Wise’s Exchange Rate Tracker: The little things in Mexican expat life that excite me

Nicole  | 

I had never heard of Wise as a money-transfer application until I started frequenting Mexico and needed to send money to landlords, pay for goods by transfer, etc.

I once attempted to pay for rent with Paypal and literally – F that – Paypal’s fees are astronomical! So I asked around and was told Wise is a great option as an American in Mexico (Wise is a British company and only permits transactions in certain countries and currencies). I used my friend’s referral code to sign up (which I’ll give you mine at the end if you need to download Wise after hearing my story) and that means for you as a new customer, Wise will waive the fee on up to 500 GBP (or equivalent) of your first transfer! Score!

Wise gives a really fair exchange rate comparable with the true market price and guarantees the rate locked in for 8 hours when you start the transfer. The fees are pretty low, in my opinion and I love their due diligence of giving you comparable options of ways you may save more money with other companies. Who does that? Good companies who want you to trust them.

So what excited me today? The exchange rate of the dollar to peso has dropped substantially in the past year. After the Mexican presidential election, the exchange rate became more favorable towards the USD. For expats, amazing news especially for bigger spendings like rent.

I found that Wise offers a currency exchange tracker! You can tell the system where you’d like to be notified when the exchange rate hits a certain point. For instance, I have two trackers set for 18.50 pesos per dollar and 19.00 pesos per dollar (wishful thinking).

This morning I had an email from Wise that the exchange rate hit 18.50! For me, that means it’s ATM run time! I literally threw on clothes are rushed to the ATM to get cash from my USA account. I love using Charles Schwab checking because they do not charge any fees world-wide with ATM withdrawals. And get this… they REFUND your ATM fees from the other banks every month! WIN WIN!

What a sexy email to receive! Want to get started with the best banking methods as a digital nomad or expat? Here’s my resources:

Get your Transfer on with Wise!
Wise Exchange Rate Alerts
Get ATM-fee free transactions with Charles Schwab

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Mundos Roasting & Co in Traverse City, Michigan – a digital nomad review

Nicole  | 

While playing around on Google Maps looking for coffee shoppes while I was visiting friends in Traverse City, I discovered Mundos.

Mundos began their journey in November 2017 with their first location on Boon Street. I always love to read purpose/mission statements on websites, and this statement from Mundos gave me all the feels-

We love Traverse City. We are enamored by the natural grandeur that exists here, the life we live and the moments we share. But above all, we love the people. We want to create spaces where people experience the beauty of coffee and community.

Mundos

The team opened a second location in Suttons Bay and in spring 2022, they opened two new unique cafes on Front Street – Mundos 305 and Mundos West.

Location

The “Central” HQ is located about halfway between Front St and Airport Rd on Woodmere Ave. The building is just off the corner of Boon next to a print/copy store. I plugged it into my maps and it was a breeze to find.

Parking

If I haven’t made it clear, paying for parking is one of my biggest pet peeves! Luckily, Mundos “Central” HQ is located in the southeast side of town and has its own parking lot! Score!

The parking lot is small and this cafe can get busy (it’s quite a large place). There are two “rows” of parking, so there is a chance if you park in the front row nearest the building, someone may park behind you. Be prepared to be a little social and ask tables if their car is parked behind you if you need to head out and you’re blocked in.

Entry

As you pull up, the black and white building has a cute farmhouse vibe. The horizontal black wainscoting contrasts nicely alongside the white vertical paneling. Topped off with black barn lights, it gives it a really cozy feel before you ever step in. I visited in September so there were no tables outside, but from photos it appears that they have outdoor tables along the sidewalk in warmer months.

First Impressions

My eyes lit up when I walked in. The simple, clean, white, black and wood decor with beautiful plants scattered everywhere was right up my aesthetic alley! As soon as you walk in, you will find a large wooden picnic-style table – I love community seating. The main area has a garage door that may be open to create an “outdoor space inside” feel during warmer weather.

Directly in front, the counter surrounded by white shiny subway tiles. And your eyes can’t keep away from looking at the astonishing floating Edison bulb lighting. I walked up to the counter and realized that there were rooms to both sides of this main entrance.

The other rooms contained interspersed, more private tables, chairs and couches. Plenty of plants added color, beauty and comfort to the areas.

Menu

As a coffee connoisseur, you’ll be happy to know that Mundos is part of the Coffee Roasters Guild and Specialty Coffee Association. Mundos roasts their own coffee in-house on Tuesdays at the HQ location – and they even ship individual bags, or on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule. Croissants and pastries are made from scratch.

I perused the menu for something unique to try. They offered seasonal drinks, teas, sandwiches, avo bowls, crepes, burritos and more. I was intrigued by the peanut butter latte. I asked the barista what her thoughts were about it, and she told me that she really liked it so I decided to give it a go. How can one go wrong with espresso and peanut butter?

Anti-Theft Tips: Debit Cards

Nicole  | 

As you may have been following, my purse was stolen from a restaurant in Playa del Carmen, Mexico early April. Read about the nearly finished outcome here.

As I’ve been chatting with friends regarding the circumstances, I’ve discovered some interesting tips from them that I’ll be sharing.

When my purse was stolen, my Charles Schwab debit card was stolen. As someone from the United States, it’s uncommon that we use debit cards to pay for point of sale (POS) purchases at stores or online. It didn’t even cross my mind that my debit card could have been used by the thieves outside of an ATM. Here I was obliviously thinking that my debit card was safe… wrong!

Photo: thriftytraveler.com

(Get your own amazing Charles Schwab account using my referral code! You can get up to $1,000 when you become a new Schwab client. Charles Schwab is my favorite bank to use if you travel often, as they have zero ATM fees on their end and they refund ATM fees incurred by other banks – read more about why this card is awesome from Thifty Traveler. I am not sponsored and do not receive compensation to give this referral, I just love Schwab.)

The thieves made $500 in online purchases using my debit card as POS before I was able to get the card shut off (in case you’re thinking I took too long, my phone was also stolen so I couldn’t log into the apps to shut things down immediately).

After chatting with my friend from the UK about this, she told me a tip on how she keeps her debit cards safe.

For cards that are solely used as a debit card for money from an ATM or bank, she keeps the cards locked on the bank website/app.

I thought, well… what about any direct deposits incoming or auto debits outgoing? When I researched it on the apps, I found that locking your card does not affect anything except using the card for ATM transactions and POS purchases. Everything else flows as normal.

Charles Schwab debit card lock information

So I have now locked my 3 debit cards. I also no longer carry them unless I am making a specific trip to the bank. (Americans- we need to get out of the habit of carrying our entire livelihood in a purse or wallet, it’s not intelligent and a real pain in the ass if it gets stolen.)

Now I just have to remember to unlock them from the website or app when I take a trip to the ATM. Slight inconvenience? Maybe. Worth the effort and protection? I think so.

What other tips do you have for protecting your belongings in the event of a theft?