The Road to Mexico
or... The Happy Derailment
I promised some updates on my travels here and I think it is about time I delivered. Living nomadically for the past five years (wow… 5 years already?), my intention of chronicling places and experiences has slipped away. I almost feel it is too late… but if not now, when?
We spent “the crazy years” in Mexico, beginning the last few months of 2019 and up until April of 2023 when Canada finally decided to reopen its borders. I can honestly say that I never dreamed I would spend so much time south of the border… I truly loved it. The weather, the people, the landscape, the history, and of course —the FOOD. Mexico City, in particular, is a smorgasbord of food from all over the world and I dare say we never had a bad meal.
Hold on. Let’s catch things up a bit.
Our Journey began…
We began our nomadic journey in the summer of 2019 in Calgary, sporting an RV affectionately named Thor. (If you are interested in reading the posts and details on this part of our journey - our old blog can be accessed here.)
The plan was Vancouver for early fall; trek south through the Western US states; Mexico for the winter; and drive back north in the Spring. Rinse. Repeat. Our plans were thwarted, however, when we encountered a large barrier, in the form of a U.S. Border Guard.
Overcoming Obstacles
Essentially, the political climate in the U.S. in late 2019 derailed our plans. My partner Jason was taken to a back room at the border and questioned for a couple hours, me nervously waiting on a very hard bench. The result of the questioning was a ban from Jason entering the U.S. for 5 years. The reasons were unclear at the time, and I was in a state of shock. It boiled down to our choice of being nomadic and the fact that we are a bi-citizenry couple. (Jason is Canadian and I am a U.S. Citizen). The guard said to Jason, “I don’t want you using my healthcare if something happens…” Needless to say, I was thoroughly confused by that statement — seeing as how there is no healthcare provided in the States. But I digress.
So — we turned around and —thankfully— I was allowed back into Canada. I have read articles of couples being separated at the border at that time and at that very crossing, all in RVs and all with travel plans not unlike ours. I consider our result lucky.
We came up with a new plan.
After a fall spent in Vancouver, we winterized and stored Thor, and we flew to Mexico…..where we ended up waiting out the next three years.
This change in plans, while forced upon us, actually turned out to be quite exciting… and the best speed bump ever. It was amazing to be in a new place, learning a new language and beginning a life of “country hopping”. Honestly, it was the intent to eventually get to this point… the universe just made it happen sooner.
This is not to say we did not experience a gamut of emotions – anger, frustration, sadness, even some panic settled in – but we both did our best to take it in stride and look at the positive outcomes.
We learned a lesson that day… never assume anything when dealing with US customs. Jason crossed that border dozens of times throughout his life with no issue. It never even occurred to us there would be a problem.
For anyone that is thinking about embarking on a nomadic lifestyle be aware and do a lot of research before crossing the U.S. Border. They are not there to help anyone.
The best answer we got for the reason was due to his lack of a permanent residence. Even as a U.S. citizen I was questioned excessively because of our nomadic lifestyle choice and their assumption I was trying to sneak my partner in to the country illegally. We were completely honest, cooperated, and answered all their questions… and were punished for it.
Well, that is if you consider sitting in the sun by a pool on Christmas Day punishment.
To be continued…
