Guess What? I'm Leaving Mexico for Good!

It was a tough decision to make.

If you followed this newsletter from its early days, you’ve likely heard this tune before. In the spring of 2022, I said I was leaving Mexico for good to build a tiny home in New Mexico. I was pretty excited about the new adventure, but the real estate developer thwarted my plans.

So, I returned to Rocky Point.

Now, I’m leaving for the second time. And this time, I mean it — I think.

How did I end up in Mexico?

In 2021, I planned a family trip to Rocky Point. After a year of being on the road, I was seeing my parents for the first time. I spent the summer in Wyoming and Colorado; then, I made a beeline for the border in the fall. My family flew in from Atlanta, GA, and we had a great two weeks together.

After my parents left, I decided I would stay for another month. That turned into another month … and another month. I have lived in Mexico ever since and eventually moved from the mainland to Baja.

The only breaks were:

• Leaving for 5 months in 2022 to build the dome home

• Two trips to Spain this year

Why am I leaving?

I attend an online university and have proctored exams. I will sit these exams online, and someone will monitor me via a webcam. If the internet cuts out while I’m doing the test, that is the end of the exam.

As you all know, my experience has been that the internet is the Achilles' heel of Mexico. I’ve written several articles and newsletters about my internet struggles here. There are definitely some places that have reliable, fast connections. But locals and expats agree that those are the exceptions, not the rule.

Where am I going?

I started my tiny home journey at the end of 2018. Months of searching for land in Georgia had not panned out well. I kept running into neighborhoods with long stretches of Confederate flags or towns that Atlanta locals warned me to avoid. These were just ten miles outside city limits.

I felt boxed in, and I hated it. “If you hate Georgia so much, move to California!” someone said half-jokingly.

You can’t say these things to me because I’ll take you up on it. I spent the next few months calling and emailing every planning and zoning department from the border all the way up to Los Angeles County and Fresno. Finally, I decided on a small desert town in Southern California and flew out to see it.

I fell in love with the mountain views and open spaces. I quickly decided this was the move. While there, I noticed almost every home had an RV. I checked the prices and couldn’t believe how affordable RVs were.

“Who needs a tiny home?” I said to my friend when I returned to Georgia. “I’m getting an RV!”

So, where am I going? Back to where it all started!

I lived in California from 2020 to 2021.

I drove from Georgia to Nevada in the fall of 2020. I knew once I got back to Southern California, it would be hard to leave, so I lingered in Nevada and then Arizona before heading further west.

Sure enough, California became the only state I stayed in for more than 30 consecutive days. I was there for about five months before my friend, Kevin, persuaded me to head north with him to Wyoming.

I’m excited to go back to one of my “hometowns” and meet up with old friends. Maybe even make some new ones!

It’s going to be a hectic move.

The move back to California is one step in a chain of events in place for next year. I’ll have more details on that later. But even without this added logistical hurdle, moving from one country to the next is tough work.

I’ll need to tow my travel trailer up three mountain roads and across the border to reach my final destination. The total journey is about 5.5 hours with a regular car, not counting the border crossing. Realistically, I expect to be on the road for about eight hours.

I also tow with a V6, so that means I need to ensure the trailer is as light as possible — but not so light that the wind can box it around.

Next week, I’ll share with paid subscribers some of the many ways I have lightened my trailer over the years for these expeditions. It might also answer the most common questions I get regarding weight concerns.

Here are two related posts in the interim:

• FAQ 03: Can You Tow a Travel Trailer With a V6?

• How To Tow Your Travel Trailer With a V6

See you next week!