Monterrey, Mexico

[bcc_1_2]

Ok, so I was hoping we could gather up some information from guys who have traveled to Northern Mexico and the lovely ladies that are former and current residents. Now I had no idea ladies were all that interested in cracker-americans (haha). So I'll run with your premise that they are.

I suppose my biggest question would be do you think it would be cool to just call my auto insurance agent and then drive down there? I was looking at the distance and what the gas would cost me and I discovered something. Sure Canada would be a little shorter trip... but well you see the problem with that aye? Anyways if I left early in the morning I could be in Monterrey by 8 or 9pm (without any long stops). Now since I'm not flying out of some major hub like Chicago it takes longer for me to fly. I'd probably have to fly from my airport to some other airport, then in to San Antonio and then on to Monterrey (and the ticket is like 650 bucks min). Just flying to San An is a lot cheaper though so I've thought of that idea. Anyways what I'm saying is when you consider how early you gotta show up at the airport plus all the layovers its not such a bad idea to just drive. Yes you get in the car a few hours before you'd leave for the airport and arrive a few hours later, but hey that's not too bad really (especially if you travel with a wing man). I calculated that 300 bucks for gas would be a hard dollar amount to surpass on the trip (unless we drove a lot in mexico... personally i'd prefer using a taxi that the hotel uses).

Anways if you have a wingman that calculates out to $150 bucks a piece. Then when you look at the deal we'd get on the Sheraton in Monterrey ($50 a night for 2 doubles) that comes out to $25 bucks before tax. So if you stay nine nights your core expenses are $375 before your meals and other expenditures. Well you get the idea... that's a heck of a bargain.

Again I'm about to take off for Cali and have been to Costa Rica and I think both my trips will be/were bargains, but a trip to Monterrey would really be a bargain.

So I'm really just brain storming right now. Is this outlined trip to Monterrey a solid idea? I'd assume it would be safe to hit the malls and local hang outs during the day? Walk the college campuses and visit the surrounding businesses? Stay in the VIP section of the clubs and bars at night? Maybe hit up amigos or run a newspaper ad looking for college aged chicas?

Just never considered this option before guys, so fill me and anyone else who is uninformed in. Just seems like a great idea. Being the guy with the business background I have I've always thought that connecting latinas and gringos is a viable business plan. I'd never start a business as a single gringo, but I see a lot of ideas for Monterrey, Mexico.

[Jeff S]

Driving through Mexico is not a problem. Mexican insurance is cheap. You'll need a passport, Mexican tourist card, vehicle permit and Mexican insurance. Here's some info about traveling to Mexico by car with what you'll need: http://studenttravel.about.com/od/getontheroad/a/mexicodrive.htm

You can stay on the road and eat in Mexico very inexpensively, so there's no reason to push yourself too hard. A nice motel in a medium sized town along the highway may be 16 or 18 bucks and a ten spot will fill you so full of carnitas and cerveza you may have difficulty walking. Driving at night is more difficult than here in the US since the roads aren't as well marked or lit. Hitting a burro in the pitch dark will cost a lot more than enjoying a local cantina and motel.

I'd make a few friends via Amigos.com or the Yahoo Mexico dating site: http://mx.yahoo.com/ before your trip, so at least you'll have some points of contact. Maybe Eva would introduce you around? I might get a hold of a few guys too, just to make friends and find the lay of the land, hot night spots, etc.

I'd also buy a prepaid cellular phone after you cross the border. The Moviestar brand is better than Tel-Cel - a phone with 200 minutes in Mexico is about $35 and you can call to the US for about 5 pesos for 10 minutes (40 cents) Your US cell phone won't work unless you unlock it, which is doable (instructions can be had for a couple of bucks on ebay.) and buy a Mexican SIM card after you cross the border. It's just as easy to get a completely new phone.

I have I've always thought that connecting latinas and gringos is a viable business plan.

Hmmm. Do we maybe have the next "Cowboy Del Amor" on our hands? http://www.hometheaterinfo.com/cowboy_del_amor.htm

[bcc_1_2]

lol Jeff S.

Thanks for the article. Sent the link to my wingman as well which might throw a wrench into it. He's not so sure about driving down the first time. He basically suggested if it was easy like calling up a rental company in our home town and having them set it all up for us... he'd go for it. Otherwise he'd want to fly. Oh well...

Interesting website... I don't want to be called anything with cowoby in it though 

I have for the past year or so thought an international dating business could be pretty viable. Doing it in northern Mexico seems to make it an even more viable idea. That cowboy guy charges like 3 grand a week. lol. No but seriously I could see it working if your marketing is effective. Personally I'd be looking at magazines and online websites that have a lot of single guys aged 20-35....even into 40s and advertise there. Imagine advertising in like a men's health magazine or something. Or Slam magazine.

[utopiacowboy]

It's an easy drive from San Antonio on I-35 to Nuevo Laredo and then on to Monterrey. A couple of things to remember:

1. You need a permit for your vehicle to go into the interior of Mexico. In order to get this permit you have to have the certificate of title to the vehicle. This is to cut down on the importation of stolen vehicles into Mexico. The car title and official identification are required. The person whose name is in the title must be present to apply for the permit. Like the tourist permit, this car permit is requested (going in or out) at the checkpoint located 15 miles from Nuevo Laredo to the south into Mexico. When leaving Mexico, tourist and car permits are requested and should be turned back in to the Mexican authorities that issue them, at any departure port (not necessarily the same as the entrance point). For a rental car, you have to have the contract in your name and a letter from the car rental company authorizing you to take the car into Mexico. For details see http://www.banjercito.com.mx/site/siteBanjer/framesHome.jsp?hd_ligaContenido=iitv/con_iitv.html&hd_ligaSubmenu=iitv/sub_menu_iitv.html

2. Take the autopista to Monterrey from NL. It doesn't start in the city but several miles outside of the city. It's a bit expensive but worth every penny.

3. In Laredo do NOT take Bridge #1 into NL. You'll drive in NL and there won't be any customs station. Instead you'll be in the city driving around on the streets clueless as to where to go. The permit offices (for both car and tourist) in Nuevo Laredo are located under the "new" (Juarez-Lincoln) bridge. Follow the blue (small) signs and drive slowly.

4. In Monterrey they have a LOT of one way streets and sometimes the one way streets change direction on the other side of an intersection. Be careful! Don't assume as you cross the intersection that the street will continue in the same one way direction that you were already going. Suddenly you may face traffic coming one way towards you!

5. If you like the mountains and great views, go to the suburb of San Pedro Garza Garcia on the southwest side of the city and head up to Chipinque Park. It's awesome!

6. If you like cabrito the city has many excellent restaurants serving cabrito. I have a taste for it and stop at El Rey de Cabrito but there are other places as well.

 

[bcc_1_2]

Thanks for the help guys. My wingman is already wondering what the hell is going on with me. Ok we are going to Cali and you want to talk about Monterrey? What the hell man?  Anyways we do agree there could be a lot of positives about Monterrey.

So basically I rounded the trip to 1300 miles each way with a straight shot down Interstate 35. Basically you start early in the morning and get in around 7 or 8pm (assuming you take a few pit stops) in Monterrey. The other option of course being arriving at the airport at 5am and arriving in Monterrey sometime in the mid afternoon. So yea at least another 4 or 5 hours in the trip if you drive. But I priced a Dodge Caliber for a 10 day trip and with all the taxes and everything it comes to $250 (10 days unlimited miles includes taxes and surcharges). Of course that's just an online quote and doesn't include any extra costs for taking it into Mexico. So to drive it would cost $275 to $300 per person (including gas) instead of $650 per person to fly. So between the two of us its a $700 savings compared to flying.

For us it would be a straight shot down 35 and then on to Mex 85. Then it looks like Mex 85 goes right into Monterrey. The Sheratons that my wingman prefers to stay at are a ways off of Mex 85. Does anyone know quality hotels just of Mex 85? I think if it was a straight shot and we didn't have to drive around town finding our hotel the wingman might go for it.

Anyways this is just an idea that I'm exploring and trying to pull together info on like I did with Costa Rica and Cali. So thanks to those providing the intel.

[utopiacowboy]

Make sure that you arrive in Monterrey during the day. It takes a bit of time to get used to the way people drive in the city (maniacs!), the street signs and the way the highway exits and entrances work etc. It's easy to get lost there even during the day.

There's a Holiday Inn and a Hampton Inn on 85 as you get into the city. There are also a bunch of hotels to the east near the airport on Route 54. Most of the rest are in central Monterrey or in San Pedro Garza Garcia.

I really have to question going to Monterrey to meet women. They're not going to be falling all over themselves to meet you like they would be in Colombia. The only advantage is that many of the educated and middle to upper class women can speak some English. My girlfriend's English was excellent. Aside from that, it's a great city.

[bcc_1_2]

Ok been doing some research. I'll probably get a list of things going here in this thread just so I can go back and reference it in future months. Plus it will be here for anyone else that searches under Monterrey.

On the north side of town Mex 85 eventually turns into Av Universidad. The Best Western Royal Courts (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g150782-d154688-Reviews-Best_Western_Royal_Courts-Monterrey_Northern_Mexico.html)

60 bucks a night for 2 double beds. Free breakfast. outdoor pool. wireless internet. restuarant and bar. Not the quality of hotel my wingman prefers but its a decent price and impossible to miss or get lost.

[bcc_1_2]

I really have to question going to Monterrey to meet women. They're not going to be falling all over themselves to meet you like they would be in Colombia. The only advantage is that many of the educated and middle to upper class women can speak some English. My girlfriend's English was excellent. Aside from that, it's a great city.

That's what I figured. The knowing english is a huge bonus. We tried Costa Rica. About to try Colombia... and thinking about trying Mexico. Guess I'll just have to experience it all and figure it out. Worst case scenario is a lot of hotties have online profiles on amigos, cupid, myspace etc so we should be ok. I'm 25 and the wingman is 23 so we might not be the classic/perfect example of what to do and not to do.

[jm21-2]

Two general rules of thumb from my experience...

1. Trips always end up costing more than you calculated.
2. It costs a whole [snip] of a lot more to run a business than you think it does.

YMMV...

[Lucydity]

Please just DON"T go to Mty without a plan first, if you hit hang out places and malls, you will probably find ladies that are in a hurry, in bars or VIP sections of clubs it won't be any different from a bar scene here or any country, walking in college campuses, you guys may be seen as stalkers and probably scare the girls, also finding someone in the surrounding businesses sounds like you have to be approaching them and try to talk, the probabilities of someone actually wanting to talk to a perfect stranger are narrow, but not impossible.

Not trying to be negative here, just giving you heads up and shedding some light on the big or small questions that you as anyone else wanting to visit may have before heading that way.

Your best bet:

Try to have as many contacts you can and let them know of your intentions (visiting), how to achieve this? well, myspace.com, amigos.com, facebook.com etc.

Post an ad in a local newspaper about your visit and what your intentions are (i.e. get to know ladies for a LT relationship), and make sure to have a profile up with pics and enough info about yourself and what you are looking for in a site where you can refer them to, it should be accessible, facebook.com or myspace.com come to mind just so the chicas feel more at ease and start having communication with you, remember there is every looney out there and they don't know you are not one of them.

Whatever you decide to do, Mty is always a good deal (economically), most people speaks at least basic English and are very friendly, go and see what is like for yourself, you will feel like a child in a candy store, you won't be disappointed.

Last and VERY important, let them know where you are staying and let them come to you, tell them you are not familiar with the City (if they are interested they'll come), offer to pay for their taxi (is relatively cheap there) that way you will still look like a gentlemen and ALWAYS with NO exception meet in a public place within a short distance from your hotel, for YOURS and THEIR security, remember, safety first.

[bcc_1_2]

everywhere we went in costa rica we ran into girls. lol i guess having trouble running into girls never crossed my mind. i'm like a kid in class. but i don't wanna do my homework!

jm21-2. oh yea trips always costs more. but i am still marveling in what a deal this is. sure i always plan to spend more. as for what it costs to run a business... my parents own a company i have various family and friends that run their businesses and this MBA they gave me supposedly means i have some clue about business. Sure most businesses fail because of monentary/financial reasons but I do see some major positives about Monterrey and a few other cities in northern mexico.

[Capstone]

Another thing that you would probably want to take into consideration if your plans include using a rental car is that most of the major American rental car companies do not allow their cars which are rented in the US to be driven into Mexico. They actually have a disclaimer about this printed on the inside cover of the rental agreement. Some of the smaller rental car companies do allow their cars to be driven into Mexico however most of the major ones do not, so you probably would want to verify this when making reservations.

[bcc_1_2]

Another thing that you would probably want to take into consideration if your plans include using a rental car is that most of the major American rental car companies do not allow their cars which are rented in the US to be driven into Mexico. They actually have a disclaimer about this printed on the inside cover of the rental agreement. Some of the smaller rental car companies do allow their cars to be driven into Mexico however most of the major ones do not, so you probably would want to verify this when making reservations.

Thanks I figured that might be an issue.

[jm21-2]

as for what it costs to run a business... my parents own a company i have various family and friends that run their businesses and this MBA they gave me supposedly means i have some clue about business. Sure most businesses fail because of monentary/financial reasons but I do see some major positives about Monterrey and a few other cities in northern mexico.

No clue if an MBA prepares you to start a small business. The one guy I knew with an MBA said they just did a bunch of powerpoint presentations.

I saw the movie/documentary about the cowboy guy doing intros in Mexico. It mentioned his small ranch was worth something like $45k and he seemed pretty strapped for cash. At the end of hte movie he moved down to Mexico to save on money. Hardly seemed to be raking in the cash to me.

Most of the guys who run agencies go expat and seem to be making enough to live comfortably/very comfortably in the country they're in, but not rich at all by American standards. I think Americans just won't pay much for those services. Now, some Taiwanese and Singaporean companies I've seen charging $5-10k USD for intros. I bet they're making some money.

[bcc_1_2]

JM,

I don't mind sharing my thoughts on this at all. If someone else starts a business down in Northern Mx more power to em  . My thoughts are the "marriage agency...mail order bride" type business is a fading business. But companies profiting off of dating businesses is certainly growing as an overall industry. What is so awesome about a city like Monterrey is how close it is to the United States. So easy for someone to just drive down from Dallas, OKC, Atlanta or even further north like me. Or a short flight into Monterrey. So its a great location.

The MBA comment was kinda a joke more than anything. Yea I've got one, but it is just a piece of paper. One major part of any concept I developed would be advertising. Slam Magazine was one example... Men's Health is another. You basically pic cost effective advertising methods that puts you in contact with men aged 20-40 who are single. My concept would be to attract a younger generation of guys such as myself. Because to be honest too many of us are putting up with BS we'd rather not. These guys are all over the country and puting an online or inprint ad in their face will likely lead to a lot of interest.

That gets them to the website. The next challenge is to get them to purchase the service. That only happens if you have one big catalog of available women. Which means you've got leg work in the city first to put that together.

And I'll be blunt. I wouldn't sell email addresses or anything really inexpensive. If you use the service you'd pay for it. But it has to cost under $1000 for the service in my opinion when you include translation for a few days or else you just price too many guys out.

Now thats just something that popped into my head. Nothing I'd actually pursue in the near future. Latina hunting keeps me plenty busy.

But having a big catalog and nice website along with advertising in the correct places could make for a successful business.

[jm21-2]

I am finding out what a killer advertising costs can be. A small ad in the yellow pages is more than my rent :/. I'd imagine with all the big dating sites out there now that bidding on keywords has gotten outrageous. No clue about the magazines you mentioned.

I'm 26 and yes, there are a lot of guys who are tired of the dating scene here in America, but are totally turned off once you say something like "mail order bride." But change "love tour" to a "singles vacation package" or something like that...you might have something.

If it were me, I would probably market it as a pre-packaged bundle (hotel room, maybe rental car, translator, food, etc.). Take about 15% extra for each service and then you can lower the price of the dating/introduction services. Better yet, do like some others have done and buy a condo+rent it out, maybe even buy a restaurant? Haha...

You'd have to advertise a bunch for ladies before-hand so you had a decent database when you launched I would think. From what others here have said (I think one of the mods here tried to start an agency), the receptiveness of the women can vary dramatically from region to region, and part of the reason Colombia has become the scene of so many agencies is that the women seem a bit more receptive there. Ecuador was another country that seemed to be receptive, if I remember right. Mexico might not be...dunno. And someone from Dallas can meet plenty of Mexicans without leaving the state, haha. Just head on down to Brownsville or Corpus Christi.

EDIT:
Actually, maybe do away with the catalog of girls altogether. I know I've mentioned this whole process to some friends and they respond that it's kind of sick ot pick a girl from a catalog like that. Hmm...who knows. I might think about advertising the guy around to as many women as you can find in the area than advertising a bunch of women to the guys. That way you don't have to keep up a catalog of girls really, it seems like you're doing more work, and there are a lot of guys who don't really know their worth who would like it.

[bcc_1_2]

JM... you've got some good thoughts. The basic premise is what we agree on. Some of your feminists in this country go as far as saying being a guy is a disorder. The interesting part is that feminists try to basically copy men from their behavior to appearance its kind of a weird cult really. Anyways you can be a guy and be all for equal rights and fair pay... and still want to be with a woman comfortable and willing to be.... a woman.

So with that in mind I think there are a ton of young guys that just need their eyes opened. Yes this is an option.  That's why Monterrey really had me thinking. Guys could fly or drive. Crap if guys didn't want to go through all the work or are worried about driving in Mexico you could pick them up at the border.

I like the package idea. The best western in northern monterrey is like 60 bucks a night. Let's say you work a deal with the manager to get that down to 45 bucks for a 7 night stay. then you make sure you have a bunch of college students and such available to be terps. Then you just need to set a schedule for the guy his first few days in Monterrey (or whatever city). Set up a bunch of chica meetings with terp in his hotel bar/restuarant. How does he pick the girls? I agree the catalog idea is outdated. But I'd just set it up like amatch.com type website. He goes online and "hotlists" his favorite women. That hotlist is emailed to the scheduler. And the scheduler contacts the girls to set up the dates.

Not bad.

As for advertising. Yea it can be expensive. But you can work deals. And right now with the economy they are very willing to talk.

[michaelb]

It was Patrick, original founder of this board (actually, I think it was his wife) who had an agency (I think they were an address selling agency, no tours, no one-on-one in person introductions, just selling addresses--Patrick, feel free to correct me if that isn't right) and he said that it was hard to get lady clients from Mexico, the Mexican ladies weren't that eager to have their profile and picture bandied about.

I'll leave starting a business aside for now, but if you just want to go to Monterey with your wingman and do it on the cheap, I think Estrella Blanca and Flecha Roja still run several buses from N. Laredo to DF every day and every one of them stops in Monterey. Hotel? Heck, I've stayed in lots of Mexican hotels, (not an outlet of a US chain that happens to be in Mexico, I mean Mexican owned and managed hotels aimed at the Mexican customer, not the US tourist), and never had any problems, lots cheaper and met some nice and interesting people. (OK, your room won't be air conditioned, it won't have a TV, you'll probably have to walk half a block for a bar or restaurant and the toilet might not have that funny wooden or plastic extra ring that gringos like to pull down and sit on, but clean and safe? Yes, and you did mention several times that you were trying to do it on the cheap)

As for a fellow from Dallas going to Brownsville or Corpus Christi, to meet Mexicans, why? I live in Dallas and assure you that you can meet all the Mexicans you can stand at the grocery store.

[bcc_1_2]

True true I did mention the trip being cheap a lot. But that's really just an awesome bonus. I'll just be straight with ya all. Neither me nor my wingman would take one of those buses. We also like clean bathrooms with toliet seats lol. A/C is a must. Wingman demands cable lol. I don't swim but he enjoys that. So yea we'd be going the $60 best western route. 30 bucks a piece is no biggie. Cheap is great, but we just won't compromise some things. Especially having someone at the front desk that hablas ingles and can call us a cab .

[Jeff S]

There are also plenty of Mexican owned and operated non-name brand hotels, with pools, spas, air conditioning, cable, HBO, wi-fi, elegant restaurants, and yes, toilet seats. I used to stay at one in Queretero that was as nice or nicer than a big city Hilton or Marriott here for about $75 a night including free (excellent) breakfast buffet. The Best Western might be OK for an exploratory trip, but I'd suggest working a deal with a place with more local color for a cultural immersion experience. Any decent city hotel will have English speaking staff, too.

[bcc_1_2]

I hear yea Jeff. My wingman works for a hotel chain an is extremely picky however. I generally just have him book it and take the cab or hotel van from the airport to the hotel. Neither of us have driven in a foreign country before. So I'd probably just book an American brand hotel that has everything he wants and is on the main drag so we don't get lost trying to find it. We need to pick a city so we get comfortable with it. Hopefully we can do that this spring/summer! Always going to a different city is like spinning your wheels... and getting severe whiplash 

[Researcher]

     bcc,
             I spent alot of time working and living in the Monterrey area in the 90's.I think you have a good idea but the key will be finding the ladies for your agency.As stated before, the women probably aren't going to be as receptive to the idea as in other countries.I also found that to be true in Guadalajara agency some years back.I lived in Saltillo, Mexico where I worked but I flew to and visited Monterrey quite a bit.I had plenty of opportunities to get married and there are many beautiful single women there. That experience was what got me thinking about a foriegn woman to start with.
            Having an internet database of the ladies is probably a better idea than the catalog but I don't see why you can't have both.That way guys and ladies can use whatever they are comfortable with.I drove in Monterrey before and didn't have problems.
            You are right about guys your age here in the US getting tired of the dating scene here.Over the years I noticed more younger guys were travelling to meet women. Good luck with your venture and keepus posted.

             Researcher

[bcc_1_2]

yea! I'm one of those young guys. Here I'll post my favorite comedy routine on feminism. It is sorta politically incorrect just to be male- Bill Maher. If set up correctly and you distance yourself from being a "marrriage agency" we young guys might just flock to this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z8j4QJ0oiY&feature=related

[Researcher]

 bcc,
    Don't forget to check into what IMBRA requires of agencies.Just a thought.

 Researcher

[bcc_1_2]

Ok, I'll rant a little more on my ideas.

So you put together a package like JM says that includes hotel for under $1,000.
A lot of the ladies knowing english is a real bonus for the men. Think about this 3 days of intros with a terp provided. Free airport pickup or for border pickup add $??. Meet up to ? women a day over a 3 day period for $699. Let's say it includes 9 nights at a hotel. So hopefully you work a deal with a hotel to get great rates. You could set up the meets in the hotel bar/restuarant in block intros. The guy can meet several girls in an afternoon/early evening. Then go out with a lady he likes and the terp if needed. The terps could be trained students who are on call in the afternoons and evenings as needed. It of course can't be a perfect service... but you use American customer service standards. If girls aren't showing up you gotta dump them from your site. No games all up front pricing. I wouldn't offer addresses for sale or do anything other than services starting at 3 day packaged rates. Of course if the list of women is long it might take more days of intros so you have a fair price per day extension.

All in all just be up front and come off like a dating website and not a mail order bride agency. If you are going to try and charge guys less than $1000 bucks for this type of service you need a lot of guys to use the service to keep yourself and the staff busy.

Meaning you've got to advertise. Instead of advertising on say Gringos... (they are generally an older group of guys and they all know a ton about international dating) you advertise to young guys who have probably never thought of dating internationally. I'm talking single guys aged 20-40 mostly. For a couple of tanks of gas and less than a $1000 bucks (before meals and other expenditures) you can be in Mexico dating hot intelligent women. So how do you find these guys.

Advertising. Yea I mean invest in some advertising. Not throw money into a bottomless pit, but selectively try advertising that reaches your target market. One example would be a little ad in the back of Sport's Illustrated swimsuit edition. Another would be to advertise on websites dedicated to sports and men's issues/interests. Here are some of the magazines that come to mind.

Black Men, Men's Health, ESPN the Magazine, Esquire, GQ, Hemmings car magazines, Maxim, Muscle & Fitness, Mopar Muscle, Men's Journal, Slam, Sports Weekly. Plus you could buy packages to place small ads in newspapers across the country. Yea advertising costs money. But if you start out small and grow it seems possible.

If you build it the men will come. What the challenge would be is signing up women. If they knew the target audience was gringos 20 to 40s that might help. Other than that maybe make a girls personal ad who wants to keep her privacy only available to be viewed by members

Just some thoughts.