Our Winter 2023/24 Snowbird Plans

 

HeyZeus is ready to go!  
He likes to keep me company as I get the RV ready for our next snowbird adventure.

Last year, after spending a week in Mazatlán at Las Jaibas RV Park we considered returning for this coming winter season.  We enjoy Mazatlán with it’s abundant bike paths, lots of activity (if you want it), a variety of shopping options and a slightly cooler climate (it’s a few degrees cooler than in Lo de Marcos (LDM).  We also really enjoyed the park, which surprised us.  

Upon entering the park it’s not nearly as nice as the setting at La Parota in LDM.  It’s hard to compare a big city RV park to a beach front park though.  We were however pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it.  The price is right too at $500 US/$10,000 pesos as of 2023.  That price included 30 amp electricity, something many parks make you pay by use for.  Some of the things we enjoyed about the park included large clean level sites, a large wall or fence around the whole park which we like just incase any of our animals get away on us, they usually give seasonal renters two sites which is a bonus, there are washers and dryers onsite (for a fee) and a small pool as well as all the other typical things for Mexican RV parks like weekly vegetable truck, baking truck and laundry pick up service.  We also really valued the friendliness and helpfulness of the onsite grounds keeper Rafael. He speaks perfect English and was very helpful when we were trying to get mechanical work done on our RV.  That kind of “service” makes a big difference when you are dealing with anything complicated in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language.  Something you don’t really think about until you need it.

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Las Jaibas, Mazatlán - April 2023
Our spot under a Mango tree
*not recommended due to how messy Mango trees are plus bird poop! 😊

Las Jaibas, quaint refreshing pool

As summer progressed we found ourselves wondering if Mazatlán was where we wanted to be, if we wanted to return to our beach front park La Parota in Lo de Marcos or perhaps try somewhere completely new in Mexico.  For a few weeks it was a bit of a roller coaster ride.   We bounced around from options on the Baja Peninsula even sending a deposit to a site in San Felipe only a week later to change our minds after doing a bit more research on the climate and amenities.  

Part of our desire to try something different also came from wanting to reduce the driving time on the poor roads in Mexico.  The two day stretch from Guaymas to Mazatlán is the worst with heavily potholed roads.  Even though last year it seemed as though some road work had been done, it is still a long two days of rough roads and paying tolls (just under $600 Cdn when we returned home in April 2023) to drive on those rough roads is a bitter pill to swallow.  The hot humid climate is also something that although absolutely tolerable compared to the alternative in Canada, can be oppressive.  And last, but not least, the costs of travelling all that way were increasing with inflation and the value of our dollar dropping.  The rent at La Parota RV Park where we stayed for the last two winters is going up to $13,000 pesos/month (plus electric) this season which, with the dollar where it is, is an increase of almost 60% from what it cost us for our first winter (from approx $700/mo in 21/22 to approx $1,100 Cdn/mo for 2023/24).  

Map showing the distance between the places we considered for our 2023/24 Snowbird trip

Primarily I was interested in reducing the drive if we could.  San Felipe appealed to us because of that, being only a couple hours from the Mexicali border.  We found a beautiful location called Baja RV Haven a couple had built in San Felipe in the El Dorado ranch area.  It was very appealing except for the temperatures which are cooler than I think we’d like with highs in the low twenty degrees celsius and lows in the single digits during the winter. 

Baja RV Haven in San Felipe, Baja California Mexico where we first considered staying this winter

We decided to cancel our San Felipe plan and look to options in San Carlos, Sonora.  We’d stayed in San Carlos each year on our way down to Lo de Marcos.  Both times at Totonaka RV Park.  The first year we actually stayed at Totonaka for just under a month and although we really liked it, we had our hearts set on going to LDM for our first winter.  The second year we only stopped for a couple of nights at Totonaka on our way down to LDM.  It is a beautiful well maintained park with friendly staff, the only unfortunate thing is that it is located within close proximity to a couple of disco bars that blare loud dance music into the early morning hours every weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Last year I though my ears were going to bleed the one night we had to suffer through it.  So, although they had a few sites available and at a good price at $575 US/month (current 2023/24 season prices) including electric, there is no way we could stay there for a season.  

Totonaka RV Park, San Carlos - October 2022
Our spot right up at the front of the park - WAY too close to the disco next door 

Sunrise in San Carlos - November 2021

We started looking for other options in San Carlos, knowing there were properties in the town where people had converted vacant residential lots to RV pads for rent.  Our search began on Facebook through various RV Mexico groups we follow such as (links) RV’g in Mexico, RV Parks in Mexico, RV Mexico and On the road in Mexico.  The first option we found was a new small RV park called Emerald Ranch located in a residential area far from the disco bars.  

Then, after a cancellation we found what appears to be an amazing place owned by an American couple who live on the property.  It’s a lovingly maintained and landscaped one acre fenced property which has three RV spots with full 50 amp hookups, laundry, high speed wi-fi and owners who are animal lovers (like us!). Only a mile from downtown, the beaches and the noise for $450 US/month.

Aerial shot of where we’ll stay in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico
The blue line outlines the one acre fenced property 
The blue circle is the spot where we’ll be spending the winter
Stunning Tetakawi, mountain ranges and the ocean in the background 

We feel very fortunate to have stumbled onto an opening at this private residence.  It will be wonderful to be at our final destination only six hours after we cross the Nogales border.  We look forward to spending the winter in this friendly town with it’s beautiful beaches, it’s sunny hot & dry days along with it’s cool desert nights.  

Only 19 more sleeps to go until we depart! With the rainy fall weather already here on Vancouver Island, we can’t wait to head toward endless sunshine and heat.

Gizmo is also joining me in the RV as I get things ready to go
It’s great to see both boys so happy in the RV
They appear to be as anxious as we are to get going 😊 

Until next time / Hasta la proxima vez!

Snowbird Expense Summary - our last two winters 22/23 and 21/22

 

As we prepare for our third snowbird adventure I thought it would be handy to summarize them for the last two winters. I like to keep track of these expenses and it’s nice being able to see our expenses year over year summarized in one spot.  I envision a chart of some kind to document future year over year comparisons.  Yeah!  Another spreadsheet, lol.  I’m a bit of a geek that way (she says as her husband rolls his eyes!)

As our dollar weakens we’ve noticed a substantial difference from our first visit to Mexico as snowbirds in 21/22 where our Canadian dollar was as high as $17 pesos/$1 Cdn dollar.  When we left last year in October of 2022, our dollar was worth approx $14.50 pesos and as of today we are only getting $12.73 pesos to our dollar.  After the bank fees, it is closer to $12.35 pesos to the dollar.  That impact, plus other factors have led us to the decision to try something new this winter.  Rent at La Parota RV Park in Lo de Marcos where we’ve stayed the last two winters, will be $13,000 pesos per month plus electric (it’s gone up by $1,000 pesos each year so far).  With the dollar as it is now, that’s approximately $1,100 Cdn which is a big difference from the $700/mo we paid just two winters ago.  Although we will return to Mexico, we won’t be returning to Lo de Marcos.  Instead of driving an additional three days (on horrible roads) we’re going to spend the winter in San Carlos.  

We’ve found a beautiful RV spot on the property of a private residence for $450 US/month ($630 Cdn).  That price includes electric, high speed internet, laundry and beautiful desert landscaped grounds.  It’s not all about the money, the reduced distance to travel, reduced tolls (4 versus 20) and being within 6 hours of the US border on GOOD roads are all big factors.  We’re looking forward to a change in scenery as well as a change in weather.  The hot dry climate of San Carlos and it’s cooler evenings are very appealing as opposed to the humid tropical climate where we’ve spent the last two winters. We spent just under a month in San Carlos our first snowbird trip and we enjoyed the climate and friendly town.  We’re hoping our dog Heffay also fares better as he has suffered quite regularly from hot spots these last two winters.  Fingers crossed the drier climate agrees better with him as well. In my next blog post I’ll showcase where we’ll be staying and will share our round about way of landing officially on San Carlos as our primary destination for this winter.  It was a bit of a roller coaster ride, but we’re happy where we landed.

Below is a recap of our primary expenses itemized for each of the two years we’ve spent as snowbirds.  Year over year costs for the same time period increased by over $3,000 Canadian.  I haven’t included expenses for everyday things like groceries, shopping, fuel while stationary etc.  These would vary significantly by person and the way I look at it, we have those expenses at home (although they may vary) while the expenses itemized below are specific to travelling away from home for the winter season. 

Recap of Snowbird Expenses (Canadian $) 

October 18, 2022 to April 21, 2023 (6 months)

Nanaimo, British Columbia, CA to Lo de Marcos, Nayarit MX

BCAA Travel Medical (7 months for both of us) = $1,639 

    *150 refunded once home because we returned 1 month early

Ferry cost = $440 each way (including reservation fees) = $880

Mexican RV & Truck Insurance = $2,252 ($1649 RV + $603 Truck) 

    *approx $1500 refund from ICBC once home

Tourist Visas (FMM) = $87 ($1,276 pesos)

Truck Temporary Import Permit (TIP) = $633 ($9,261 pesos) 

    *refunded $600 upon exit

Accomodations: $6,341

From Home To Lo de Marcos: $320

- 1 night Mountain Shadows, Wells NV

- 2 nights Sam’s Town KOA, Las Vegas NV

- 2 nights Totanaka RV Park, San Carlos MX) 

Five months in Lo de Marcos (Oct 31 to Mar 30) - $5,019

*Monthly rent $12,000 pesos plus electricity at $3.5 pesos/kWh

*Expense includes bank fees to withdrawal cash

- November $883 

- December $875

- January $868

- February $875

- March $940 ($ dropped and increased withdrawal fees)

- Electricity November to end March $503 ($6,702 pesos)

- Deposit for 2023/24 winter $75 ($1,000 pesos)

From Lo de Marcos to home: $1,002

- 1 week in Mazatlán $3,600 pesos ($274 Cdn)

- 5 nights @ Tucson/Lazydays AZ KOA = $246 US ($332 Cdn)

- 1 night @ Kingman AZ KOA = $53 US ($72 Cdn)

- 1 night @ Tonopah NV RV Park = $35 US ($48 Cdn)

- 2 nights @ Scandia RV Park in Bend, OR = $147 US ($196 Cdn)

- 1 night @ American Heritage Campground in Olympia, WA = $59 US ($80 Cdn)

WiFi/Cellular: $550

- T-Mobile SIM card for travel through US - $100 ($50/card - one each way)

- Solis hotspot day passes used = approx 20 for trip down/back and while in Mazatlán - $180

    *$12/day but I buy the day passes when they’re on sale at $9/day Cdn

- Local WiFi in Lo de Marcos $500 pesos/month - $175

- TelCel SIM card $200 pesos/month - $95

Total cost Diesel = $4,750

Total cost Diesel Exhaust Fluid (10 - 2.5 gal boxes)= $200

Total cost Mexican tolls (20 tolls each way) = $950 

    *$390 down and $560 back due to increased toll costs and weakened Cdn dollar

Return toll summary:

    Lo de Marcos to Mazatlán= $3,573 pesos ($268 Cdn) 😳 

    Mazatlán to Los Mochis = $1,908 pesos ($140 Cdn)

    Los Mochis to Guaymas = $1,184 pesos ($89 Cdn)

    Guaymas to US Border = $843 pesos ($64 Cdn)

TOTAL = approx $18,300 Cdn  

*before $2,250 in rebates once home ($600 TIP, $150 Medical Insurance, $1,500 vehicle insurance)

*does not include any day to day expenses while living as snowbirds such as shopping, grocery, restaurant, gas expenses etc 

Below is a summary of the same expenses for our first year as snowbirds in 2021/22

Recap of Snowbird Expenses (Canadian $) 

November 8, 2021 to May 8, 2022 (6 months)

Nanaimo, British Columbia, CA to Lo de Marcos, Nayarit MX

BCAA Travel Medical (6 months for both of us) = $1,320

Ferry cost = $380 + $410 (including reservation fees) = $790

Mexican RV & Truck Insurance = $1,800 

    *approx $1,200 refund from ICBC once home

Tourist Visas (FMM), Truck Temporary Import Permit (TIP), RV Casa Rodante = $755 

    *refunded $510 upon exit

Accomodations: $4,111

From Home To Lo de Marcos: $320

- 1 month, 3 days Totanaka RV park, San Carlos MX $944

Winter stay La Parota, Lo de Marcos, Nayarit, MX

- Four months, 1 week in Lo de Marcos (Dec 13/21 to Apr 21/22) - $2,995

*Monthly rent $11,000 pesos plus electricity at $3.5 pesos/kWh (Electricity use averaged $1500 pesos/mo)

*Expense includes bank fees to withdrawal cash

From Lo de Marcos to home: $796

- 1 night in Mazatlán $700 pesos ($51 Cdn)

- 8 nights @ Las Vegas KOA = $745 Cdn

WiFi/Cellular: $520

- T-Mobile SIM card for travel through US - $50 (only bought one to go down)

- Solis hotspot day passes used = approx 20 for trip down/back and while in Las Vegas - $180

*$12/day but I buy the day passes when they’re on sale at $9/day Cdn

- Local WiFi in Lo de Marcos $500 pesos/month - $145

- TelCel SIM card $500 pesos/month - $145

Total cost Diesel = $4,477

Total cost Diesel Exhaust Fluid (10 - 2.5 gal boxes)= $200

Total cost Mexican tolls (20 tolls each way) = $714 

- $297 entering

- $417 leaving

TOTAL =  approx $14,700 Cdn  

*not including $1,700 in rebates once home (TIP, BC Vehicle insurance)