I always wanted to write about travelling but never felt that I had enough expertise on any one specific destination. Sure I had lived outside of New York for all of my life, but that kind of bias does not help a tourist who is visiting there to enjoy the…well, touristy things that I myself would never do. I had never even been to the top of the Empire State Building or inside The Met or rode a bike through Central Park. Therefore, my recommendations would be insincere and counterproductive to a tourist’s desire on how to experience the city.
This is where the better half of Gringo Travel Guides comes into play. My energetic and adventurous now-wife, Mariel, had come to the United States to learn English. Traditional girl meets boy, boy meets girl Tinder ad come true. After dating for around half a year, it came time to decide what to do when Mariel’s visa expired. It was basically break up or move to Mexico. The former option never really seemed like an option to me and I had always wanted to live abroad. This provided me with the perfect motivation and reason to finally do it, so I packed up my life into 2 suitcases and headed south of the border.
We had moved to a city in the middle of Mexico, far from the pristine beaches that my gringo ass had come to associate with the country. I was scared, excited, and confused all at the same time. The more I came accustomed to the culture and my surroundings however, the more I began to feel like it was a new home. When family and friends started to visit me, I began to feel a sense of pride in showing them the highlights of my new country. Not to sound sappy but it was after a few of those visits that I realized I wanted to share our experiences with more people. My new agenda was to show my fellow gringos, from a gringo’s perspective, that there is much more value to Mexico than its aforementioned pristine beaches.
Hence, Gringo Travel Guides was born. There are so many treasures that lie one $300 round trip away from most major US cities. Sites that you think you could only see in Hungary or Austria. Ancient civilizations that you only encounter on the History Channel. Food like the damn CEO of Chipotle doesn’t even know exists. Bars that make you wonder why you’ve been shooting Jose Cuervo your whole life instead of enjoying the finer notes, aromas, or whatever other buzzwords you use to describe delectable nectar of the dioses. And finally, some of the friendliest, most welcoming people to boot.
I couldn’t keep it all to myself. And I didn’t understand why more US tourists were missing out on these opportunities. Well, fine…24 hour news cycles is probably the most likely reason but after learning how far those stories are from the vast vast vast majority of life in Mexico, I felt a need to show the world that. IF I can convince just one traveler from the United States to make Mexico his or her next destination, I will have fulfilled the goal I set for myself in creating this website.
Please enjoy. Please ask questions. Please don’t just breeze through these as fun wanderlust lists (which I understand they totally are) to daydream about. Rather, look at them for true inspiration for choosing your next vacation and if these things sound fun to you, know that a little bit of Spanish and savings can take you a very long way.
