Errands at Your Door

Before we moved, I wondered how everyday errands would work in El Salvador. Would I spend my days driving from store to store? A year in, I've been pleasantly surprised by how much comes to our door. That matters, because getting around isn't always easy or convenient.

PedidosYa is the app we use most. We order meals, groceries, medicine, and even our dog's food when we realize we've run out. Most orders arrive in 20 minutes to an hour, longer at lunch, dinner, and rush hour. One thing I learned fast: many streets have no name or house number a driver can find, so the map pin and a short description of your house matter more than the address. When I order, I send our guard booth a screenshot of the delivery time on WhatsApp, and the driver comes right to our door.

It's not only deliveries. A gentleman comes to our house to groom our dog for $11 a visit, plus a tip. He has no van, just a brush, a dryer, and nail clippers. We found him the way we've found most good help in El Salvador: a neighbor told us.

When one of the girls ran a fever, we ordered children's fever medicine instead of going out. We haven't needed it often, but it's good to know it's there.

We've also swapped most of the US brands we used for local products we like. The one holdout is the girls' strawberry toothpaste. We still haven't found a comparable one in El Salvador, so family visiting from the US brings it.

The book covers the rest: where to shop, what the delivery apps offer, how to pay your bills, and what to do if an order goes wrong.

More in the book: Chapter 28, Everyday Convenience Services. Sign up below to get next week's post.