Rocky Point -

 - is Arizona’s nearest coast. 

My main goal for you is to become familiar with Mexico and feel comfortable when you visit… 

After all, as I have said, it is a foreign country – different than the States in so many ways. 

One of the most popular Mexico tourist destinations for those living in the States is Puerto Penasco –

usually called Rocky Point, the closest beach that Arizona has! It’s only a 60 mile drive, once you cross the border into Mexico.

The first thing that may seem a bit scary is the border crossing itself,

when you head to Rocky Point…

…Don’t let it be intimidating. 

The type of scenery you’re going to encounter driving from the States to Puerto Penasco is very similar to parts of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. The mountains are beautiful and the cactus and flora is so diverse. It’s always a great drive. Of course, do be careful. Be aware of your surroundings, study your maps. Don’t be foolish and go exploring on deserted side roads all by yourself. 

There’s usually not a lot of traffic – that’s true on a lot of Mexico’s roads. So, make sure you keep your gas tank full, and your car in good running condition. (Wouldn’t hurt to keep a cooler with drinks and snacks in the car with you too. Sometimes in Mexico, it’s a long distance between places.) 

Rocky Point is a fun place to visit and spend some vacation time. The seafood there is just wonderful! The area can really be a bit “touristy”, but still… it’s worth visiting if you have the time. We have friends who LOVE Rocky Point and who have their own condos and time-shares there. 

So different strokes for different folks! 

Rocky Point article by Barbie.

Passport Facts

A lot of people have asked me what they need when they’re planning a trip to Mexico…

Well, first and foremost you need to get your passport ready!

It’s not that hard to obtain and once you get it out of the way, you can travel virtually anywhere in the word.

In this article I’m going to tell you everything you need to know to get your passport quickly, easily, and with minimal fuss. You might think such a powerful document like a passport would be difficult to obtain. It’s not, as long as you know the facts. So here we go…

Let’s start with the basics. Your passport:

• Is a legal document.
• Is internationally recognized.
• Verifies the identity and nationality of the bearer.
• Is valid for air, land and sea crossing, including ferries.
• Is required to enter and leave most foreign countries.
• Is procured only through the U.S. Department of State.
• All persons must have their own passports, including infants.

There are over nine thousand passport acceptance facilities located in the United States. The facilities may be located in Federal, state and probate courts, post offices, some public libraries and a number of county and municipal offices. You must apply in person for your passport:

• If you are applying for a U.S. passport for the first time.
• If your previous U.S. passport has expired.
• If your expired U.S. passport is not in your possession.
• If your passport was issued more than 15 years ago.
• If you were 16 when you received your previous passport.
• If your currently valid U.S. passport has been lost or stolen.

To procure a U.S. passport you will need:

1. Two photographs of yourself.
2. Proof of U.S. citizenship.
3. A valid photo i.d.,such as your driver’s license.

You can renew by mail if:

1. You have a recent, undamaged/unaltered passport to submit.
2. You received the passport within the past 15 years.
3. You were over age 16 when it was issued.

From January 23, 2007: All persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada or Mexico and some other destinations, will be required to present a valid passport or Air NEXUS card, U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card.

As early as January 1, 2008: All persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada or Mexico, and some other destinations, by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. Fees for Your Passport: (Form DS-11) Are Non-Refundable.

Age 16 and older: The passport application fee is $67. The execution fee is $30. The total is$97. Under Age 16: The passport application fee is $52. The execution fee is $30. The total is $82 and will be available for use for travel only via land or sea (including ferries) between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

Department of Safety and Department of Homeland Security anticipate that the following documents will continue to be acceptable for their current travel uses under WHTI: SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST, and the U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document.

Conversely, members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty traveling on orders will continue to be exempt from the passport requirement.

Be as protective of your passport as your wallet or purse. A valid passport is worth big bucks to certain people. Our Czech daughter-in-law gave us even more insight into how precious a U.S. passport is… When she came into the states the first time and had her Czech passport stamped with the U.S. mark, she exclaimed “You, here in America don’t know just how much this passport is worth to some people now, especially when it has been stamped in America!”

Indeed… it’s valuable to YOU and valuable to others — if it falls into the wrong hands.

So, hang onto to that precious document! As far as Dick and I are concerned, the little bit of time required to attain your passport is far worth the worry and time you might have when standing in line, when you’re ready to come back to the United States.

So, go ahead – get your passport taken care of – they are good for ten years. Then when you travel, you’ll be prepared.

Passport article by Barbie.

Medicare

and

Supplemental

Insurance

I was just reading an e-mail I received from someone looking forward to their retirement, which is coming up very soon for them. 

Their major concern is the same as most of us… the cost of their health insurance until Medicare takes over, and then, what in the world is this supplemental insurance we keep hearing about?

The same as a lot of us, he is older by a few years, than she.  So once he retires, they both face the possibility of losing the medical insurance he is carrying now.  If he is 65 when he retires, then he’s covered… Medicare… if he falls into the right “born” year.  But, she may still be faced with paying what I consider exorbitant insurance rates.  Same problem as Dick and I ran into.  And believe me, that can eat into your savings.

My husband, Dick, retired at 62 so we had approximately 3 years of paying right around $800 a month for our medical coverage.  We were absolutely thrilled when Dick finally reached the golden age of 65 and… Medicare!  And of course my insurance costs still stayed skyhigh… about $700 a month… until I also turned 65, 4 years later.

How do you get around paying those exorbitant insurance rates before Medicare takes over?

 I don’t know… we never found a way around it.  Of course, if neither of you are working and don’t have a job to be responsible for, you can move to Mexico.  The only hitch here being, pre-existing conditions may cause you to be turned down for private insurance in Mexico.  Even the national insurance requires certain conditions be met.  So we scrimped and saved and made it through a stressful time.

Now, since Dick and I were faced with these costs, Dick retiring from his stressful job because of his health problem and me not working because I’ve always been a stay-at-home Mom, we had pretty good impetus when Dick finally turned 65 to search diligently for the very best Medicare supplemental we could find.  As we were in the states, due to Dick’s pre-existing condition, which limits our time in Mexico, many, many hours were spent searching on the Internet and attending informational seminars put on by the regional insurance companies.

We got such an education on Medicare supplements. It seems every company promised they were the best… sort of reminded us of timeshare presentations!  But this time we needed to buy their product.   After making charts and graphs and trying to think of every question that was pertinent and getting answers on the phone, at the Medicare seminars, from friends, we finally decided upon what sounded the best.  Our plan has a zero, monthly payment for our Medicare supplemental insurance.  I guess we’re very fortunate in this area to have supplemental insurance such as this offered to us.

I know my sister in Ohio is paying what I consider a large amount for her supplemental insurance… she’s four years older than I… but I guess there’s no other plan offered in her area that is as good as ours.  She and her husband have excellent coverage, but they have to travel miles to mediocre facilities for treatment…and they paid $160 a month each, 5 years ago.

As you can see we have different opinions on many things.  When Dick and I had kids who were still in school and we were in the process of moving, the first thing we checked out were schools.  Now that we are retired, medical costs and coverage and facilities are a prime concern. I remember when we were originally searching for a place that we would love to retire to, thinking Belize would be a little Paradise. 

Then one day I got an e-mail back from a gentleman I had been corresponding with and he had experienced Belize personally.  His response to my query about medical facilities was “they are primitive”.  Really put a quick end to my dreams about having Howler Monkeys in our trees, Jaguars, Ocolet and Puma in our back yard!  I would rather have a doctor living in my vicinity.

Now it would be wonderful to think that none of us are going to need doctors, but face it… we’re not getting younger and it’s great to have someone who can help us out in our time of trouble. 

Just a matter of fact, since we have retired, I’ve had a torn Achilles repair of my right leg,  my second back operation, I just went through the cancer under the fingernail bit -yes I know that’s very unusual, and it’s doing great now, and just about three weeks ago.  I had my last knee’s torn meniscus repaired.

Maybe by now you’re thinking I should be a little bit more careful… that’s what Dick says… but hey….  I don’t want to miss out on anything.  I am walking a bit more carefully right now however.

So anyway folks, I guess my message is this is something you are going to have to plan for too.  And when you finally get that magical birthday…maybe the big 65… there are a lot of decisions you’re going to have to make. 

Hopefully you too will be fortunate enough to live in an area that offers little or nothing  a month for your supplemental insurance.  It may take a lot of checking out, but it’s certainly worth it.

Medicare article by Barbie.