Temporary Relocation to Mexico

[fightforlove]

I am a US Citizen interested in living in Guadalajara, Mexico for several weeks. I'd want to get a short-term apartment with internet access.

So, for those who are familiar with Mexico, please help me prepare a checklist of things I need to get in order to make this happen. I have a US Passport. Do I need a temporary residence or travel Visa for Mexico? Do I need a job of some sort?

How easy will it be to find short-term (like month-to-month or 3 months or so) living quarters in GDL?

Also, what about Banking? How does one keep a cash flow with their American bank while temporarily living abroad?

[sentinel89]

I'm in Guadalajara now. You can stay at a decent posada for about $450 a month, most will have WiFI access. There's plenty of places that will let you stay nightly, weekly, monthly, etc. I recommend staying in El Centro, because when it rains, the center of the city doesn't flood like the rest. Also, keep that in mind, if you come during the summer, you'll be here during the rainy season. DO NOT GET CAUGHT IN THE RAIN. It rains VERY HARD here, and it when it rains, it can be almost impossible to find a cab driver. Even if you do, what would be a 20 minute trip could take hours because half of the roads close and traffic moves about 1 inch every couple of minutes during a storm. Also, it may even be difficult to find shelter. So don't go far from your hotel at night (it mostly rains at night). As for temporary visa, you'll fill that out on the plane, provided by the airliner, and it will get stamped by customs when you get here. I believe you can stay for 3 months on a temporary visa.

One other note if you are coming here for the women.... Mexican women are better than American/Canadian/Australian/etc. BUT, I can't emphasize more, DO NOT EXPECT quality comparable to Colombia. Mexico actually rivals the U.S. when it comes to % obese.

[sentinel89]

I forgot to mention. Tell your bank you are going to Mexico before you come. You should be able to use almost any Mexican ATM that will convert USD to Mexican Pesos and give you Mexican Pesos. You'll get a withdrawal fee, but who cares, you're only staying for a month. If you are staying for more than a month, it may be worth it to open a bank account down here. Make sure to bring cards from multiple banks just in case you leave one in an ATM or something.

[Jester]

I'm in Guadalajara now. You can stay at a decent posada for about $450 a month, most will have WiFI access. There's plenty of places that will let you stay nightly, weekly, monthly, etc. I recommend staying in El Centro, because when it rains, the center of the city doesn't flood like the rest. Also, keep that in mind, if you come during the summer, you'll be here during the rainy season. DO NOT GET CAUGHT IN THE RAIN. It rains VERY HARD here, and it when it rains, it can be almost impossible to find a cab driver. Even if you do, what would be a 20 minute trip could take hours because half of the roads close and traffic moves about 1 inch every couple of minutes during a storm. Also, it may even be difficult to find shelter. So don't go far from your hotel at night (it mostly rains at night). As for temporary visa, you'll fill that out on the plane, provided by the airliner, and it will get stamped by customs when you get here. I believe you can stay for 3 months on a temporary visa.

One other note if you are coming here for the women.... Mexican women are better than American/Canadian/Australian/etc. BUT, I can't emphasize more, DO NOT EXPECT quality comparable to Colombia. Mexico actually rivals the U.S. when it comes to % obese.

Sentinel, thanks for the info. You cant get this stuff anywhere else on the web.

Re Colombia that is VERY valuable info becaue GDL is the place in MX that most would go for quality women. (Yes I do know about Hermosillo and Culiacan, but I am just talking about well-known places here.)

So anyway if MX is out and CO is in -- where in CO were you, and where do you recommend?

Also - what is a posada? A bed and breakfast, or a motel, or a hostel, or what?

[sentinel89]

I was in Bogota and Barranquilla. Both were great quality as far as women go IMO. However, almost everyone says Medellin is the best city in Colombia for women, so keep that in mind. Some Colombians told me that Medellin is the best city in general, as well. It's the cleanest and most modern city in Colombia, and its a little cheaper to stay there than in Bogota.

A posada is just an inn/hotel. The one I'm staying at has a kitchen as a common area, where guests can store food in a large refrigerator and cook whenever they want. I usually just eat out because its cheap. But, I have my own room and shower. It has air conditioning in the rooms and WIFI. Many people stay at hotels for months at a time down here. You can also rent apartments by the day in most places in Latin America.. So that is another option.

[Jester]

A posada is just an inn/hotel. The one I'm staying at has a kitchen as a common area, where guests can store food in a large refrigerator and cook whenever they want. I usually just eat out because its cheap. But, I have my own room and shower. It has air conditioning in the rooms and WIFI. Many people stay at hotels for months at a time down here. You can also rent apartments by the day in most places in Latin America.. So that is another option.

Thanks.

How would you go about locating this exact arrangement - a posada exactly as you described?