Seniors Traveling Internationally on a Budget & Living a Simple Life

Seniors Traveling Internationally & Living A Simple Life has always been our goal! With a well planned Budget it is doable!

Living a simpler life as seniors traveling internationally on a budget was our goal from day one of creating our grand adventure plan! Though its only been barely three months since leaving the States & stepping into full time international travel on a budget, this has been the BEST three months!

The Pandemic restrictions caused us to push our International travel plans out a bit. Many countries are being proactive & have travel restrictions that may prohibit us from traveling outside of a designated area. We know we have to be cognizant in making any future travel plans, but we want you to continue to following us during our present journey in the beautiful country of Mexico. Question is, “ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL ADVENTURE?”

Our Dream of Living a Simple Life While Traveling on a Budget Is Real!

Our dream of living a simple life while traveling on a budget is calling our names. In the beginning I admit we were super excited about becoming part of the expat communities living the sweet life in foreign countries. It made perfect sense to us & absolutely cost effective when you broke down the numbers! When I think of expat communities, I think of neighbors just like us – you know – from the US & speaking English. That is great if that is you. Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand the idea behind the need to have that familiarity where you live but that just isn’t us…not right now.

Before we even arrived in Mexico we knew that we did not want to be surrounded by what we had left in the U.S. We wanted to learn the language & be able to expand our horizons so to speak in whichever country we landed. If we moved to a ‘tourist’ area it just wouldn’t make sense. Right now we are as close to immersion as we can be while still learning Spanish here in Mexico. Did you know Spanish is in the second most spoken language in the world behind Mandarin!!

Of course, our friends and family were not on board with us traveling internationally at first but most did come around in time. I think they had a “reality check” once we notified them that we had landed in Mexico. Their fears and doubts began to slowly fade away as we started sending them pictures of our new daily lifestyle.

In this post we’ll share with you the most asked questions from family and friends as we told them our plan for World domination!

Is Mexico Safe for Seniors Traveling Internationally?

This was no doubt the most asked question of us. Is it really safe for seniors traveling in Mexico? I can’t tell you that Mexico is or is not safe. We can only speak of Merida. There are parts of Mexico I have no desire to visit purely for personal reasons but I can also tell you that for The Big Guy & I, we feel very much at ease & safe in this beautiful city. Merida is consistently ranked as one of the safest cities to live in Mexico.

The Big Guy & I were out on a walkabout & saw first hand how the local police do enforce the mandated face mask. Hint – the Officer used his bullhorn and shouted “PONTE TU MASCARILLA” although we don’t speak Spanish we knew that he was telling someone to put their mask on, the Yucatan State takes the pandemic very seriously. There is presently a curfew here in the Yucatan State due to the pandemic protocol – 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. We were out with friends having coffee and the time just slipped away from us. Hours passed like minutes and we almost got caught out past the curfew, but made it home just in time. Merida police may issue you a hefty fine if you are caught out after curfew.

Bottom line, we feel quite safe here in Merida.

Leaving behind material stuff? Selling your home? “That just sounds crazy!”

Leaving behind material stuff & selling your home? I was asked “won’t you miss your ‘stuff’? Behind the ‘is Mexico safe?’, this was probably the most asked question asked of us.

We sold everything! Let me re-phrase that, what didn’t get sold was either donated, given away or trashed. Don’t get me wrong it was hard to part with some of our material possessions we had collected over the years. The Big Guy and I sat down and did a self evaluation that included looking at our intended goal of International Travel. We both agreed that our priority was to travel light and if it didn’t fit in the back pack or roller bag then it had to be gone.

Regarding selling the our home, I had to remind the Big Guy that we had to look at it as just being a “house.” We have thousands of awesome memories from that house but we were determined we would not go to the ‘poor house’ just to keep it. Taxes went up astronomically year to year along with homeowners insurance, utilities, maintenance, etc. Again, once we were in the mindset that we would have to sell everything to make our dream of international travel come true, we never looked back.

In Merida we feel that have found the perfect little apartment for the balance of our stay. With some help from our new friends here in Merida, we were able to scoop this place up. The minute we walked through the front door we knew it contained everything that we were looking for and more. Between you & me, we feel we hit the mother lode in our homeowners renting to us! Quick fixes for anything that breaks & as sweet we could ever hope. Sure there are a lot of differences or I should say ‘things we took for granted in the States’ but this is so home to us right now & we are already discussing coming back in January!

Is Social Security enough to live on? Are you sure you will be financially ok?

A number of people have asked “Is social security enough to live on” for seniors travelers? Let me say that the idea that social security alone is not enough to live on is false. It may be tight especially if you have no other savings or pension coming in but it is doable. Look at the number of expats who are retired living on pensions in foreign countries. According to this article seven percent (7% ) of Americans receive social security along with a pension & savings/investment. A newer report states forty percent (40%) of those receiving social security do not have any additional income. Can I say it again…Budget, Budget…BUDGET!!!

If I’ve said it a hundred times, I’ve said it a thousand “yes” we can live on a budget. If you are able to part with those materials things that have been bogging you down in expense all these years & realistically set a plan, anyone can travel on any budget you set. You have to be of the mindset that material things are just not necessary for travel or just living you are only putting yourself into more misery by running up debt or continuing to live on credit cards. I believe we started our quest of minimal living as soon as we set our plan into action.

Depending on the country you travel to and your willingness not to stay in tourist area, you could save a little extra money that would allow you to pay your debt down or off while traveling. We sold everything, which allowed us to put the extra money toward our debt. All the extra expenses that we previously paid for insurance, utilities, taxes, car payments, etc. now can be used as part of our International travel budget. Once you break it all down & let it simmer a while, you might find other ways to pump up your budget. It just depends on how & where you want to live out of the states. Our budget simply may not be your budget. We are just providing you with a little guidance to help you determine a budget that will work for you.

Bottom line, we wanted a place fully furnished including utilities & close to bus/walking to wherever we may need to go. We wanted to make only ONE PAYMENT PER MONTH & not have to worry about insurance, utilities, taxes, etc. We’d had enough of that but again, you will need to make a plan that works for you.

How Will You Be Able to Entertain Yourselves & Live on a Budget?

Entertaining ourselves while living on a budget was never an issue that needed any real planning. We still like doing things together so that really was a no brainer. We are retired & will figure out as we go. Once here, all fell into place. Here are just a few ways we pass our time! We really feel so lucky to have met the new people in our lives & become good friends with several Merida residents that we call our forever friends.

Spanish Class – We have found an awesome Spanish Instructor that is excited about teaching us Spanish. At the time of this post we have had four (4) classes. What a difference she has made for us, if you are going to be in any country for a long bit of time, check out language class. You might be surprised at how much you enjoy it.

Dice – The Big Guy & I have played a dice game called Rollout for years. It is a staple in entertaining ourselves when we are home alone.

People Watching – We sit on our front terrace & watch soccer games across the street to the left or tennis games to the right. People watching & enjoying the evening sounds & coolness.

Siestas – During certain months, the temps can be hot by afternoon but most of the time the periodic breeze can be very cooling. I won’t lie. The humidity can be brutal but I totally understand taking an afternoon siesta for a couple hours. What better way to spend a hot afternoon than to take a nap under the fan or a/c?

Walk Abouts – During the hotter months, we just get out earlier in the day for walks, coffee, shopping, etc. We have our favorite walks but once in a while we will take off down a ‘new’ street to us just to see what it there. We both love the variety of colors on houses & landscaped yards. The houses may be huge or they may be very small but they each have their own personality & I’m sure stories to tell.

Lunch Deliveries – If we don’t feel like cooking, one of us will order lunch in from one of the cocina economicas that deliver to our neighborhood. You ask what is a cocina economica? These are basically economically priced mom & pop home cooked meals – some have an area to sit & eat in front of location but most deliver food to your door for a very very reasonable price. We sometimes order a lunch x two & have enough leftovers for dinner or snack later!

Mayan Ruins – hundreds all over the Yucatan. Pick one of a couple to visit at a time. There is so much history & culture in these sites.

Cenotes, beach trips to Progreso, Cancun, etc all within the Yucatan.

Plazas & Parks all thru Merida are each beautiful & known for a particular historical reason. No easier way to educate yourself free & get your walk in at the same time.

Massages/Acupuncture Sessions – Who doesnt’ love a good massage? I admit I had been curious about acupuncture so was ready to give it a try. Oh my. We tried a couple spas but were so disappointed until we found Trazende Spa! Pedro is an awesome massage therapist & Elsa is amazing in her acupuncture sessions. The Big Guy & I are regulars at the Trazende Spa. You must try them out. For a full service list contact the Spa. For those of you have not yet mastered Spanish, both speak fluent English along with Spanish.

Shopping Malls – if you are into shopping or ice skating there are some really nice malls in Merida!

Once you have landed, scope out the neighborhood & you may be surprised at the gems just a short distance from you.

Bottom Line – Living a Simple Life is pretty fantastic!

Sure we miss the grandchildren & we will miss the birth of our second great grand-daughter but this was simply our time. Does that sound selfish? I’m sure some would say yes. We made the decision that we wanted to travel while still healthy & luckily we are healthy enough to do so. We decided that Mexico would be the first jump into international travel. It seems The Big Guy thought I might get all depressed not being able to see the kiddos as much as I want BUT I totally understand children grow up & at some point Nana & Papa aren’t as important as their friends so…We will visit them when in the states & hopefully one day they will come visit us wherever we may be at that time.

This is OUR time to travel! What is holding YOU back?