plans.

IMMIGRATION ASSISTANCE

  • When you need help applying for residency, or help renewing your existing residency permit (or working through a ‘regularization’ procedure after a mishap), consider using our Mexico Immigration Assistance Service, that offers detailed consultancy, personalized advice, and practical help through the process.

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MEXICO EBOOKS LIBRARY

  • Our Mexico eBooks Library offers you a collection of carefully composed eBooks with helpful insights and local knowledge about Mexico—all titles are offered as free downloads.