Please provide a little introduction about yourself and when and why you decided to start your blog

I am Isabella, a 45-year-old from Italy who love cats with a passion. Unfortunately, I can’t have my own because I love to travel. So I house-sit when I can which allows me to spend some time with the furry pets.

I have always had the travel bug in me but I had a late wakeup call as I was very shy and insecure until the end of my twenties. When I turned 30 I realized I didn’t want to live in Italy anymore because I always felt better abroad and not because I was on vacation. It was just a different energy so I found an opportunity and left Italy. After that move, opportunities kept coming one after another, always right when I was ready for a change. The decision to start a blog was one of those opportunities.

A couple of years ago I was tired of my office job and I was looking around to find a way to make a living as a freelancer or a way to have my own business. It didn’t really matter what it was - all I wanted was to be able to work from anywhere and have my own schedule. I decided to start a blog because I have been to so many amazing places in the Caribbean and Mexico and I wanted other people to enjoy them too. I wasn’t really considering making a business out of it; I just wanted to inspire people to travel.

However, during these past months, I realized that writing a blog requires a lot of time, effort and money as well. Therefore, I felt like I was sort of authorized to make it a business, that it would still be ethical to earn money with it. Therefore a few months ago I started to work on it like it was a business, but without losing authenticity.

How long have you been in Mexico and in Cancun? How long do you plan on living there?

I have lived in Mexico for 8 years and I just left last year to start my never-ending journey across Latin America and the rest of the world. I am still in Mexico, but it’s such a big country and there is so much to see.

Where did you live at before coming to and Mexico?

I was living in Antigua, the beautiful Caribbean island - where the beach is just the beginning.

What made you decide to move to Mexico?

In Antigua - where I was living for about 2 years - I was working in a hotel and didn’t like it. I needed a change and while I was looking around and deciding what to do, this opportunity came up, thanks to a close friend of mine who was leaving his job for a personal reason and thought of me as his replacement. I did the interview and I was hired. I will be forever grateful to him.

Do you have temporary residency or a work visa? If so, what was the visa process like?

I have a permanent residency now. However, the process depends on your origin country. For me, I had to apply for a working visa every year for 5 years. My company sponsored it each year and after 5 years I was entitled to a permanent residency.

How do you make a living?

At the moment, I live mostly on my savings, but am working on two projects in which I hope will provide me with a salary in 6 months. In the meantime, I do freelance work as a content writer and social media manager. But I don’t take huge loads of work as my other two projects keep me busy enough and I also want to take the time to enjoy the journey. I also house sit, which I love because it allows me to live with cats and dogs. While I am writing this I am one week closer to my next assignment which will be in Puerto Vallarta looking after 20 cats 1 dog. I can’t wait!

What is the average cost of living in Cancun, Mexico?

That’s a very difficult question because it depends on your living standard. A decent house can go anywhere from 5000 pesos a month for a 1 bedroom in downtown to 35,000 Pesos a month for 2 bedrooms beachfront.

What have you learned since moving to Mexico?

I am supposed to have learned to be patient but I am still working on it.

Seriously, if there is one thing I have learned is that you can do only so much, up to your own capability and therefore there is no point of getting upset or disappointed if people don’t meet your expectations. We have no control over that. We can only change our expectations or avoid having them at all. If you learn that you will live happier. I am not sure whether I learned this from living in Mexico or from a book. But either way, I am glad I did.

What is your favorite thing about being an expat in Cancun, Mexico?

For me, it’s being an expat in itself that makes me feel good because I know that I am not in one place forever. I have a nomadic heart and I need to move every now and then. I stayed so long in Cancun just because I was traveling for work so much, so I didn’t feel “stuck”.

What’s the worst thing about being an expat in Mexico?

When you fly to Cancun at the immigration you need to go through the tourist line, and it’s normally the longest. Not a big deal, but still…

What do you miss most about home?

My family and friends, but once I know they are well, I am fine.

Do you speak Spanish fluently? What has the language learning process been like?

Yes, I do, but I studied the basics in University and then I refreshed my vocabulary once I moved to Cancun. It was easy to pick it up.

What customs/habits have you found to be the most different from your own culture or have found to be the most difficult to adjust to?

The spicy food, finding it difficult to find vegan food if you can’t find a vegan restaurant (only in Cancun) as well as the bank phone customer service - I just can’t get over this last one.

How do you feel that the local people see you? Are you treated any differently?

Sometimes I sadly realize that I am looked at as “the foreigner” the one with the money, which is the way people normally look at tourists. It’s very uncomfortable, but it’s mainly a thing in Cancun and Riviera Maya, not in other places throughout Mexico. When I started traveling I loved that people appreciated that somebody from a foreign country was enjoying and appreciating their city, state or country. They went out of their way to deliver information and suggestions on where to go and what to visit. I loved it.

What is a myth about your adopted country?

That it’s a third world country. It’s not or I don’t feel that it is, and in the cities at least. Mexico City, for example, is more developed in technology, art, and business than many cities in western countries.

What is your favorite dish in Cancun Mexico?

Well, since I am vegan, I would say Guacamole!

Where have you traveled to in Mexico? What is your favorite part of Mexico and why?

Wow, this is such a difficult question to respond to. I have been to Veracruz and visited many towns and cities there, Querétaro, Chihuahua, Baja California, and I am now in Michoacán. I will be traveling to Jalisco and Oaxaca next.

I have loved absolutely everywhere I’ve traveled and probably one of my favorite cities was Querétaro, for two reasons: the diversity of the territory and the food. For being such a small state it encompasses such a variety of territory: the capital city is a real gem full of history and culture, the pretty Pueblos Magicos and further east you have the Sierra Gorda which is full of secret natural and historical places to discover. The food in Querértaro provides such a variety of dishes suitable for vegans and in Santiago de Querétaro they have a huge vegan awareness, more than I expected.

However, I would like to reinforce that every state his own charm, Baja California has whale watching, moonlike scenery with cacti and red rocks. Chihuahua has the Barranca del Cobre and the Tarahumara. Durango had so many amazing surprises, full of history and culture. Veracruz with the amiability of the people, I believe to be the friendliest and most loving of all Mexico, not to mention Mexico City, the cradle of culture. I would love to live in Mexico City for a while to be inspired. I would just have to deal with traffic.

What advice would you give someone when traveling or moving to Cancun or Mexico in general?

Everybody thinks that when you go abroad, especially in the Caribbean - that it is all sun, beach, and fun. However, unless you are retired or you don’t need to work, you will still have to face the paperwork and hustle. Maybe more than in your own country because you will always be an expatriate here and you will have even more paperwork to take care of, but to me, it’s all worth it.

Any fun facts about culture or life in Cancun, Mexico?

Cancun has always been seen as a very touristy place; to party and drink like there is no tomorrow in the all-inclusive high-end resorts and in fact it could be just that. However, if you look better (which I write about on my blog) there are many activities and things that you can do that will take you closer to the “real life”. One of which is kayaking in the Nichupte lagoon either at sunrise or sunset - a beautiful experience to do birdwatching and exercising; or visit the archeological sites of El Meco or El Rey. Some more options are going to Playa Blanca, visiting the archeological museum or shopping at a local market. Cancun is a whole world to discover.

What are your travel plans for 2018?

As I mentioned I will be in Puerto Vallarta for the month of June, then I am planning to finally leave Mexico after visiting Oaxaca and Chiapas in July. In August I’ll be going to Guatemala and continuing to move southwards. I am very excited, although I will miss Mexico; I know that it is now time to leave home and see what’s out there.

You can read more about Isabella’s travels on her blog Boundless Roads or follow her on her Facebook or Instagram.

---