International travel is back. In 2023, the number of global air passengers reached nearly 8.5 billion, or 27 percent above 2022 levels, and 94 percent when compared to 2019 figures, according to Airports Council International (ACI).
01.04.2024 - 03:57 / forbes.com / Can I (I) / Will I (I) / Mark Twain
As the owner of one of the leading companies that move our clients used household goods to Mexico, in addition to being asked about the procedure for moving household goods, I get asked all sorts of questions about what it’s like to live in Mexico, such as:
What’s the weather like?
Answer: Hot at the beach in the summer and pretty ideal in the Highlands pretty much all year.
Will I be killed by cartel members?
Answer: There’s a good chance you won’t. In my entire time in Mexico, I haven’t yet been killed by cartel members, not even once. The same is true for my wife; she’s still alive. And neither of us had any issues with violence, whatsoever, either. Why not? Two reasons: 1) we’re Americans, and as such, we’re a protected class; and 2) more importantly, we have not been involved with the drug trade, also not even once.
Can I have a better lifestyle than I do in the US on the same amount of money?
Answer: Your lifestyle can be much, much better in Mexico for the same amount of money as in the US or Canada.
I also get asked about the healthcare in Mexico and over the last several years, I had some personal experience, but nothing like a surgery where they put you under general anesthetic.
It was Mark Twain who said, “Nothing so focuses the mind as the prospect of being hanged.”
The same could also be said about one’s answer about almost anything in the abstract when the reality is about to happen. Like, for example, giving glib answers about the healthcare in Mexico in the abstract without ever experiencing a more involved surgery oneself.
That was about to change.
How would I answer the question about healthcare after I had a more serious surgery?
Upon hearing that I needed the surgery, would I panic and want to go back to the US?
No, I wouldn’t.
We live about half of the year at Lake Chapala, which has, as a major benefit, the healthcare facilities of Guadalajara about 45 minutes to an hour and a half away, and these facilities are known for their very modern, very high-quality care. It’s one of the reasons why we live here. While I am not an expert, and relative to personal experience (luckily) I can’t speak with authority about the quality of the healthcare in other areas of Mexico, I assume that Mexico City and most of the major expat areas have good quality healthcare, including Merida, in the Yucatan, which is also known for very good care.
When I was growing up in the Los Angeles area, I had a friend who went to medical school in Guadalajara and then practiced in the US. He was a pretty good doctor, so that was a good sign.
Other good signs were pretty much everything else I heard about the healthcare here, especially for people like you and me.
Why do I write “for people like you and
International travel is back. In 2023, the number of global air passengers reached nearly 8.5 billion, or 27 percent above 2022 levels, and 94 percent when compared to 2019 figures, according to Airports Council International (ACI).
Passing over the Atlas Mountains in 1925, the French military photographer Marcelin Flandrin spotted a Barbary lion walking through the sand. Flandrin had flown the route often enough to realize that the sighting was uncommon. He took a picture, which he published as a postcard sold to travelers visiting Casablanca.
The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) joined representatives from ITA Airways and the Consul General of Italy in Chicago to celebrate the launch of the carrier’s new service from O’Hare International Airport to Rome-Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino International Airport (FCO) in the Italian capital.
It’s not the longest flight ever available, but it’s long enough.
Holland America Line is celebrating a pair of sustainable seafood certifications—one from the Marine Stewardship Council, and the other from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
An Austrian Airlines plane sustained some severe damage after crashing into a jet bridge.
With more than 300 sunny days per year, daytime temps that rarely dip below 65, and an armada of resorts, Phoenix, Arizona is a great getaway for any group gathering that prioritizes pool time, day drinking, and a few rounds of golf. But the city's appeal goes deeper: The area's natural beauty inspired designers and artists like Frank Lloyd Wright, Maxfield Parrish, and Paolo Soleri. And despite its enormous growth (the metro area topped 5 million last year), the increasingly diverse city still retains a frontier spirit: Newcomers are reinventing everything from its food scene to its art circuit, making Phoenix one of America's best under-the-radar destinations.
A passenger aboard a New Zealand Air flight from Auckland to Sydney has been fined for urinating into a cup during a delay in deplaning.
The magic of hospitality is staying in a place that isn’t anything like home. A castle, a treehouse, a farm, a yurt: all such places promise an escape from the every day, especially when combined with luxury flourishes that boggle the mind. I am still wondering how ice showed up in the Gobi desert at the Three Camels Lodge in Mongolia or how blueberries came to be served at breakfast at the Explora Lodge on Easter Island. Or, in the case of the Four Seasons in Madrid, how a hotel combined seven historic properties into one sensational art destination.
Washington state encompasses such a large and varied terrain that, depending on your travel plans, your budget could either be rock-bottom or luxury – or a combination of both.
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in almost 25 years shook the island of nearly 24 million people at 7:58 a.m. local time on Wednesday, causing buildings to crash, landmarks to crumble, and landslides to topple roadways and train tracks. As of press time, there are 10 reported deaths, as well as 1,099 people injured, 705 trapped, and 11 missing, according to an update from Taiwan’s Fire Agency posted Thursday morning.
You can listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify each week. Follow this link if you're listening on Apple News.