The story of why I live in Mexico begins across the Atlantic. As we stood at the check-in counter in Amsterdam airport with all our belongings packed into five suitcases, a wave of emotion washed over me: bittersweet memories, the thrill of new beginnings and a flicker of fear. What if life in Mexico wasn’t all it was cracked up to be?
My husband Alberto and I were in our late 30s then; we’d spent four years raising our daughter and building a life in the Netherlands. For a while, we loved the international crowd, the progressive mindset of the Dutch and the nurturing environment where kids could just be kids. But somewhere along the line, we felt we needed a change — a break from the endless gray, the daily grind and a culture where life often unfolds behind closed doors.
So we sold everything, packed up our house and said goodbye to our friends and family. With Alberto landing a fully remote programming job and my freelance travel writing career buzzing along, we set off on one-way tickets to Mexico in search of a new way of life.
Two decades of wanderlust
We weren’t new to bold moves like this. After all, Alberto and I have been on the move ever since we met over 20 years ago on a student exchange program in Miami. Just a year later, I graduated from college in Singapore, where I was born and raised, and immediately flew to London to begin a new chapter with Alberto. Every penny we saved went straight into our shared passion for adventure: from train journeys across Europe and camping in the deserts of Jordan and Egypt to backpacking from Argentina to Mexico.
It was during these years that I launched my travel blog, Wild Junket, to chronicle our worldwide adventures. What began as a personal diary slowly grew into a go-to travel resource, opening doors to a career in travel writing. My lifelong passion wasn’t just a hobby anymore; it was becoming my profession. Slowly, my portfolio grew to include bylines in publications I’d long admired such as Lonely Planet, CNN, National Geographic and BBC Travel.
Passing on our love for adventure
Having been a travel writer for over 15 years now, I’ve been lucky enough to travel on assignment to places far and wide, from expedition cruising in Antarctica and Svalbard to gorilla trekking in Uganda, traversing the Silk Road by land and following the footsteps of nomads in Mongolia.
I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with tourism boards and even leading intrepid groups to places that hold a special place in my heart, including Tibet, Tajikistan and Iraq. This obsession has consistently drawn me towards the world’s more remote and rarely explored corners, seeking understanding in places like Afghanistan, Iran and Papua New Guinea.
When my daughter came along 10 years ago, we didn’t stop traveling. If anything, our wanderlust deepened as travel gained new meaning for us. She took her first flight at just five months old to the Maldives — of all places! — celebrated her third birthday in the Sahara Desert in Morocco, went on an African safari in Kenya at four and recently stood proudly atop a mountain in Chile, marking her 60th country visited.
The spell of San Miguel de Allende
Living in Mexico has changed our lives in more ways than we could have imagined. In San Miguel de Allende, we awake to the morning sunshine sipping through our window and the sound of birds chirping. Where we once rushed through breakfast, our mornings are now slow and intentional. We spend more quality time together as a family, focusing on being present rather than distracted by work or screens.
San Miguel draws people who, like me, have defied the rules of conventional living. We all came here with a purpose and to live life on our own terms. I’ve built many lifelong friendships with like-minded people here. So has my daughter, who is thriving in a relaxed school environment where creativity is valued more than academic excellence. My husband, who works at the crack of dawn — European hours — gets to spend more time with us and has found the freedom that he yearned for.
Here we are, four years later. My family and I love our life in this beautiful, historic place, so rich in culture and traditions and yet always warmly welcoming outsiders with open arms. There’s beauty at every turn, and always a festival or event happening every weekend. We often wander its cobblestone streets, discovering fantastic restaurants tucked into colonial courtyards, stumbling upon vibrant art galleries showcasing local talent and embracing that small-town charm.
Getting under Mexico’s skin
Most of all, we still get to travel often. Our first Día de Muertos in Mexico City was one for the books — the explosion of vibrant color and the magnificent display of culture completely blew us away. It became an annual tradition for us; since then, we’ve witnessed the Day of the Dead traditions in Oaxaca, Michoacán and Guadalajara, with each year bringing more meaning than before.
Mexico, I’ve discovered, is a universe unto itself — from the ancient ruins of the Yucatán Peninsula to the dramatic mountains in Chihuahua’s Copper Canyon, from the sultry, waterfall-laced Huasteca Potosina to the desertscapes of Baja California. I’ve learned that Mexico is so incredibly diverse that we don’t have to leave the country to feel like we’ve traveled across continents.
As someone who proudly calls this country home, I am honored to share my experiences with the Mexico News Daily community. Starting on June 15, I’ll be launching Where to Travel in Mexico in 2025, a weekly travel series.
This series is designed with distinct traveler profiles in mind each week: digital nomads looking for their next base, passionate foodies on culinary quests, adventurous road trippers and so on. Drawing from my extensive travels across Mexico, I’ll be offering tailored tips and recommendations to help everyone, whether you’re taking your first steps into Mexico or are a seasoned explorer looking for fresh perspectives.
Nellie Huang is a professional travel writer and author based in San Miguel de Allende with her family. She has contributed to BBC Travel, CNN, International Business Times and National Geographic and co-authored Lonely Planet’s 2025 Mexico guide. Read about her adventures worldwide on wildjunket.com and follow her updates on Instagram @wildjunket.
