Woah! How to go from “I quit” to living in Puerto Vallarta
Maybe. Like me. You’re a 60 something looking at what’s ahead of you. Face it, we KNOW there is less ahead than behind.
Personally, I wasn’t hanging around until 70 to retire and maximize my social security payment. I wanted to travel while I’m healthy, moving well and keep it that way.
I want for you what you want for yourself. Anyone CAN do what I am doing. It’s all about the choices we make.
I can work a minimalist lifestyle and budget like a boss!! YOU can too! It’s a balance between when you can save to spend later. Housesitting is the free cost of living that allows for travel on planes, stays in hotels or on cruise ships. Points and miles lower the cost of air travel in any class of service. I don’t regret those miles on a business class seat from the US to Australia. Like many retirees, I thought Mexico was a good option. My YouTube channel has videos about housesitting, earning and using miles as well as how I lived for free in Puerto Vallarta.
Immediate Short Term Plan - Get Out of San Diego
Two years ago, I literally sailed away from the life and work I had known for 40 years. Starting with back-to-back cruises. Four consecutive weeks on a seven-day cruise to Mexico. As a retiree, it was cheaper living on the cruise ship solo for a month than renting an apartment in the US and certainly California.
Remember Fall 2021? Cruise ships were allowed to start sailing again. I paid $500/week for a balcony cabin, food, entertainment, gym, activities. The ship had a capacity of 5,000 passengers – there were 800-1,000 of us on board. I was vaxed, Covid tested and masked as required at the time. This cruise became my go to for weeks at a time while I figured out what my life would look like and where. More on cruise life in another blog post.
Last of the purge sort of:
Oh yeah, my car. I bought a Tesla Y in 2019. Now two years later I didn’t need it but didn’t want to sell – yet.
Short story, a Tesla friend took the car and rented it on Turo.
For 18 months those rentals covered the loan and insurance or more. (Another blog post with the details.)
You can listen to the podcast with a fellow solo traveler about this. We need to leverage the networks, friends, resources we have built over decades of life.
Short(er) term plan: Move to Puerto Vallarta
Funny how the ship stopped in Puerto Vallarta weekly, eh? Every Tuesday, I disembarked, met a real estate agent and looked at apartments. I discovered the city, walked around, met some people including expats and joined some PV Facebook groups. By November the old two-bedroom two bath apartment I selected was renovated, fully furnished with aircon and I moved in.
You can watch my YouTube on how I lived in Puerto Vallarta for free for seven months!
Leverage what you have to save or make money my friends!
My first nine months of “retirement” cost me cruising cheap, rent (not really see the video) and normal living expenses at sea and on land. It was still cheaper than living in the US on my social security and small investment account (didn’t touch my retirement fund - then and have not to date.)
Next blog has the details of how I turned my car into a rental. Retirement is all about choices.
