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fAIM-ADVENTURES
IN MEXICO is unique in the newsletter world for its longevity.
Where once a dozen newsletters about Mexico vied for readership,
it now stands almost alone in its 34th year of publication.
We have visited and reported on over 60 towns and cities
in Mexico and we are the only Mexico publication that
is 100% advertising free.
Each
4-page issue (emailed bi-monthly) is packed with the information
you need to decide whether a location is right for you
-- weather, altitude, interviews with foreign residents,
costs of services, quality of healthcare, hotels, housing,
restaurants, general vibe, etc.
Since
1972, our concept has been to make our readers the best
informed travelers and transplants to Mexico. (See
readers' comments and judge how we're doing.)
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Read
Excerpt: Issue 200, Aug/Sept 2005, pg. 2
THE ECONOMICS OF CONTEMPORARY
MEXICAN RETIREMENT
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ffffRecently
AIM attended a symphony concert (nationally prominent
Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s
Fifth) at a premier modern concert hall. Educational
television was broadcasting the concert. Attendees
included the city elite, arriving in every model
luxury car and taxi, elegant dress, much jewelry.
There were elaborate floral arrangements, elegant
bar — a typical Mexico high culture event.
Tickets were $13. Upon exit, a public relations
firm passed out questionnaires to the guests —
what they liked, would like to see more of, opinions
on ticket-pricing, etc.
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ffffThe
questionnaire concluded with a family income
survey. You checked a box for the range of
your monthly income. The top family bracket
was (converted to U.S. dollars) $27,000 a
year! Now this is just like the income bracket
questionnaires we see in the United States,
where the top bracket is at least “above
$50,000” if not “above $75,000.”
The implication is clear: the symphony attending
class in Mexico is living on half or one-third
the income as the same class in the United
States. This is a good start to understanding
relative lifestyle costs between Mexico and
the U.S. It’s possible to live darn well
— nearly at the top in Mexico —
on one-third to onehalf of the income you
need in the United States.
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Read
Excerpt: Issue 206, Aug./Sept. 2006, pg. 1
TEPIC,NAYARIT:GROWING
WEST COAST TOWN
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD
ffffffSiren-song
attractive as they may be, Mexico’s prime
retirement havens such as San Miguel de Allende,
Guadalajara/Lake Chapala, Cuernavaca and others
all lie at altitudes many retirees simply
cannot take. All over 5,000 ft., with San
Miguel, Guanajuato and Morelia over 6,000
and Pátzcuaro over 7,000, the air is
just too low in oxygen for their respiratory
systems to cope. Thus, over the years many
subscribers have asked us, “Where are
some good places at lower altitudes, but not
on the coast where it is too hot and humid?”
Surprisingly, there are not that many suitable
places and not surprisingly - we are going
to tout Tepic as one of the best choices.
Yes, Xalapa is nice, but it is still pretty
high; Colima’s nice too, but too low,
thus hot and humid. Tepic, at 3,100 feet,
has filled the bill for several retirees.
Yes, hot at times, but no hotter than Guadalajara.
Humid? That too, but not as humid as the coast.
In winter the higher altitude places can be
bitterly cold (we’ve seen it snow in
Guadalajara) while Tepic’s brief “winter”
is mild, another plus.
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Read
Excerpt: Issue 207, Oct./Nov. 2006, pg. 1
VALLE DE BRAVO
— COOL,MOUNTAINOUS ESCAPE,
AND NOT JUST A VALLE DE RICH-FOLKS
ffffffAIM
spent 30 years avoiding Valle de Bravo out
of fear that the monied people, mostly rich
Mexicans, would have priced us out of the
area and we’d spend our time looking
at Distrito Federal license plates on cars
that cost more than we’d spend on a whole
house. We were afraid the restaurants wouldn’t
want to seat us and we’d find no place
to sleep we could afford. We saw the photo
spreads of Valle de Bravo luxury homes published
in porfolios of famous architects and thought
of it as Valle de Rich-os. But Valle de Bravo
isn’t like that at all. It is welcoming,
easy to walk, accessibly priced, really pleasant
and not at all spoiled for being a tourist
destination. It offers an unusual range of
experience from colonial charm to international
glitz in a compact setting.
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Read
Excerpt: Issue 199, June/July 2005, pg. 1
XALAPA,
CAPITALOF VERACRUZ, VERDANT AND CULTURED
“CITYOF FLOWERS”
ffffffMillions
of foreigners come to Mexico each year. Most
are tourists, of course, but many are checking
out retirement possibilities and a number
probably in the low thousands have come to
stay. Baja California is said to have some
40,000 full- or part-time Americans and Canadians.
The entire West Coast littoral, from Puerto
Peñasco to Huatulco, has foreign retirees
whose total numbers reach into the thousands
(AIM has reported on at least 20 of these
beaches, large and small). Money-laden thousands
have retired in well-publicized San Miguel
de Allende and the Guadalajara/Lake Chapala
area. At the other extreme, there are retirees
in far-flung, little-known towns all over
the country. Just in Veracruz AIM had subscribers
in Tuxpan, Jaltipán, Coatzacoalcos
and Boca del Río – and we met
foreigners in Catemaco. Compostela, Rincón
de Guaybitos, Los Cocos, Novillero, Sayulita
and San Francisco in Nayarit have their gringos,
as does Teacapán, the sand-pit tail
end of Sinaloa. One expects to find some in
the small towns on the south side of Lake
Chapala, but would you believe there’s
a gringa in the tiny town of Santa María
Atlihuetzián in the tiny state of Tlaxcala?
fffffIn
between are the kinds of places AIM loves
to visit and we have reported on about 30
of them, from Alamos to Zacatecas. Each with
its handful or hundreds of foreigners, each
with its own special attractions, each with
its own level of shopping, activities, medical
services, etc. And most of them places that
make you wonder why they haven’t attracted
a great many more retirees. AIM’s editors
and writers live in such places and love them.
Xalapa is another such place of great potential.
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"I
have been reading AIM for many years. I strongly
suspect that of all the country-specific newsletters
being written today that AIM is far and away the
very best."
DB - San Francisco, CA |
"We
appreciate every single issue and cannot think
of anything you have overlooked. Many times you
seem to be writing just for us.... Your real affection
for the country and its wonderful mix of people
comes through in your articles. You're one of
the good guys. K&JH |
"We
thoroughly enjoy AIM. We lived in Mexico, on a
mountain top, for almost two years. Your writings
are the most accurate we have seen thus far.
HCH - Crossett, AR
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"Through
your eyes, as a result of your travels and documentation,
I am able to picture many of the places throuout
Mexico. ...next Spring I am planning to move to
Guadalajara."
HLN - Irving, TX |
"It
may interest you to know that my retired military
friends here in Europe await AIM almost as eagerly
as I do. I let them read my copy but I make them
give it back."
GG - MSG USA, Retired |
"My
companion died in 1990 and I've only been to Mexico
once since then. I had thought I didn't want to
move to Mexico alone but your newsletter is renewing
my interest..." BH |
| "I
haven't had such a good laugh in years! Keep on
telling it like it is." J&A |
"I'm
a junior college writing teacher and I use your
newletter for an example of top-notch writing."
EC |
| "You
put more pertinent information on four pages on
a given area than the travel books cover in a
chapter. It is just great!" MJW
- Clearwater, FL |
"We
continue to enjoy your articles particularly on
the smaller less expensive areas." T&JH
- New Smyrna Beach, FL |
| "I
am happy to announce that we purchased a beautiful
home in ...Veracruz. I am writing this to thank
you, and to let you know that the straight forward
information in your newsletter helped make our
decision possible." RAR
- Burien, WA |
"Thank
you so much for publishing this newletter, it
has meant a great deal to me. I look forward with
bated breath every two months! It's like visiting
Mexico without leaving my apt. I love your style
and wit! " SL - Bronx,
NY |
| "It's
an inspiring delight to find and AIM in our mailbox."
D&KB - Haiku, Maui, HI |
"
..it keeps my hopes and dreams alive." |
| "Just
seven more years till I retire. AIM helps me 'Keep
Hope Alive.'" RS |
...It
is the only one worth keeping for years and years."
BM - Portland, OR |
"your
newsletter is superior to all - literate, funny,
filled with information and respectful of Mexican
culture."
PG - Albany, NY |
"...As
we prepare for a changing lifestyle I am sure
that my folder of AIMs will shape our decisions.
Thank you."
G&JK - Bemidji, MN |
"I
bought all kinds of books and travel guides and
nothing has helped put me at ease until I found
AIM and got the real skinny about whats going
on where..."
JA - Pomona, CA |
| "My
husband and I have traveled in Mexico for 12 years
and have been to many places, always on our own,
using public transportation usually, and finding
real bargain lodgings. We think Mexico is great
for scenery, ruins, climate and friendly, charming
people.... I have tried several other newsletters
on Mexico and read various travel magazines but
your information is the best." NW
- Stillwater, MN |
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"A
very good newsletter, targeted towards lovers
of Mexico, is Adventures in Mexico, published
six times yearly, and filled with pithy hotel,
restaurant, touring, and real estate information
for independent travelers and retirees seeking
the 'real' Mexico."
Bruce Whipperman
Pacific Mexico Handbook |
"If
you're contemplating a long-term stay in Mexico...
[read]... AIM, a well-edited bi-monthly 'Newsletter
on Retirement and Travel' that devotes a lot
of space to analyzing and comparing prices in
various Mexican cities."
Joe Commings
Northern Mexico Handbook |
"The
newsletter is brightly written, no nonsense,
brutally honest, illuminating for both prospective
travelers and retiree, four pages full of facts
and good humor."
Charles N. Barnard
Modern Maturity
(now AARP Magazine) |
"I
highly recommend subscribing to AIM..."
Peter A. Dickinson,
Travel and Retirement Edens Abroad |
"The
AIM newsletter is a reader-friendly publication
chock full of useful info on such matters as
hotels, restaurants and real estate
in Mexico."
Tilden Hayes,
Mexico City News |
"Highly
recommended for a concise description of life,
rents and commodity prices in various towns
and cities of Mexico ...just what the potential
Mexican resident would like to know."
Helmut Schlundt,
Living Easy in Mexico |
"AIM
is one of the best..."
Chicki Mallan,
Central Mexico Handbook |
"AIM's
is a great little publication; their dandy,
bi-monthly newsletter is chock-full of real
costs of real folks ...written in a lively style
about well-known places, out-of-the-way spots,
restaurants and hotels"
Mike Nelson,
Sanborn's Mexico Club Newsletter |
"The
AIM Newsletter serves up a valuable, information-packed
four pages every other month...gives a range
of pros and cons from the editor's personal
experience and perspective...its style is both
folksy and authoritative in the best sense of
those terms ... reassuringly accurate and up-to-date."
Robin Frames
Albuquerque
Journal |
"To
get the lowdown on the expat scene in Mexico
today we contacted... the highly literate Adventures
in Mexico Newsletter."
Ben
Stein & Phil DeMuth
"Yes,
You Can Still Retire Comfortably" |
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AIM
Accepts No Advertising
AIM
has been reporting first hand observations for over 30 years
and accepts no advertisements, all our opinions are strictly
our own.
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