Recap - Our Yucatán Adventure Plan

Here’s an update to keep everyone in the loop about our upcoming trip:

The Plan
Originally, we were going to drive to Cancun and back, but we decided to fly instead. This means we’re cutting out some stops we wanted to see along the way, but it allows us to spend more time exploring the Yucatán Peninsula and everything it has to offer.

We are aiming to depart from Hermosillo on October 31 and return around November 30, give or take a few days. Our budget is around $3,000, and even after slightly overestimating expenses, we are still within budget with a little to spare.

How Are We Making This Work?
Against some opinions, my boyfriend decided to take early retirement and access his 401(k). Some context: he has worked for the same company for just under 10 years and recently stepped down from his management role because he was unhappy. He owns his home, has a paid-off car, and is financially responsible with minimal bills.

As for me, I’ve been a bit vague about work. I’ve been in management for just about a year and with the company for four years. While I could continue climbing in retail, I feel capable of more and want to truly enjoy life. There’s a career out there that fits me better, and now is the perfect time to explore options.

When we return, we both have backup jobs through friends’ companies, but we also want to explore new opportunities. We aren’t tied to Tucson. If the right position came along elsewhere, we’d consider a change of pace.

A Little Defense
People often criticize taking out a 401(k) early, but we are smart with money and have thought about our futures. We have goals, we are prepared for consequences, and we are young with many options. Right now, we are making choices we can because the timing is right for us.

That’s it for now. Questions?

View from Our Soon-to-Be Vacation Home!

I can’t wait to walk out our front door and onto the beach! Last night I finally spoke with the owners of the studio condo we will be staying at and got some more details.

The costs break down like this:

• $500 for the month

• $35 one-time cleaning fee

• $35 in taxes
  Total: $570

We will have the option to do our own laundry or have Bonnie, the property manager, handle it for $20. Bonnie is also available for any questions or issues that come up during our stay.

We are planning to rent a car, but public transportation is plentiful. There is a bus right outside the complex that goes downtown or toward the hotel zone.

For groceries, we will probably shop at Walmart and local markets and cook in as much as possible, though there are also plenty of good restaurants nearby. The condo comes with a 5-gallon water dispenser, which is very convenient.

Safety is not a concern. The property is gated and has security guards on duty, which is especially reassuring for my mom.

We are officially sold. I emailed the owners to request the rental agreement so we can sign and make our $200 down payment. Excitement is through the roof.

Cozy Studio Condo Booked in Cancun!

You heard me right… we just booked a cozy studio condo for an entire month! 

I’m seriously so excited that this trip is finally starting to come together. The owner I had previously called ended up returning my message yesterday. She mentioned they’re currently on vacation in Canada and that international calls from her cell are pretty expensive, but she still wanted to reach out before we booked somewhere else- which I really appreciated.

We exchanged emails, and she plans to call again tomorrow so we can go over the final details.

The condo is $500 for the month and located right in the Cancún Hotel Zone in Cancún. The beach is literally seconds from the door, which is exactly what we were hoping to find. It sounds like the perfect spot for our stay.

I did send a quick email with a few follow-up questions. Mainly whether electricity and water are included in the monthly price, but overall everything sounds great. It feels amazing to finally have the ball rolling on this trip.

While doing some planning this morning, I also came across a really helpful travel site called TravelYucatan. It’s packed with tourist information, activity ideas, and trip-planning tools for the region. I have a feeling I’ll be using it quite a bit as we keep planning things to do while we’re there.

Things are starting to get real now!

New Idea: Fly from Hermosillo to Cancun + Rent a Car

Originally our plan was to drive to Cancun and back.

While crunching numbers I decided to try out a few alternatives with our planning. I mapped out the financials of flying from Hermosillo to Cancun, renting a car there, and renting for a month. Excluding gas and food it came out to $2000, which is a lot less than it would have cost to drive there and back.

The downside to this plan would be missing out on all the places we wanted to stop in between. But we could always do our own trip down the west coast afterwards and avoid that long drive across the country twice.

I like the idea of renting a car so we do not have to worry about ours breaking down or having any problems along the way. So now we just have to weigh the pros and cons and make a few decisions.