Travelling for a long period on a budget...

[jwhedon]

Hello all, my name is Justin.

My wife and I have been planning to do this for a while, and now that we both work for ourselves and are saving up a decent amount of money we will be ready for a pretty long, extended vacation sometime around March of next year.

We're wanting to go down through Mexico and Central America... possibly South America.

We're hoping to stay 'off the beaten path' and places where a room for a few nights (or a month) are extremely affordable. We're not wanting to go to or be around 'touristy' places... we're cool being immersed in the culture. Coastal (on either of the Gulf of California OR Gulf of Mexico sides) would be nice but not completely neccessary if you have other places to suggest.

Can't wait to hear from any of you.

Cheers,

~ Justin

[RVGRINGO]

Buses are economical in Mexico. Cheapest rooms will be in hotels near the bus stations. Street food can be good. It will be easy if you speak Spanish; if not, you will gravitate to the 'tourist zones' and spend a lot more money.

[jwhedon]

Thanks RVGringo.

Is it possible to find rooms, apartments, small houses or studios for rent in smaller towns? Some places we may only want to stay for a night or two (hotel/motel should be fine) Others we'd like to stay for a month or two (would prefer a slightly more economical, home like living situation during these times.)

We're planning on driving.

Another question. We want to bring our dog with us. He's tiny (a Westie) and isn't too loud and he's housebroken. Does anyone think this will be a trouble?

~ Justin

[RVGRINGO]

Smaller towns often don't have hotels. Motels are not as ubiquitous as in the USA. Most economical accommodations are near bus stations and the next choice would be in 'centro,' downtown, where you would be close to activities, shopping, points of interest like museums, churches, etc. Except in areas popular with expats, real estate and rental agencies are rare. You will have to ask about rentals in small towns or look for them in classifieds in large cities.
Be sure you know about the temporary importation of your car and your responsibilities for removing it from Mexico, no matter what, and for Mexican insurance.
Mexicans do NOT travel with animals and they are NOT welcome in the majority of hotels or rentals. Even those folks traveling to a single destination have trouble finding a place to stay with animals when they have to stay a night or two along the way. I couldn't imagine trying to enjoy a vacation with even one of our dogs. It won't be able to stay in the car because of the heat and will not be welcome in restaurants or any other place you might want to visit. I really would suggest that you board the dog while you travel or hire a dog-sitter to stay in your home. In general, dogs are watchdogs here, not house pets, and are quite expendable in many cases.

[jwhedon]

Good to know about the dog situation...

The problem is we're planning on being gone/traveling for 1-2 years (I will still be working as I do everything over the internet pretty much anyway.) We will definitely want to bring our dog though. He's really small... like less than 15 pounds.

Is this the situation in all of Mexico? How about Central & South American countries?

~ Justin

[jwhedon]

I guess I should also make the whole picture clear.

* I'm 32 and my wife is 29. We have 1 small dog.

* I will still be working as I work online. She works for herself, but will be taking a sabatical.

* We will also have a decent amount of savings JUST for this excursion.

* We're wanting to stay in multiple places at least from the top of Mexico into Central America (hopefully South America).

* We will be driving an older Jeep Cherokee.

* We're not picky... not looking for 4 star hotels or perfect beach cottages... we'll be happy with a small studio above a store or a little house in the middle of town or a decent hotel room.

* We are thinking of traveling from March 2009 to ? This will all depend on money and such, but I think with my average income we'd be fine to do this for as long as we wanted.

* We are also kind of looking for a place to up and move to in the future.

If anyone else has opinions, etc. we'd love to hear them.

~ Justin

[Bevdeforges]

One other thing you might want to look into as you plan for this trip - the various visa requirements for all the countries you are planning on passing through. Generally you only need a visa if you will be staying more than 90 days in a country, but that isn't always the case.

Plus, if you will be passing through a country like Mexico both going and coming back, make sure you don't run afoul of any regulations on back-to-back stays that add up to 90 days. Also, if your plan to continue to work (even online) may run afoul of any local laws or subject you to taxation. Chances are that you'll be able to exempt your earnings during this time on your US tax returns, but you may want to talk to a tax advisor before you go to make sure you are straight on the requirements.
Cheers,
Bev

[jwhedon]

Thanks Bev... great points I hadn't thought of yet.

~ Justin

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

One other thing you might want to look into as you plan for this trip - the various visa requirements for all the countries you are planning on passing through. Generally you only need a visa if you will be staying more than 90 days in a country, but that isn't always the case.

Plus, if you will be passing through a country like Mexico both going and coming back, make sure you don't run afoul of any regulations on back-to-back stays that add up to 90 days. Also, if your plan to continue to work (even online) may run afoul of any local laws or subject you to taxation. Chances are that you'll be able to exempt your earnings during this time on your US tax returns, but you may want to talk to a tax advisor before you go to make sure you are straight on the requirements.
Cheers,
Bev

[RVGRINGO]

Ok, I have a better picture. It seems that you want to explore and work while you're doing it. Great approach, especially being able to work online. Most cities of any size will have cybercafes and some will have coffee shops with WiFi, so that will be relatively easy. When you rent for several months, you would have to get a phone in your own name in order to have DSL from Telmex. If you were in an area served by Cable, that would probably be easier and also faster.
You will still have a problem traveling with a dog in Mexico, but you'll have to learn how to handle that as you go. In cases where you just want to sleep (you can't leave and return to the room) you can use 'no-tell' motels. They offer total privacy and security for up to 12 hours and are cheap. Just walk the dog before checking in at bedtime. Since you never come face to face with management, you can take the dog in discreetly.
If your Cherokee has the spare on an external bracket, have it welded to the door and add locking lug nuts to it and all your wheels. A club, alarm and a kill switch are recommended.
When you are attracted to any particular place to settle, be sure to visit it in all seasons; some are intolerably hot & humid for more than half the year. That makes the coastal areas undesirable for most folks. It is better to look into the central highlands of Mexico for climate. I can't advise about Central or South America, just Mexico and, particularly, the Lake Chapala/Guadalajara area, where we have lived since 2001. We are within half a day's drive of Pacific beaches and only visit them just before, or just after winter high season in order to get affordable prices. You can find some villages on the beaches where you may be able to 'camp' economically but many are not recommended.
If your online work is billed from the USA, paid there and deposited there, your only tax liability will be in the USA, as usual. Nothing will change in that regard.
When you enter Mexico, you will have to temporarily import your car. Be absolutely sure that you reverse the process and keep all receipts for the sticker whenever you leave Mexico.

[sparks]

There should be no tax considerations and it's very common to leave and re-enter for a new visa (Mexico at least)

You have to have an auto permit so have all your papers ready for that. You don't say how long the whole trip let alone how long you'll stay in each area. Apartment rentals are hard to find for short periods so will probably be stuck with motels/hotels.

Internet access is pretty good in most of Mexico but you'll be limited to Internet Cafes of which there are many