From the moment we pulled up our roots, packed up our car, and expatriated ourselves from the United States in 2021, we’ve been exploring small towns, big cities, and whole countries previously unknown to us. I’ve said before that I think we’ve approached our fledgeling immigrant experience (in both Mexico, and now in Japan) with gentleness, openness, and genuine curiosity. This sense of adventure, coupled with the warm welcome from all the lovely people we met along the way, encouraged us to keep navigating to new destinations and seeking out new cultural experiences.
We left Mexico for Japan nearly one year ago, and I’ve had this little blog saved as a ‘draft’ ever since. I guess it’s better late than never. I really enjoy breaking things down into data, so let’s take a look at the numbers from our time in Mexico!
Please note: I’ve written dozens of blogs about Mexico, on our own Benton Homestead Travel Journal, as well as on my Dani Benton Photography Photo Blog. The links you’ll see below will take you directly to the blogs on that particular topic!
Time and Distance on the Road
Dates in Mexico: December 5, 2021 to February 5, 2023
Months in Mexico: 14
Days in Mexico: 427
Miles Driven in Mexico: 9,350 *
* That’s like driving all the way from California to Georgia, back to California, back to Georgia, then alllmost back to California.
Oil Changes: 2
Flat Tires: 1
Most Number of Oceans seen in one day: 2
Safety on the Road
Number of times pulled over by Guardia Nacional at a standard traffic checkpoint: 4
Number of times pulled over by Policía: 2
Number of times Policía were friendly and offered driving directions: 1
Number of times Policía solicited an illegal cash bribe: 1
Worst US State for license plate replacement: Louisiana
Best US State for license plate replacement: South Dakota
Mexican States
Mexico’s full name is Estados Unidos Méxicanos. Of the 32 states that make up the federation of Mexico, we had the pleasure of visiting 21: Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Mexico City, Michoacán, Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Tlaxcala, Puebla, Morelos, Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Tabasco. Now clearly, we spent more time in some states than others. So let’s break this down further:
Mexican States we visited: 21 States
Mexican States we drove through (did not stay overnight): 5 States
- Tamaulipas (we crossed the border into Mexico at Reynosa)
- Coahuila
- Michoacán
- Tlaxcala
- Tabasco
Mexican States we stayed 1 to 6 days: 7 States
- Nuevo Leon (Monterrey)
- San Luis Potosí (San Luis Potosí)
- Querétaro (drove through once; later stayed in Querétaro)
- Hidalgo (drove through once; later stayed in Pachuca)
- Durango (Durango)
- Zacatecas (Zacatecas)
- Morelos (Cuernavaca)
Mexican States we stayed 1 to 6 weeks: 6 States
- State of Mexico (2 weeks in Aculco, 1 night in Atlacomulco)
- Mexico City (6 weeks in Mexico City)
- Nayarit (3 weeks in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle)
- Sinaloa (2 weeks in Mazatlán)
- Puebla (stayed in Cholula multiple times)
- Veracruz (10 days in Coatzacoalcos)
Mexican States we stayed 2 to 3 months: 3 States
- Jalisco (1 night in Guadalajara; 10 weeks in Puerto Vallarta; 2 trips to Yelapa)
- Guanajuato (10 days in Guanajuato; 5 weeks in León; 4 weeks in San Miguel de Allende)
- Oaxaca (18 weeks in San Andrés Huayapam; 1 week in Oaxaca; 1 night in Salina Cruz)
Pueblos Mágicos
There’s a growing list of cities, towns, and villages sprinkled throughout Mexico, known as “Pueblos Mágicos”. These are officially designated by a program within Mexico to celebrate certain municipalities known for being particularly vibrant, unique, or culturally important, to promote tourism for both Mexicans and foreigners alike. Of the 132 Pueblos Mágicos, we had the pleasure of visiting a dozen. While I was initially skeptical that these places could be differentiated from all the other wonderful, unique, vastly different places that we had seen otherwise, it’s true that each one of these Pueblos Mágicos we visited were quite special.
- Sombrerete, Zacatecas
- Bernal, Querétaro
- Real del Monte, Hidalgo
- Zempoala, Hidalgo
- San Juan Teotihuacán y San Martín de las Pirámides, Mexico State
- Cholula, Puebla
- Atlixco, Puebla
- Tepoztlán, Morelos
- Aculco, Mexico State
- Mascota, Jalisco
- San Pablo Villa de Mitla, Oaxaca
- Orizaba, Veracruz
House-Sitting Statistics
Total Number of House-Sits: 10
- Work-Exchange #1 in Aculco (chickens, 1 dog, 1 cat) – 2 weeks
- House-sit #2 in Guanajuato (chickens) – 10 days
- House-sit #3 in Oaxaca (2 dogs) – 6 weeks
- House-sit #4 in Oaxaca (8 dogs, 3 cats!) – 4 weeks
- House-sit #5 in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle (1 dog) – 3 weeks
- House-sit #6 in León (1 dog, 1 cat) – 5 weeks
- House-sit #7 in Oaxaca (2 dogs) – 7 weeks
- House-sit #8 in Oaxaca (5 dogs, 4 cats!) – 5 days
- House-sit #9 in Mexico City (2 cats) – 3 weeks
- House-sit #10 in San Miguel de Allende (1 dog, 1 cat) – 4 weeks
Dates Sitting: April 1, 2022 to February 3, 2023
Months Sitting: 10
Days Sitting: 283
Shortest Sit Length: 5 Days
Longest Sit Length: 7 Weeks
Average Sit Length: 25 Days
States: 5
- 1 in the State of Mexico
- 3 in Guanajuato
- 4 in Oaxaca
- 1 in Nayarit
- 1 Mexico City
Cities: 7
- 1 in Aculco, State of Mexico
- 1 in Guanajuato, Guanajuato
- 4 in San Andrés Huayapam, Oaxaca
- 1 in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit
- 1 in León, Guanajuato
- 1 in Mexico City
- 1 in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
House-Sit Host Data
Total Sit Hosts: 13 *
* This includes each individual person who invited us to care for their pets, as some house-sits were for couples with different home-countries.
- Mexican Hosts: 4 (30%)
- Foreign (Non-Mexican) Hosts: 9 (70%)
- 4 Canadians
- 4 Americans
- 1 European
Booked via Facebook Group House & Pet-Sitting Mexico: 5 Sits
Booked via HouseSitMexico website: 2 Sits
Booked via Host Recommendation: 1 Sit
Repeat Sits (Hosts invited us back): 2 Sits
House-Sit Pet Data
Total Pets Watched: 37
- Dogs: 14
- Cats: 8
- Chickens: 15
Additional Street Dogs our Hosts asked us to feed: 6
Raw Food Diets: 3
Total Vet Visits: 5
- 1 for an elderly chihuaha who was having trouble going to the bathroom prior to our arrival
- 2 for a special sweetheart who is known for occasionally refusing to eat her delicious food
- 2 for an elderly former-streetdog who was undergoing cancer treatment
We will always remember Lucky
While I like to showcase the fun side of caring for people’s pets, there can also be heartbreak. Shortly before House-Sit #6 began with Lucky, he was diagnosed with a fast-spreading cancer. Lucky had previously been rescued from the streets by his people, after having nearly succumbed to an awful case of mange and other health issues. They literally gave Lucky a second chance, adding many years to his life, and giving him the chicken-filled lifestyle he deserved. During our five weeks with Lucky, his cancer progressed at an alarming rate; we were in close contact with our hosts and the vet. Of course we knew Lucky would not have very long after our hosts returned, so we did our best to give him extra walks, extra treats, and extra attention. Lucky was able to spend a few more months with his people, and we know they savored every extra day they had with this sweet old guy.
House-Sit Pet Awards
Best Alarm Clock: Wamba
Most Unique Look: Momo
Most Toys Fetched: Beanie
Fluffiest Kitty: Giacomo
Fluffiest Doggo: Pelu
Most Chill: Gomita
Most Compliments from Strangers: Bella
Best Prancing: Florinda
World Traveler: Milo
Best Cross-Eyes: Zoe
Best Side-Eye: This Chicken
Most Improved: Felíx
I think it’s pretty obvious that I had some fun putting this together for y’all. So I hope you enjoyed as well! I cannot express enough thanks to every single one of our house-sit hosts for trusting us to care for their beloved pets and homes; it’s such an honor and such a huge responsibility. Our 10 months as full-time house-sitters throughout Mexico was an experience we’ll always appreciate, and never forget! We continue to hope we’re able to maintain a connection bridging Mexico and Japan in the future. We will return to Mexico in 2025 to turn our Temporary Residency to Permanent Residency, and we may have some more house-sitting adventures while we’re there. In the meantime, we need to plant a whole greenhouse just for Mexican food ingredients!
Our YouTube video, reading through this blog with additional commentary ⌄
Our YouTube video on a related topic: How We Travel Mexico; Look Inside Our Car ⌄
Our YouTube video on a related topic: What We’re Looking For in Mexico or Japan ⌄
You can find more of my photography work, here:
Dani Benton | Dani Benton Photography | www.danibentonphotography.com | Print Shop
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Formerly: Dani Mouser | Formerly Located: Dallas, Oregon » Portland, Oregon » New Orleans, Louisiana » Mexico
Thanks for reading,
Dani & Evan Benton
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