Starting the Journey

It was 19 degrees as we boarded a plane from Minneapolis. My wife raised the window shade on the plane five hours later, and the island of Puerto Rico was visible. It was a scorching 85 degrees when we stepped off the plane. We were on the island to see whether it was a location we could call home for 186 days out of the year.

For my developing business, I’ve been doing a lot of study on tax techniques. I’ve observed that bloggers like Andrew Henderson and Simon Black frequently discuss Puerto Rico and all of Act 60′s benefits. We arrived on Saturday and took a taxi to our Air BnB, which we had reserved for the week. I rented a condo since it’s a different lifestyle than we’re used to in the Minneapolis suburbs. We wanted to know what it was like to live in a high-rise in a bustling neighborhood. I also decided against renting a car. I wanted to experience what it’s like to not rely on our cars to acquire what we need. We instantly failed since the nearest grocery shop was a mile away. As a result, we decided to hire a car and go food shopping and exploring.

 

Looking for a place that feels like “home”

I say “home” I don’t mean like my suburb. We were looking for a place that we could call home. We didn’t know where that would be, and we did not know what to expect. We watched a webinar from PRelocate that outlined some areas that people from the US would like, so we used that as a guide.

Guaynabo

We started off west the first night in search of the old town. It was a Saturday evening. We were trapped in traffic for 90 minutes before exiting the downtown area to the south. We got our first taste of suburban life after a brief drive. There were a few strip malls, five or six fast-food restaurants, and a grocery store. This region resembled what we see at home a lot more. Less crowded, plenty of room to drive, with everyone fleeing to their off-the-freeway communities.

We did our shopping. Super Max was the name of the grocery shop, which we both thought would make a better jail name. Regardless, we decided to try it. Overall, I didn’t see any differences between it and my local grocery shop. I’d say both stores provide a similar food shopping experience.

Loquillo

This little town on the east side of San Juan looked decent. It was quiet. There were some bigger stores on the main road, and it wasn’t too far from SJ, about 20 minutes. I don’t know any metrics on crime or schools, but I would be interested in researching things.

Dorado

Dorado was my top choice until we rolled into town. I didn’t fit a place where I would want to live. This town seemed to have a lot going on, and it looked like it was growing. Costa del sol was right next door, and it looked like more than a couple of places that would be relaxing to grab a beer and a bite. A little further from the beach was a large gated community and a large parcel of land for sale that would be turned into a community when someone picks it up.

Weather in Puerto Rico

Downpours come and go, which is unusual for us. We are in the space of when the weather says rain, it’s going to rain all day and be gloomy. Not on the island. Here sun showers come and go every 15 minutes. It’s crazy because you don’t see any clouds, then all of a sudden, you are running for shelter. It’s a tough pattern to get used to.