When I was living in Seoul as an exchange student, I would tell my new friends about my city and how easy it is to travel to Mexico in less than a day. It was extremely odd for them but for me it was normal. Living in a border city for almost all my life made me realize that the way I grew up, and the way I think about travel is different than many people.

It is not as hard as it sounds. I think when people think about visiting another country, they think about long flight hours or a lot of money. People who live in a border city might understand what I am talking about. There is this hybrid culture that develops in cities that share a border with Mexico or Canada. In this case I want to focus more on the Mexican border with the U.S..

I obtained a card passport. It is like a book passport except it looks more like a sophisticated drivers license. This card allows you to travel in the U.S. and Mexico as well as Canada. You need this card or your regular passport to enter Mexico with no problem. Before I obtained a passport, I would enter the U.S. with my birth certificate but border patrol officers would be so upset. Get a passport and save yourself from angry border patrol officers.

Many people on the border travel to Mexico to visit family, buy food or simply spend the afternoon there. The food in Mexico is extremely affordable and many people who live in El Paso, can tell you that going to Smart is way cheaper than Walmart, sometimes. But over all the majority of the time, you can get a very good meal for less than 10 dollars.

There are are so many advantages when you live in border city, but the best part has to be the easy access to another country. You can either walk into Mexico or take an Uber. Can it get any easier than that? If you plan to visit a border city, remember to bring a friend to spend an afternoon with in Mexico.