I recently posted an online poll asking this simple question. My goal was to focus people on finding the essence of what are the push and pull factors that get people to explore overseas living. I wanted to get responses about motivations for moving to Mexico.

Before any consultant can drill into “situational discovery” of your lifestyle and location needs, it’s critical to explore foundational reasons for considering Mexico as a landing place.

I was pleased to receive dozens of responses. This simple question can reveal intentions and expectations, the starting point for successful lifestyle migration.

Here’s a breakdown of what this simple poll revealed. The responses ranged from the TOP cited response (“affordable”) to “culture”, “transformation” and “weather”. Other responses were more tied to highly individual needs and “I’ve had it up north” responses. These would include answers such as “memory care” and “Life”. One respondent cited “democrats”. Not knowing whether this person was looking for or fleeing folks of more liberal/progressive viewpoints, I’m still not entirely sure how to interpret this response.

Factors for deciding Moving To Mexico

The point I can draw from this poll is that folks are primarily focused on “push” factors when deciding to explore Mexico for living. I totally get that. It was finding a better place for my mom’s senior care that was a primary driver of my migration back in 2015. It was the right choice for my family and may well rise to the top of the motivator list in the coming years.

Regardless of your push factors, it’s the PULL factors that will in the end weigh of your happiness living in a Latin American setting. Having traveled to the region before moving here is a good head start. If you have foreign language skills or have lived overseas previously, these too are plus factors for sustainable living.

For the novice Mexico visitor, your resort vacation experience may have you feeling comfortable in a Mexico setting. That’s a great spot to start from. Just remember, living behind the walls of an all-inclusive resort (no matter how many times you’ve done this) is not likely to prepare you for the full embrace of Mexico for living. For this, a myriad of factors needs to be taken into account. I like to summarize these as Climate, Connectivity, Culture, Community, Care, and … Costco.

Explore these and other destination-specific, curated content at www.choosingmexico.com