Moving to Mexico has changed our lives and provided us with a way to enjoy the passions we never had time to pursue. My husband loves to golf and I’m writing a novel. Because of the lower cost of living, we are able to afford both a maid and a gardener and live in a nice home.

I'll tell you about how we chose the location we settled in, and the best way of finding your "perfect" location for retiring. Maybe it will be the beach, or one of the beautiful colonial cities. Maybe it will be the central highlands, near Lake Chapala, where we decided to put down our gringo roots.

When I broached the subject with my husband, the first words out of his mouth were "Move to Mexico, are you crazy? I can't believe you would consider leaving the United States." Now, he's the first person to tell everyone who will listen about our Mexican lifestyle and how great early retirement is.

Prior to our fact finding trip to Mexico, we outlined our criteria. Then we researched and talked to others who had made the decision to move to Mexico. We made our arrangements, selected a B & B on the internet and packed.

Ann, the owner of (Casita Montana BB) was so helpful and even invited friends of hers in to have breakfast so they could relay their experiences with us. Then she set us up with a realtor who showed us the different areas that she thought we might like to live in.

We had planned to rent a car and travel to a couple other locations that were of interest to us, but we fell so in love with the Lake Chapala area that we stayed here the entire time.

We rented a home and gave ourselves six months to develop a lifestyle that was acceptable to us. We wanted access to cultural activities and the ability to live in the villages with the Mexican people, even though we didn't speak the language. The Mexican people in this area are anxious to practice speaking English so they are patient and understanding with the expats.

We found exactly what we were looking for here in Mexico and the last three years have been a wonderful experience for us. I will be introducing you to others who have made this same decision, and I’ll tell you about their backgrounds and their lifestyles. You'll be amazed at the interesting people we interact with every day.

You'll also learn what not to do--we probably made every mistake there was to make. I'll show you the correct way to go about moving to Mexico.

Of course, retiring in Mexico isn't for everyone. The buildings are old and constantly in a state of repair. Some visitors confuse old with unclean, but nothing could be farther from the truth.

The Mexican people, as a whole, are neat and tidy, both in their dress and in their lifestyle. They are continually sweeping (even the cobblestone streets) and washing and painting in an effort to maintain and improve their properties.

The people of Mexico are more laid back and not as sensitive to schedules as Americans, which frustrates us expats at times. Also, the quality of some of the products made here in Mexico cannot be compared to the quality of products in the states. To me, these is part of international living.

If you're looking for a different lifestyle, whether as a vacation place or a retirement location, Mexico must have something to offer because over 1,000,000 expats now live here.

Join me, and I’ll help you get the information you need in order to make an intelligent decision about your retirement in Mexico.

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