In late 2014, after we’d been traveling full-time for the last year-plus, I wrote a blog post called “Our Everyday Life around the World.”

In the intro I wrote, “To an extent, everyday life is the same no matter where you go. You (and the people who live there) need to eat, wash clothes, access money, get around, communicate… it just happens in different ways depending on where you are.”

I went on to share little slices of our everyday life in different places we’d stayed around the world in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Argentina, and the United States.

Today I thought I’d share a follow-up, using the same categories as in the original blog post, to tell you a bit about what our life looks like these days in Querétaro, Mexico, where we moved in January 2021 after just over three years in Mexico City. Things have changed a lot for us in the last few years as we’ve slowed down our travel and expanded our family. For a variety of reasons it feels both more cushy and more challenging, but overall life is good! For now and until we’re ready for something different, this is the right place and way of life for us. The photo above shows the view from a park near our house, just before the sun rose over the hills in the morning.

Water and Food

Since you can’t drink the tap water here, we have several 20-liter garrafones of water delivered every week that we use for drinking and cooking. We’re getting more organized with meal planning and meal prep; because of the pandemic we make most of our food at home, only rarely going out or ordering in. I’m grateful for the added convenience of appliances like an Instant Pot and food processor.

Laundry

We have our own washer/dryer combo and often hang clothes to dry outside where the dry, windy conditions here are very effective (much faster than line-drying clothes inside our apartment in Mexico City!). Our drying rack kept blowing over so we just rigged up a clothesline in the yard.

Money

We’re earning a combination of Mexican pesos and U.S. dollars, which gives us easy access to both currencies whenever we need them. We use credit cards here much more than other places we’ve traveled and lived over the years. For transferring money between countries/currencies, it’s all about finding the best options for the country combination. I use Xoom to transfer money to Argentina (where Roberto’s family is and we own property), and to move money from the States to Mexico when necessary I use Wise (that’s my affiliate link, which gets you a fee-free transfer and me a little credit—at no additional cost to you, of course).

Transportation

We now own a car and that’s how we get around for the most part, with the occasional Uber when necessary. We’re in a pretty suburban area but still have some things within walking distance, which is great.

Communication and Technology

I was marveling recently at the fact that I haven’t been back to the States in almost two years, but everything continues to hum along pretty smoothly. I have a local Mexican SIM card and use Whats App almost exclusively to communicate with people here and abroad. I also have a Skype number and a Google Voice number, mostly for receiving calls/texts from businesses in the States.

Workspaces

Roberto and I each have our own home offices, which is a huge upgrade from sharing a desk in our bedroom in Mexico City! I also have a desk in a walk-in closet (with a window!) because our house is really echo-y and it’s the best place to do podcast interviews and other calls without me disturbing the kids—or them disturbing me. I got really crazy and bought a large external monitor for my main desk, and it was the best decision ever (a nomad friend promised me I wouldn’t miss it too much when I need to go back to using just my 13-inch laptop!).

Personal Care

Thanks to the pandemic and our twin toddlers this has been a tough one, but I’m finally getting into a more consistent exercise routine and bedtime, both of which make me feel much better.

Sounds

I think every single one of our neighbors has a dog (or more than one), and you always know when someone walks or drives down the street because they all start barking. Luckily we live on a quiet side street where that doesn’t happen that often!

Making Friends

The pandemic has made this another tricky one, but I’m finally—and cautiously—starting to get out and connect with some locals and other expats. Hopefully the kids can start to make some friends soon too!