Prepare for Plan B
Over the past few months, I've said goodbye to several friends who decided to move back home after living in Puerto Vallarta for a year or two. It happens. The dream is real. Vallarta is magical. There are so many wonderful things about this place that I spent an entire year writing more than 1,000 posts trying to capture them, and I could easily write another thousand. There is always another hidden beach, another incredible restaurant, another unforgettable sunset, another kind local, another reason to fall in love with this city.
But the truth is, it doesn't work out for everyone, and that's perfectly okay. We all arrive here with different expectations, different personalities, and different reasons for moving. At some point, the dream meets reality, and sometimes there's a gap between the two. Puerto Vallarta is incredibly diverse, and for many people that gap slowly disappears as they build friendships, discover new routines, and create a new version of themselves. For others, it doesn't. Some realize they miss family more than they expected. Others miss seasons, work, convenience, or simply the life they left behind. None of those reasons are failures. They're just part of the journey. Thankfully, many of those friends who left are still close friends today.
So here's my advice: give yourself permission to have a Plan B. I know it sounds like a mood killer. Why think about leaving when you're finally about to live your dream? But I've always believed that having options is one of the greatest forms of freedom. A Plan B doesn't mean you've lost faith in Plan A. It doesn't mean you're expecting to fail. It simply means you've given yourself the freedom to choose if life changes. Sometimes the greatest comfort isn't knowing exactly where you'll end up. It's knowing that whatever happens next, you'll have a path forward.
