Higher Bag Fees/Pricier Mexican Residency/Fake Travel Articles
Nomadico issue #94
A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.
*When we hit issue #100 soon, we will put together an e-book of top evergreen tips and recommendations from the archives. Consider becoming a supporting paid subscriber so a copy will be coming to you first.
Higher Baggage Fees in the USA
As you’ve probably heard by now, four of the largest U.S. airlines raised their checked baggage fee yet again, to $35 or more. Expect even longer boarding processes and some extra digits on airlines’ quarterly earnings reports: these fees are easy money that’s almost pure profit. The only reliable way to fight back is to fly Southwest more often. Otherwise, on some airlines you can get around this by fighting for bin space with a carry-on (if you don’t get the dreaded “basic economy” ticket) or using a branded credit card. The United Explorer Chase card is the best since their checked bag waiver applies to all routes. On Delta (Amex) and American (Barclays or Citi), they only waive the checked bag fee on domestic flights.
Superzoom Lumix Camera
I took a trip to B&H Photo when I was in NYC last month and noticed that the rising quality of smartphone pics has not brought down prices on real cameras: most DSLRs are topping $1,000 these days before adding lenses. I spent half that on the latest version of a superzoom camera from Panasonic Lumix. That’s all I have to carry since it has a Leica 24X zoom lens (great for wildlife shots), 4K video, a viewfinder and flip-out viewer, and fairly intuitive controls. With the previous version I published thousands of photos, including some two-page print magazine spreads. See specs and reviews here and note that there are bundle packs with accessories available for a tad more.
Higher Income Requirements for Mexican Residency
Mexico is the most popular country for those escaping the USA and Canada thanks to its proximity and easy flight connections, but it’s not a place to move to if your income is below $4,393 net per month. The formula for how much income is required for residency is tied to the Mexican minimum wage. That went up quite a bit again this year (good news for the locals, not so much for expats). At 17 pesos to the dollar, you’ll need to show that amount of monthly income (plus $1,464 for each dependent) or savings of at least $73,200 for temporary residency. Yes, retirement savings accounts qualify. Otherwise, you need to stick to 180 days on a tourist permit. See the details here.
Atlas Obscura’s Fake Articles
We’re getting used to “hallucinations” from AI tools that can’t get simple facts straight and some bloggers and editors have long gotten away with writing about places they’ve never visited. But this article about 10 completely false stories published in Atlas Obscura—a never-profitable publisher currently trying to raise another $10 million—was especially shocking. Kudos to The Walrus for the investigation and the title: Around the World in 80 Lies. “Mastbaum’s fabrications were convincing for the same reason any fakery is: burnished with captivating details and memorable quotes, they were almost better than real.”
03/7/24
