Barcelona 2025 # Where to go next? (Patreon)

After Tenerife, we started to get a bit nervous about visas for Ukrainians. There was no news, no updates, and Gary’s time in Europe was slowly coming to an end. So we had to decide where to move next. Somewhere both of us could stay legally for the longest time without too much stress.

That place turned out to be Mexico.

Six months for Ukrainians with an electronic visa - very easy to get. For Americans, visa-free entry - also around 180 days.

The plan was simple. Go there, stay for a while. Maybe the visa situation would change. If we didn’t like it, or if time started running out, we could fly to Peru or Costa Rica. Turns out, there are quite a few countries in North and South America with visa-free options for Ukrainians.

Was I excited? Honestly, at that point I was so tired of traveling that I didn’t really care where we stopped. I just wanted to ground myself. To stay in one place. To stop moving for a bit.

Mexico meant the possibility of six months in one place. Six months of finally feeling at home again and returning to a normal routine.

So we bought the tickets. I got my online visa. And on the way, we stopped in Barcelona for a couple of days to introduce Gary to Toni and celebrate his birthday. And honestly, just to exist in a familiar, safe state with people who feel like home. Finding “your people” in Mexico is a bit harder.

It was a beautiful week.

Sagrada Familia. The aquarium. Toni’s birthday. Absinthe in the old Marsella bar. A bit of shooting. Long night walks through Barcelona.

Sigh… instant nostalgia.

P.S. I’ll tell you how Mexico welcomed us in the next post.