Choose Mexico: A Review

Travel, Investment, and Living Opportunities for Every Budget:the subtitle of this updated classic by John Howells and Don Merwin sums up its contents well. General information is followed by comments on different places. If you want to read one book on this topic, Choose Mexico is my favorite.

Hmmm, I just called Don Adams' Head for Mexico second only to The Peoples' Guide to Mexico... guess I'd better call it a tie for second between Head for Mexico and Choose Mexico.

I think Choose Mexico is stronger in the realms of real estate buying and investment, while Adams says more about renting. Choose Mexico is more compact and less of a wild ride than Head for Mexico. (I also review Live Better South of the Border in Mexico and Adapter Kit Mexico, and I personally would put them after these two.)

I like Howells' and Merwin's city-by-city comments on areas where expats live, plus their ideas on where expats might enjoy living. My own sense is that more North Americans will be moving to Mexico, and so some of the places that this book describes as off the beaten track may not stay that way. The book is somewhat oriented to retirement, but not entirely.

I also like their succinct description of Mexican history compared with U.S. and Canadian history, and how the differences have affected our modern cultures.

Contents include:

Why Choose Mexico?

Finances in Mexico

Real Estate Opportunities

Cultural Differences at Home

Living with Mexican Laws

Staying Healthy South of the Border

Getting Around Mexico

Where North Americans Live

For the More Adventurous

Business Opportunities

Mexico on the Internet

Questions and Answers

Will You Love It?

John Howells is a travel writer who has written many Choose... titles. I've read several of them and I enjoy his upbeat style. Don Merwin has collaborated with Howells on this and at least one other travel book.

Be sure you get the most recent edition of Choose Mexico. Many of the vendors who list the book at a discount through Amazon may well be selling earlier editions, and it isn't always easy to tell. (That's my librarian's eye again.)