3 Things I Learned About Mexico While Traveling Abroad

This spring, Erin and I took a trip to celebrate 20 years of marriage. Well, it was supposed to be for our 20-year anniversary, but it was delayed by two years, so it ended up being 22 years. Erin’s dream has always been to go to Italy, and that is exactly what we did. It had been a long time since we had taken a true vacation of any length, and for such a monumental reason. We took some much-needed time to rest while learning a lot about another country. We started in Sicily and traveled north to Lake Garda and Milan before heading home. Ironically, this trip also made us learn and realize 3 key things about Mexico.

Before sharing the three things we learned about Mexico, I need to say, I cannot say enough about the Italian people. We were welcomed and treated very well everywhere we went. The food was amazing, the wine was organic and tasted unbelievable, and the various landscapes were unforgettable. But with that said, traveling for five weeks through Italy made us appreciate our home in Mexico even more.

THE CROWDS

Although Mexico is a very popular tourist destination, it is also the 14th largest country in the world landmass-wise. We are extremely fortunate to have so much space and diversity in geography. At times in Italy, I actually felt overwhelmed by the large number of people gathering in areas, getting on buses, trying to get into restaurants, and walking on sidewalks. We were traveling in May and wondered what the crowds would be like in July and August. Thank you, Mexico, for being so spacious and beautiful.

AFFORDABILITY

This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us and a trip I wanted to make extra special for Erin. We also wanted to maintain a fair bit of flexibility in our travel plans since, for the first time ever, we were taking a trip just for us and only had to worry about ourselves. We were traveling in May and decided to book accommodations as far out as four weeks and as little as one week in advance. Since we have always lived oceanfront and beachfront in Mexico, this was a standard we wanted to maintain when staying by lakes or the ocean. I was blown away to discover that in order to book an ocean view, oceanfront, or lakefront hotel room, prices ranged from $800 EUR ($840 USD) to $1,400 EUR ($1,470 USD) per night. WOW! That is right, just for a hotel room. In Mexico, Bayside Vacations rents luxury villas in the same price range. It shows what incredible value there is in being able to increase your quality of life in Mexico. Thank you Mexico for being so oceanfront affordable!

THE BEACHES

Since we started our vacation in May, we thought it was a smart idea to begin in the South of Italy to hopefully find warmer weather. We spent two weeks in Sicily, one on each side of the island. From there, we stayed in Amalfi, Positano, and Sorrento. Compared to where we live in Huatulco, the weather was not overly hot, about 18°C to 24°C most of the time at the beginning of our trip (and that was okay). Being beach lovers, we still wanted to spend time on the beach. Some beaches were quite rocky, others had volcanic rock powder, and we did find some with more golden sand. It was surprising how busy the beaches were in temperatures of 20°C or less in May. Again, we wondered how crowded they would be in July and August. It was obvious to us just how fortunate we are to have so many white and gold sand, spacious, and beautiful beaches in Mexico. We have a beach for whatever mood you may be in each day. Thank you, Mexico, for all of your amazing and diverse beaches.

I am grateful that I was able to take time off to rest and travel. Italy did not disappoint us one bit, and I know we will go back one day. I appreciated being there and getting to spend time to disconnect. The reality is, every time I travel away from where I live and the places where we do business, it makes me appreciate them even more. I love you, Mexico. You are second to none, even when comparing the most popular travel destinations in the world.

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See you soon in Mexico!