Welcome to the first ever travel edition of the vlog! And not only that, but this is also the first ever double feature vlog. It’s not like I haven’t blogged about (and shot video about) my travels before, but this is the first time that I’ve done it in the context of this vlog series. Our family spent all of last week in Los Cabos, soaking in the sun, sand and ceviche.

I’ve long since said that travel is one of the best ways you can spend your money, because you are far better off investing in experiences than you are in things. By traveling, you expose yourself to new languages, new cultures, and new manners of living. This is a value I really want to instill in my daughter.

For this trip, we stayed at Hyatt Place in San Jose del Cabo, located at the southern tip of the Baja California Sur peninsula in the west of Mexico. We chose San Jose del Cabo over the more boisterous Cabo San Lucas, because we wanted a quieter and more relaxing vacation. Hyatt Place is not an all-inclusive resort, but there is a pool, breakfast buffet, and complimentary internet access throughout the property. I was getting speeds of about 2 Mbps down and 1.5 Mbps up.

To be fair, towns like San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas have very much been “Americanized” thanks to the continuing influx of tourists from the United States. You’ll find McDonald’s, Walmart and Starbucks here and many businesses will not only gladly accept US dollars, but they’ll even have pricing in US dollars (as well as in Mexican pesos).

Nearly anyone with a customer-facing position in Los Cabos speaks very good English, which worked out well since my Spanish skills are seriously lacking. The only instance where I ran into a little trouble was buying some churros from a street vendor. A little sign language and gesticulating later, I was happily crunching down on the cinnamon sugar treat.

Pricing in the area is generally lower than in Canada or the US, but not exceptionally so. A typical meal at a mid-range restaurant is still about $30 per person or so, though there are some great smaller joints where you can find a pretty decent bargain. Some highlights for us include Cynthia Fresh, El Botete, and La Lupita. Local, organic produce is widely available in Los Cabos. You’ll find plenty of fresh seafood too. Ceviche is king.

Where will we go next? Should we explore more of Canada? Is Addie ready to venture outside North America?