How To Move to Mexico in 10 Easy Steps

Maybe you are following this blog about moving our family to another country and thinking "Gee, I bet these people have some great tips on relocating/packing/travelling/being good at life!"

It's true, blogs are a great way to learn from others' experience and get tips on how to do things. And these tips are available in many blogs. Other blogs. The blogs of super-organised people.  You should go check out their blogs for tips.  And then share them with me. Please.

I need tips, dammit, TIPS!

Seriously. I have no idea what the hell I am doing.  "Tie-dye my shorts" was an actual item on my to-do list.

Got 'er done, though didn't I?  ;)

But if you insist, here is how my family moves to Mexico:

1. Once you have made the decision to leave, put a big pot of panic on simmer on the back burner.  This constant low-grade anxiety will cause you to avoid thinking about the huge-ness of what you are doing at all costs, allowing you to procrastinate  as long as possible on all the things you have to do to prepare for your trip.

2. No preparations? No problem!!! All you really need are passports and money.  The rest will fall into place.....

3. Oh crap.  Nothing fell into place.  Suddenly you realise it is no longer months but weeks before you are scheduled to leave.  Vow to cross at least 10 things off your to-do list before end of day.

4. Instead, leisurely scroll through Airbnb website looking at possible places to stay for the first 2 weeks while you get settled. Gather the whole family around to "ooh" and "aah" over the great place you found at a reasonable price. Fantasize about how amazing it's going to be to drink margaritas in the hammock by the pool. Spend two hours on Pinterest looking up margarita recipes.

5. Put your house on the market.  Realise that selling your house requires painting, light renovations, cleaning and staging.  Throw yourself into this work for a few weeks and forget about everything else.

6. Try like mad to keep your freshly renovated, staged and cleaned house viewing-ready while chasing after 6-year-old twins and a dirty. hairy dog. Spend quite a bit of time sitting in an empty bathtub with a glass of wine, quietly weeping.

7. Realise you have a LOT of stuff that needs to make it's way out of your house.  Hold a big garage sale.  Diligently price every item and imagine yourself swimming in a pool full of cash thanks to your razor-sharp haggling skills. When the first customer arrives and offers a 10th of asking price for your favourite teapot which you are pretty sure is a collectors item you stammer and say "sure, I guess..." and hand it over in a baffled way.  *side note: people who go to garage sales every weekend are professional mafiosos. Seriously. Watch your back. They will shake you down for everything you have.

8. Congratulate yourself on a successful garage sale. As you re-enter your house you think "I'm sure we cut down on the things we have to pack by at least 80-9OHMYGOD IS THIS HOW MUCH STUFF WE STILL HAVE?????WE ARE NEVER GOING TO BE READY IN TIME!!!!!NEVER!!!!!!WWWAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

9. Start a blog.

10. Take a deep breath and finally start on your list.  Call the utility companies, arrange insurance, book flights, buy a dog kennel, and practice exhaling slowly while saying "mañanaaaaaaaaaahhh."

Because this is one of our reasons to move to the Yucatan - the freedom to breathe, relax, and let things happen when they happen.

And if you feel like experiencing this for a little while, come and visit.  We may not be organised, we may not be on time, we may not have sheets. But I will definitely make you a killer margarita ;)  Now where did I put the limes.........?






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