Most expats generally came to live in Mexico at or near retirement age, and tended to cluster in beach locations like Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen and Los Cabos or inland locations like Ajijic or San Miguel de Allende.

But things are changing — and quickly. Digital nomads are moving to cities, beach locations, and colonial towns. Younger families are making the move to locations throughout the country. More and more people are retiring early and many others are looking for a second home. The number of retired baby boomers increases every day, and it seems like an increasing number of people from all over the world are more adventurous, curious, and willing to try something new at an earlier age than previous generations.

Mexico draws in more Canadian and U.S. residents to live than any other country. It is estimated that over 400,000 Canadian citizens and over 1.6 million U.S. citizens now live in Mexico — and that number only keeps increasing daily.

Places once relatively unheard of for many foreigners are now becoming hotspots for them to live. Querétaro, San Pancho, Mazunte, Oaxaca City, Mérida, Bacalar, Holbox, Guanajuato, Mexico City, Todos Santos, La Paz, Tulum — the list of places being discovered by foreigners just keeps growing.

Which begs the question, with so many options now increasingly accessible and available, how does one even begin to figure out which location makes sense for you? How do you even begin to narrow the list down?

You might not be like your friend that chose Veracruz. You might have loved that beach location that your cruise ship stopped at for 12 hours, but is that really where you want to live? You might have loved that inland city you visited on a work trip, but is that really where you want to live? You might have read a lot about Mexico’s magical colonial towns, but can you really live without a Costco nearby? This whole process is made even more difficult when most people say that they love the location that they have chosen.

Mexico News Daily is very excited to be bringing you a series that will help you more effectively evaluate and rate Mexico’s top places for expat living.

Starting tomorrow, we will have the first in a series of 15+ articles to help you make sense of the many options available. Every Sunday for four months we will do a deep dive, exploring 32 expat-friendly cities across 13 Mexican states. We will rate the cities across key variables such as climate, connectivity, culture, availability of a Costco and more.

No doubt we will rankle many of you with this series. You may disagree with our criteria, you may disagree with our ratings, you may disagree with the cities we selected or didn’t select.

And that’s good! The objective is to get a healthy discussion and debate going.

So take it with a grain of salt, have some fun with it, tell us what we got right and help us understand why you think we got certain things wrong. The idea is to help you better understand and evaluate the different options. And if you already moved to Mexico and didn’t get it right the first time, that’s OK too. We increasingly come across expats who have moved or are thinking of moving from one location to another within Mexico. This guide will help you with that as well.

Perhaps most importantly, have some fun with this and let’s all use it as a chance to help educate, inform and learn from each other.

So buckle up, and get ready for the first article of the series tomorrow and follow the series each Sunday as we explore this diverse country.

Please send us your comments and feedback — while keeping the debate civil and respectful, of course!

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

The post Where to live in Mexico 2024 ratings from Mexico News Daily appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Over these past 10 years, MND has published over 16,000 articles on news, business, politics, culture and more, to give you a front-row seat to Mexico. Our team is deeply committed to helping positively contribute to the future of Mexico. We believe in the very bright future of the people and the country, and we are certain that we can have an important impact on that future by providing balanced news and information and inspiring informed and objective debate.

This will bring better economic and political decisions, which in turn will bring more investment and confidence in the country. And that will lead to better outcomes for everyone — better education, better healthcare, better infrastructure, etc.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 65% of new businesses fail by their tenth anniversary, and in Mexico, reportedly 75% of small businesses fail within two years of launching. I am sure that the percentage is even higher for media companies like MND. So with that backdrop, our team wants to celebrate this milestone and take a moment to share with you why we think what we do is more important and more relevant than ever.

We are living in dynamic times — to say the least. We are all struggling with an information overload, and the frustrations of having to sort through a highly polarized and often ultra-opinionated news feed. As I spend an average of 4-5 hours per day reading news from throughout Mexico, the U.S. and the world, I must say I am increasingly shocked and saddened by the state of the news today. Most mainstream media outlets don’t even attempt to present an unbiased, balanced perspective in their coverage of Mexico.

To make matters worse, it has become far too easy to scroll our way through Facebook, Instagram or X feeds to get our “news.”  The problem is, as we know, it often is not news, but opinions — and usually highly divisive ones that we get “fed.”

We increasingly don’t even understand why we are even being shown the stream that we get.

Just recently, Jack Dorsey, the remorseful founder of Twitter, expressed how conflicted he felt about his creation and said: “Five companies are building tools that we will all become entirely dependent upon. And because they’re so complicated, we have no idea how to verify the correctness, we have no idea how to verify how they work, or what they’re actually doing.”

He went on: “Because people have become so dependent on it, it’s actually changing and impacted the agency we have. We can resist it all we want, but it knows us better than we know us, because we tell it our preferences implicitly and explicitly all of the time, and it just feels super dangerous to continue to rely on that.”

We at Mexico News Daily are deeply concerned about the world Dorsey describes, which arguably is one we already live in.

We are a team of 50+ passionate, motivated and inspired professionals committed to Mexico — committed to providing our readers with the best platform to learn about this country and its people.

Our team has a culture of doing the best we can to bring you objective reporting on the news and allow you, the reader, to come to your own conclusions.

We are not perfect at this, but it’s important for you to know that we take the issue very seriously and work very hard at it.

I guess you could think of us a little bit in a Star Wars context…we are The Resistance. The Resistance to being told what to think. The Resistance to being told how to think. The Resistance to being told what to read. The Resistance to media outlets that prioritize click-bait over real news. The Resistance, as Dorsey said, “to being programmed” by the media giants.

Here’s to another 10 years of MND and beyond! We feel that we are just getting started and have lots of great improvements coming soon. Thank you for being a reader and please support us by becoming a paid subscriber.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

The post Reflections from our CEO on 10 years of Mexico News Daily appeared first on Mexico News Daily

It seems like almost everyone we know these days is dealing with something. Not that everyone everywhere hasn’t always been dealing with something, but to us, things feel different now. It seems that people are struggling more now with managing everything in their daily life, and I think that the constant reinforcement of the “everything is awesome” message from people’s social media feeds isn’t helping either.

I’ve also been thinking about some recent conversations I’ve had with many people I know who have recently moved to different parts of Mexico. Some of them are struggling as well. In talking to them and trying to understand the root of their stress, I find some common themes, but fortunately I think there are some solutions.

The conversations usually revolve around what is not right in Mexico (when they compare things to what they’re used to back home in the United States).

Contractors do not arrive on time. Work is not done to the standards they expected. Things take longer than promised. Neighbors don’t act the way they wish they would. City services are not up to the level they would like them to be. And so on…and on.

These conversations can have a pretty negative effect on my own mental health as sometimes it seems as if the only thing that they want to do is unload their stress and complain — about everything.

It’s starting to feel like people see me as the “all things Mexico complaint department,” as if being the owner of Mexico News Daily somehow granted me special powers to fix all of their issues here.

Just the other night, in yet another session of complaints from some recently relocated gringo friends, I had a revelation.

At one point in the conversation, I stopped them and said: “What if you try focusing on what’s right about Mexico instead of always what’s wrong with Mexico?”

I gave a few personal examples from life in San Miguel de Allende.

Are the local city buses annoying because they are loud and belch exhaust? Or are they a blessing that allows families, the elderly and kids from all socio-economic levels an affordable and accessible way to stay connected to work, schools, churches, restaurants, shops and social events in the central city?

Are the speed bumps an unnecessary nuisance? Or are they a blessing because they force traffic to slow down, allow drivers to actually communicate with and greet each other, and help make our city so walkable for everyone?

Is the hot afternoon sun we are all experiencing right now a curse? Or is it a gift that encourages us to appreciate the mornings and evenings, to slow down and take it easy for a few weeks, catch up on reading Mexico News Daily articles, and maybe even catch a short afternoon siesta?

Is the fact that there is no Costco or Walmart in town a negative? Or is it a blessing as it forces many of us to get out and connect to the community, and support small business owners?

Is the constant noise of music, dogs, chickens, construction, and fireworks a nuisance that should be complained about and regulated? Or is it a constant friendly reminder that we are not alone and instead are part of a diverse, happy, vibrant community? For example, I was recently woken up by an event at a local park testing their sound system by blaring songs from the Bee Gees — what better alarm clock is there than that?!

I have by no means mastered the ability to completely focus on what’s right about Mexico more than what’s wrong yet, but I am working hard at managing my perspective.

I think that by doing so, it goes a long way towards keeping me in good mental health during what are some pretty crazy times in the world today.

As I think more about it, this mindset of course not only applies to living in Mexico, but to living anywhere. I think it might just be a key factor in improving our mental health and being happier people in our daily lives. Think about it, and more importantly, try practicing it!

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

The post A secret to happiness in Mexico, and maybe in life: A perspective from our CEO appeared first on Mexico News Daily

I am excited about Mexico’s future and am hopeful and optimistic that President-elect Sheinbaum will do well in leading the nation. However, I’ve come up with a wish list for her term based on what I think are important issues for the country that she will need to address.

Be a president for all Mexicans

Make it clear with some initial gestures that you will be the president of all Mexicans.  Unfortunately, AMLO’s leadership has been characterized as accelerating the polarization in politics in Mexico. As we have seen in other countries around the world, this is not productive nor healthy for the future of the country. Demonstrate that you will take immediate steps to reduce the polarization in Mexican politics by taking into account important priorities from the opposition candidates.

Make it clear how your leadership will differ from AMLO

On day one, make it clear if and how your leadership and policies will be different than AMLO’s. One of the biggest concerns and complaints from people who disagree with AMLO’s policies is that they think you will be a “puppet of AMLO’s” and not act independently. Be specific in telling us how you will be different.

Be proactive on nearshoring

Recognize the massive opportunity that Mexico has for foreign direct investment (FDI) with the nearshoring trend and make it clear that Mexico is open for business and investment.  Understand that the investment is not guaranteed and must be earned with the trust of businesses, entrepreneurs and investors.

Don’t hold on to the “super peso”

Understand that a strong peso — although politically popular — is not necessarily a good thing for Mexico and many Mexicans. Do not link your administration’s success to the strength of the peso.

Make changes to improve security

Take serious, innovative steps towards improving the security situation in the country.  Understand that there is nothing holding back Mexico’s potential more than both the perception and unfortunate reality of violence throughout the country.

Make Mexico a leader in renewable energy

Be bold with a vision to make Mexico a world leader in solar power generation and water reuse and recycling technologies. Mexico needs to show strong leadership in these areas and every peso invested here will pay tremendous dividends to future generations of Mexicans. Inspire us with your experience and leadership in this area.

Re-engage with the global community

AMLO wrongly pulled back on participating in global leadership gatherings. Mexico’s voice and leadership on global affairs is more important than ever. Be crystal clear on the strategic importance of a strong free trade agreement in which the US, Canada and Mexico are aligned and cooperating on global trade issues, especially in regards to China.

Address infrastructure gaps

The infrastructure investments made in the southeast during AMLO’s term have been impressive. However, there are still significant infrastructure improvements needed in the north and central parts of the country to accelerate nearshoring investments. Not urgently addressing this will ultimately hurt Mexico’s ability to fully take advantage of this opportunity.

Re-think public companies

Reconsider the role of the Mexican government in areas where private enterprise can help fund and accelerate growth. The state-run companies of CFE and Pemex are unfortunate examples of what can go terribly wrong when the government attempts to run companies.  Take a hard look at what can be done to improve these businesses, consider how private investment can help, and reconsider AMLO’s recent moves to have the government involved with building airports, highways and operating Mexicana airlines, etc.

Think big and bold

Inspire confidence from everyone in the country. Surprise your critics with your ability to think and act beyond your political party. Mexico has a historic opportunity given the current geopolitical situation worldwide. It truly is Mexico’s opportunity to shine – but you have to believe it, make all Mexicans believe it and make the world believe it!

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

The post A wish list for President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum from our CEO appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Mexico News Daily’s “Global Mexico” series is dedicated to highlighting the political, economic and cultural relationships between Mexico and other countries around the world. 

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down for a one-on-one meeting with the Japanese ambassador to Mexico, Noriteru Fukushima as part of our “Japan in focus” week. Below I share some highlights and takeaways from our 90-minute conversation about Mexico and Japan, and the future of their relationship. 

1. Ambassador Fukushima was born in Mexico City (in Polanco) and has lived in Mexico multiple times throughout his life. However, Fukushima actually had to give up his Mexican citizenship in order to become Japan’s ambassador. 
2. Mexicans love to travel to Japan. Mexico is the country with the highest percentage increase in tourists to Japan since the pandemic. Currently there are direct flights between Japan and Mexico operated by two airlines, Aeroméxico and All Nippon Airways (ANA).
3. There are more than 7,000 Japanese restaurants in Mexico, ranking fifth among countries with the most Japanese eateries in the world.    
4. The beautiful jacaranda trees that we enjoy every spring in many parts of the country were introduced in the 20th century by two Japanese expats — Tatsugoro Matsumoto and his son Sanshiro — who started a gardening business in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City. 
5. The Japanese are huge fans of Mexican lucha libre wrestling. In fact, there is currently a Japanese luchador wrestling in Mexico named Shigeo Okumura.
6. Mexicans are some of the biggest fans of Japanese anime anywhere in the world — and have been now for many years. On a very personal note, my first job out of college nearly 30 years ago was creating and selling billions (that number is not a typo!) of Tazos to Mexicans of all ages working with the Sabritas company. At one point we were selling over 100 million Tazos per week in Mexico alone. By far the most popular characters were those of Japanese anime.
7. There are currently about 1,500 Japanese companies across many industries with operations in Mexico. This number has increased by over 200 companies in just the past few years. Over 50% of the companies are in the manufacturing sector, including the automotive industry.  
8. There are nearly 10,000 Japanese citizens currently living in Mexico (the 3rd largest population in Latin America after Brazil and Argentina) and around 79,000 Nikkei (people of Japanese descent) who call Mexico home. 
9. The first people-to-people exchange between Mexico and Japan began over 400 years ago — with the first diplomatic relations dating back over 130 years. The first Japanese to arrive in Mexico came to the southern state of Chiapas over 100 years ago to work in the coffee plantations. The next waves came to the states of Coahuila for mining and Baja California for fishing.
10. This year Japan and Mexico celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Japan-Mexico Training Program for the Strategic Global Partnership. Over 5,000 students and young engineers from Mexico and Japan have exchanged through and benefited from this unique government-to-government scholarship program. Many business, academic and government leaders furthered their studies through this program.
11.  Since 1999, Japan has ranked fourth in terms of foreign direct investment in Mexico. Ambassador Fukushima sees huge potential for further investment by Japanese companies in important industries including in the automotive sector. 

Ambassador Fukushima has seen a lot in both countries over the years. He ended our conversation with an optimistic tone and expectations. Optimistic due to the opportunities that lie ahead, the strong historical foundation, and the deep ties of the relationship between the two countries. Mexico has potential and prospects due to its geographic importance in relation to nearshoring.

On a personal level, I have a deep respect for Japanese culture and companies. As a resident of Mexico and a big proponent of a strong Japan-Mexico relationship, I am excited to see what is to come for these two countries. 

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

This article is part of Mexico News Daily’s “Japan in Focus” series. Read the other articles from the series here. 

The post Noriteru Fukushima, Japanese ambassador to Mexico, talks to Mexico News Daily appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Music is everywhere in Mexico. Traveling in a taxi anywhere in the country you’ll often get a mini DJ set — with the taxi driver never considering for a second that you might not want to hear their music. I actually think that many of them secretly take pride in their musical selection for you.

Both Taylor Swift and Madonna on their recent global tours performed more nights in Mexico City than any other city in the world, except for Los Angeles.

The sound of music is everywhere and seemingly enjoyed by everyone.

For Mother’s Day weekend here in San Miguel de Allende, there was a free concert in the town square by the Colombian cumbia group La Sonora Dinamita. Everyone there was singing and dancing — husbands and wives, mothers with their children, grandmothers with their grandchildren — it was magical. Pure bliss under the stars to end an oppressively hot week.

This past weekend was another example of the magic of music in our adopted hometown of San Miguel de Allende. On Friday night, after yet another long day of heat, we walked to the center of our town. In one small plaza in front of a beautiful 18^th century church, a DJ had set up and was playing what can only be described as “cartoonish electronic dance music.”

People of all ages were dressed up as their favorite movie or cartoon characters and were dancing wildly and energetically to the music. I said to my wife: “that’s one way to shake off the stress of a long week — dress up like a Looney Tunes character and go dance like nobody’s watching!”

From that plaza, we walked a few more blocks to the main plaza in town. As is always the case, there were multiple mariachi bands playing to different groups of people. For some reason, it felt like more people were ordering up songs and dancing than usual. Perhaps the heat of the day inspired people in the cool evening to just want to get up and dance.

We saw a large extended family of nearly 20 people in a circle around a mariachi group, with a grandmother dancing away with what must have been her grandson. A sight like that is something truly special to observe. They didn’t just dance for a moment for a photo, but rather for multiple songs, and with the entire family singing and dancing around them.  We sat for at least an hour and enjoyed watching other groups celebrating birthdays and anniversaries with music and dance.

The next morning, which was Saturday, I walked into town to get some fruits and vegetables. Walking by yet another church (SMA has lots of them!), I saw a DJ set up about 100 feet in front of the entrance absolutely blaring Mexican ranchero music. Next to the multiple 2 meter high speakers of the DJ were pictures of the bride and groom about to be married. I wonder if the bride and groom specifically requested this? Or did some crazy uncle or cousin just decide to surprise them upon their arrival at the church for their big day? Either way, it couldn’t help but make me smile.

Later that evening, we went to a “Candlelight concert” at a hotel in town. A quartet of Mexican classical musicians played Coldplay’s greatest hits — surrounded by over 4,000 candles and under the light of the moon and stars. It truly was a wow moment. They played two concerts that night and I was surprised and inspired to see that probably 95% of the attendees were Mexicans of all ages.

On Sunday morning, the musical weekend continued as we were awakened at 7:30 a.m. to music blaring from behind our house at a local park. The DJ was doing a sound check in advance of a race that was to take place at 9 in the morning. The song that woke us up was none other than “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees. I found it fitting — perhaps Mexicans have discovered that the secret to staying alive and happy is in fact listening to lots of music.

For those of you who know Mexico and have traveled a lot to other countries, what do you think? In what other countries of the world, would all of this have happened on one random weekend?

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

The post The magic of music in Mexico: A perspective from our CEO appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The national unemployment rate is at a record low, with many cities and states facing labor shortages. Labor costs have increased from the combination of low unemployment (leading to salary increases), years of higher than normal inflation and President López Obrador’s administration more than doubling the minimum wage since 2018. For many companies, the appreciation of the peso has even further exacerbated the problem.

Of course conceptually, the idea of workers making more money is a good thing — especially in certain parts of Mexico and certain industries that have historically had very low wages.

However, in reality, things are not quite that simple for businesses. It is critical for the increased wages to be accompanied by increased labor productivity. Not getting this balance right results in a workforce that ultimately is not cost-competitive or worse still, in a diminished product or service offered to customers.

In some industries, I have seen encouraging signs of getting it right. Examples include many advanced manufacturing industries like automotive, auto parts, aerospace, and medical devices that are investing in both technology and training to improve the productivity of their workers. I am also optimistic about the investments of productivity enabling companies like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft in Mexico that bring technologies and training to many professional services workers across large and small businesses.

Where I see a concerning trend playing out is with more basic service (think restaurants, hotels, stores) and construction industry workers. Many employers in these sectors in the past have not invested much in technology and training of their workers quite simply because they didn’t need to. Labor was cheap and plentiful and so it was more profitable to have low-cost unskilled workers, than invest in training and technology to improve worker productivity. This is no longer the case, and unfortunately as a result, I am increasingly seeing companies cut back on their work force to save costs. If this is not done in a thoughtful manner, it can result in a lower quality of service being delivered. Let me share an example.

Just this past week I was in Tulum for a few days. Prices there for many goods and services have increased dramatically from where they were historically, and now even relative to many parts of the United States. I increasingly saw businesses that had reduced their labor headcount in an effort to reduce costs. Restaurants, hotels, stores, pretty much everywhere I went, all had fewer employees than there would have been in the past.

Fewer employees that were dedicated to serve customers, keep things clean, do routine maintenance and make for an enjoyable customer experience. The reduced value versus the cost of what I was paying for was painfully apparent — and many of the employees I saw seemed overworked, frustrated and under-trained.

This could create a big problem for these businesses.

If customers don’t perceive value in what they are paying for, they aren’t satisfied and often won’t come back. Think about when you have had a bad restaurant experience somewhere — the odds of you returning go down dramatically.

This isn’t just a “Mexico” or “Tulum” problem. For example, recently Starbucks Inc released sales and profit results globally for the first quarter of the year that hugely disappointed investors. The CEO, on a painful earnings call, explained that they “did a poor job providing value to their customers, and as a result, customer visits were down.”

In other words, they probably raised their prices too much without also raising the customer value by an equal amount. It is critical for a business to get this balance right or they will likely lose customers, sales and profits.

The reaction to this problem is often further cutting costs, which only exacerbates the problem. In defense of business owners, the cost increases have increased so quickly that the problem is not easy to solve. However, it is precisely those businesses that invest in their employees through training and technology, even in relatively low-technology industries, that will survive and thrive.

As I was leaving the Riviera Maya area on our way to the airport, I passed an employee shuttle of the Belmond Maroma hotel on the highway. The employee shuttle was one of the nicest I have ever seen — unlike many employee shuttles throughout Mexico — and clearly was an example of the investment the company is making in their employees.

The shuttle had a slogan written in English, Spanish and Mayan on it: “Our employees are the heart of our company.”

More companies in Mexico will need to start thinking and acting similarly if they are going to survive in these increasingly complicated times.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

The post Is Mexico getting too expensive too fast? appeared first on Mexico News Daily

We talk about how the different pace of life has made us more patient. We share how we have a newfound appreciation for things we didn’t notice before.

But how do we really know if we have actually changed, or if we are just telling ourselves (and others) that we have changed? I present to you: the Mexican Stress Test.

A disclaimer: I just invented the Mexican Stress Test last night — but I do think I am on to something.

My wife and I have had the luck of having the power go out in our home in San Miguel de Allende two of the past three nights. The first time, it was very localized, just the 20 or so homes in our privada. Last night, it was big — basically all of central San Miguel went out, and there were outages reported in 21 states across the country. When the power goes out in our home, it is extra special because it also immediately cuts out our water and internet. So we get the trifecta — an immediate total loss of our power, water, and internet. Oh, and we don’t have a backup generator.

Here is where the Mexican Stress Test comes into effect. The question I would like each of you to ask yourselves is: what do you do when your power goes out at your home?

Be honest with yourself. Do you stress out? Get angry? Call the power company repeatedly until you get a clear answer? I’ll be honest, when I lived in the U.S., I did all of those things.

I truly had a “time is money, I must be efficient, and the power outage is wasting my time and making me inefficient” mindset. I would call the power company, text friends and neighbors to see what they knew and complain to my wife. In summary, I wasted the entire power outage being stressed about the power outage.

In Mexico, I have found that I take the outages totally differently.

Of course, it’s hard to imagine how you will react until it actually happens. Two nights ago, the power went out around 9 p.m. with an exploding transformer that startled us. My wife and I just laughed, sighed and set up a makeshift bed on our ground floor to sleep (as it is relatively cooler than our upstairs bedroom).

We had never done this before, it’s not like we were super prepared to do this, but it just seemed like the logical thing to do at the moment. We slept fine, woke up without power, and walked to a friends house in a nearby neighborhood that had power so we could shower. We bought breakfast at a little coffee shop and by the time we got home by late morning, our power was back!

Tonight’s outage was a bit more dramatic as the power went out all over the city. I was finishing a walk and all of a sudden, boom!, it went out and everyone immediately started coming out of their homes and hanging out on the street.

I needed to buy some water, so I went to the local mini-store to find them still open, lit by a single Coke bottle with a candle in it. I talked to a family in the street, petted an 8-week-old husky puppy for awhile that a woman was playing with in the street, and then headed home to find my wife just laying on top of the bed, in the dark, meditating and thinking.

After making a wager as to how long this particular outage would last, I laid down next to her and we spontaneously started having a strategic brainstorming session about our business — Mexico News Daily.

There we were, in total darkness, with no internet, and with phone signals jammed from so much cellular traffic that there was nothing to do but just talk. Over the period of the next 90 minutes, completely uninterrupted by the many distractions of modern life, we had a wonderful, high-quality discussion about some strategic issues that needed to be addressed.

When the power came back on, we were actually a bit disappointed that it returned so quickly, as we were still deep in thought and conversation.

I can’t say that I hope for another power outage anytime soon, but as I reflect on these two evenings, I am surprised by how calm I was on both occasions. I wasn’t stressed, I wasn’t complaining about what I wasn’t able to do, I just took it in stride, enjoyed the journey, and actually got some great thinking done that I was having trouble getting to when the power was on.

I think I passed this particular Mexican Stress Test. And I feel damn good about it.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

The post The Mexican Stress Test: How do you think you would do? appeared first on Mexico News Daily

I think that, in general, a very good destination with fewer tourists is much better to visit than a “great spot” mobbed by people taking selfies.

I might sound a bit dated in saying this, but travel in the social media era baffles me. I am often astonished at people who seem to care more about their selfie than actually looking at and enjoying the place they are visiting. So many times, I’ve seen people spend significant time and energy trying to get the perfect photo (with themselves in it), and then simply move on to the next selfie spot.

I also have noticed over the years, and increasingly so, that many beautiful spots around the globe are getting a lot more crowded than they used to be. It might still be the post-pandemic travel bounce, or increased accessibility of travel, but it feels like something more than that. These really photogenic places around the globe are shared on social media so voraciously — of course, with absolutely perfect photos — that they’re now crowded with tourists looking to replicate those photos for their own social media accounts.

Part of what makes Mexico so special to me is that you can still find unbelievable places that are unspoiled, beautiful and uncrowded. Of course, they are getting discovered too and receiving more tourists, but they are still years behind the huge crowds of many other tourist hotspots.

With that in mind, I am sharing here five special places in Mexico for anyone looking for nature, adventure and fewer people. It’s still a good idea to follow some tips to avoid crowds even in these less discovered locations.

These destinations most certainly aren’t for everyone – perhaps not for most – as they don’t have the same range of accommodations, they aren’t easy to get to and they might entail some decidedly “unglamorous” moments.

My intention here is of course not to increase mass tourism to these destinations, but rather inspire the truly adventurous out there to add these locations to their bucket lists.

Huasteca Potosina, San Luis Potosí

Never in my life had I stayed in one hotel for 7 consecutive nights until we did here. Seven days straight of pure, unspoiled, uncrowded nature.

Waterfalls, thermal pools, stand-up paddleboarding in a jungle river, whitewater rafting, canoeing, ziplining, waterfall jumping, birdwatching, seeing pumas and jaguars in their natural habitat, I could go on and on.

It’s not fancy, it can be swelteringly hot, but this part of Mexico is a guaranteed awesome natural adventure.

Grutas de Tolantongo, Hidalgo

Imagine over 80 natural hot spring pools in the mountains, each with different temperatures, each with an amazing view, each of which can be enjoyed during the day or under the stars.

An underground spring of hot water feeds this incredible cave and river system. The hotels are 2 stars at best, the food is 1 star at best, but the spot is absolutely epic!

Isla Holbox, Quintana Roo

A 2-3 hour drive from Cancún, Playa del Carmen or Tulum and then a ferry ride out to the island means Isla Holbox is not easy to get to, but it’s worth the effort.

All vehicles on the island are golf carts or smaller. The island is growing fast, but it still has a pace no longer found in most places on the planet.

Strolling in the crystal-clear water on the sandbar that goes on for miles into the ocean is the main activity. It’s a surreal experience to walk so far out into the ocean in ankle- to-knee-deep water — spotting fish, sting-rays, flamingos and more.

Bacalar, Quintana Roo

A 2.5 hour drive south of Tulum, and soon with its own Maya Train stop, Bacalar is increasingly getting discovered and touted as the “Maldives of Mexico.”

Bacalar is actually a large lake that is also known as “the lagoon of 7 colors.”

The water color is stunning, the nature activities amazing, and it’s just now getting discovered. Truly a beautiful and relaxing place to visit.

Puerto Escondido-Mazunte, Oaxaca

This stretch of about 70 kilometers of coastline is still truly wild and undiscovered compared to many beach areas in Mexico.

On these beaches I have been within a few meters of pods of whales, seen thousands of dolphins, taken a small river boat next to giant crocodiles, sat next to hundreds of sea turtles laying eggs, kayaked at dawn with thousands of birds, and released baby sea turtles at sunset.

Each and every one of these wildlife events was truly special and among the top nature experiences I have had in my life. Oaxaca sunsets are stunning, the crashing waves mesmerizing and the beaches are still unspoiled. Throw in the people, the food and the culture, and you have an unbeatable experience.

If you love nature and have a sense of adventure, you can count on enjoying these recommendations. So forget about that selfie, leave the phone in your backpack and get out and explore this amazing country!

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

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Just earlier this week, we reported on how Mexico has received announcements of foreign direct investment (FDI) from January to April 15 of this year totaling more than all FDI recorded in 2023, which was a record year.

We get a lot of questions from readers asking us about the big opportunities for investment in Mexico moving forward, and we try to highlight some of those as well.

Water scarcity is a huge issue across the nation and we have been covering the risks as well as opportunities, and what some companies are doing to help address the problems. We have also covered the automotive, digital services, medical device production, semiconductors and aeronautics industries, which are attracting significant investment.

Other big opportunities that we have written about are in infrastructure, commercial, residential and industrial real estate, as well as in agricultural production. Just recently the CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico, Pedro Casas, highlighted 4 key growth industries in an article he wrote for Mexico News Daily.

A significant opportunity that I think is still in its infancy is the senior health care services industry.

Many people have asked me for my thoughts on this topic, specifically regarding the areas of senior living and care, as well as medical tourism. I don’t have expertise in these industries, and so far, our coverage has been limited to a recent article we did on Mexico’s first hospice care clinic, which is opening soon in San Miguel de Allende.

However, it is an intriguing topic for many reasons. Today there are at least 1.6 million U.S. citizens and over 12,000 Canadians already living in Mexico — many of them are retirees. Many more are coming every day. Many have been in Mexico for years and have no plans to go back to live elsewhere. As we all know, providing safe and affordable health care services is already a major concern in many parts of the U.S. and Canada.

Rapidly rising costs — from the products and services themselves, to the real estate, to labor — have all contributed to the skyrocketing total costs of care. To make matters worse, since the pandemic, many hospitals have been struggling with labor shortages that make it difficult in many areas to provide the care needed.

Surprisingly, there are very limited options for senior living and senior care in Mexico focused on the foreign market. I have heard of assisted living facilities focused on serving seniors in places like San Miguel de Allende, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Chapala/Ajiiic.  However, these types of specialized services being done in Mexico have their own challenges — language barriers, staff training, on-site specialized medical care, and healthcare insurance — just to name a few.

Mexico seems like a very logical answer to many of these problems considering that the country has a relatively young and well-trained workforce. In addition, the costs of everything from labor to real estate are often significantly lower. The ability to have 24-hour care in most parts of Mexico is far more economically viable. Mexicans culturally are accustomed to very close extended and multi-generational families. As a result, it is a culture that is known for a high degree of respect, warmth, care and empathy towards elders.

Most people I speak with who have had experiences with Mexican doctors, nurses, and health care providers overwhelmingly have nothing but positive things to say about the quality of care that they have received.

Health care is arguably one of the most complicated industries on the planet, so I am not saying that this opportunity would be easy. As with any business idea, it comes with significant risks and challenges. Building and managing adequate facilities with the properly trained staff in Mexico would not be inexpensive or risk-free. But the opportunity is too big to not gain more attention from the business and investment community.

Based on what I hear from talking to expats around the country, this is a large and growing market that is here to stay; there is a significant market need; and supply is extremely limited.

Let’s hope that some bright entrepreneurs and business folks go after it, as demand for these services increases.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

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