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Running your primary home from Los Cabos may be more of a challenge. However, the 21st century has simplified that task. Most snowbirds have converted all their bills and banking to the Internet. The problem of paying bills is reduced to a few minutes online periodically. If your pension or other income is deposited automatically, you'll be able to access cash from any ATM in Los Cabos at an excellent exchange rate. If you need larger quantities, financial services companies, such as Monex, can convert checks drawn on U.S. or Canadian accounts within a matter of a few hours. Once you've established credit with them, they can perform this service while you wait or deliver the Mexican check to your home or office.
If the Internet isn't your cup of tea, you might consider what pioneering snowbirds used to do: hire a trusted friend or relative to collect your mail and pay bills from a joint bank account set up for that purpose.
Maintenance of your primary home is a bit trickier. Obviously you'll have disconnected major appliances and prepared the interior of your home for an extended absence. A gardener or yard service can handle routine outdoor chores. Wise snowbirds take things a bit farther and have a reliable person check the interior of the home at least weekly. One relates a story that perfectly illustrates why: while she was in Cabo a neighbor asked to borrow the fax machine in her home office. While disconnecting the fax, the neighbor noticed it was damp and looked up to see if she could locate the problem. A tiny leak had developed in an upstairs bathroom toilet and in time grew larger until it had flooded the area soaking through the ceiling and causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. Had someone been inspecting the home periodically it would have been discovered and dealt with before it became a major problem.
How will you handle mail other than bills? Some snowbirds rent mail boxes and have their U.S. mail forwarded straight to Cabo. Mail Boxes Etc has an address in the San Diego area. Once mail is received there, it is sorted and sent in bulk to Los Cabos. The forwarding adds a few weeks to the time it will take Aunt Agatha's birthday card to reach you, but the service is generally reliable.
Much easier and cost effective is to ask some dear heart back home to take in your mail, throw out the junk, and periodically ship the good stuff to you via DHL, UPS, or Federal Express. All three services will get your mail to you, and the cost is generally less than the monthly mail box rental.
Keeping in touch with friends and family by phone is a snap if you've got access to a high-speed Internet connection. Before you leave home simply purchase a Vonage or other Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system and have it installed here when you arrive. With VoIP systems you can pick your 'virtual' area code so friends can call you here just as conveniently and cheaply as if you were across the street. Some snowbirds who work from home do so from Cabo without anyone being the wiser! The trick to this wonder is not to let anyone, not the clerk at the store and especially not the good folks at the VoIP provider, know you are bringing that box into México. It is, ahem, not specifically kosher.
Speaking of things not specifically kosher, many snowbirds take advantage of the satellite TV system in their primary home. They simply bring the box here and attach it to a satellite dish in their Cabo home. Apparently the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) forbids this practice, but hundreds of your Cabo neighbors have managed to ignore that with clear consciences. If taking this route, bear in mind that the reception on DirectTV systems in Los Cabos is very poor.
The last hurdle snowbirds must leap over is medical care. We have excellent medical facilities in Los Cabos with skilled physicians and caring nurses. Many feel the level of caring, as well as the level of care, is superior here to that in their primary residence. However, not all medical insurance plans will provide extensive coverage here. One alternative is to purchase an additional policy to cover you worldwide. Depending on your age and medical condition, coverage may be quite reasonable if you are planning to be outside the United States for at least 180 days. There are many plans available; one useful website is www.globalmedicalsecurity.com which allows users to build their own quote for coverage. You will also want to verify that your primary insurance coverage will pay for air evacuation in the case you need to return home for treatment. If it does not, you can purchase an air-evac policy for about $300 U.S. per year that covers the whole family. The quality of providers varies significantly, so check with neighbors or your realtor to get referrals and ask if they've actually used the policy and how the experience rated.
As you can see, with a little good old-fashioned ingenuity and some new-fangled technology, you'll be able to winter here in Los Cabos with no hassle. The biggest hurdle most snowbirds face is deciding which beach they'll visit today. Welcome to our version of winter!
Article by Carol S. Billups
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