Why We’re Moving to Mexico This Winter

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."

– John A. Shedd

We just rented a house in San Pancho, Mexico!

Jill and I just returned from 2-weeks in Mexico and we will be moving there later this year for the winter. This article explains why, both to clarify for myself, and to be able to share with others.

This has been a long time coming. After we sold our home last year, we were planning to spend the winter in Merida, Mexico but a few timely things came up that kept us in the Portland area. This year, we’ll be packing up the car and driving south for the winter. We’ve been able to identify 5 reasons why we’re doing this. I’ll elaborate on them below. 

1) It’s time for a change

This is the simplest, and most important reason. It’s a feeling in our bones, that a season of our lives is coming to a close.

Jill arrived in Portland in 2005 and I moved here right after college, and it’s been some of the most incredible years of our lives.

But I notice time passing faster than ever and new desires for simplicity and a different pace of life. I’ve felt the comfort and complacency settling in over the past few years and something new and more spacious is calling us forward.

I’ve always thought I would get used to the rainy and damp climate of Western Oregon but it just never happened. I prefer more sun and a drier climate and this temporary move will provide that. 

A rough calculation indicates I’ve lived in 5 other cities since leaving home; Corvallis, Portland, Boise, Bend, and back to Portland. I came to Portland to establish my career, but now that my work is almost entirely online, it doesn’t make sense to stay somewhere that no longer feels totally aligned. We’ll be coming back, but I know this adventure is going to open up a new chapter of our lives.

2) I want to leverage remote work

Remote work seems to hold so much promise for so many pressing issues we’re facing. From high living costs, to long commutes, to the decline in quality of life in big cities - the ability to have a thriving professional life without needing to live in one of a handful of urban cities will be transformational.

It’s become clear that an individual can have a robust career working remotely. Hybrid and distributed teams have now become commonplace. But I want to know if remote work could be a boost to my own creativity and energy.

Can we find a way to make remote work a preferred way of building a business and life? We’ll see. 

I haven’t met clients for ongoing in-person meetings since before the pandemic. And I’m now part of a remote team that delivers a synchronous learning experience across borders and time zones. I truly believe that the coming 2-5 years will usher in a new era of work flexibility that will have the potential to unlock the benefits of remote work for millions of people. 

But we need to figure it out for ourselves first.

Moving to Mexico is also in line with Jill’s interests and ambitions, which is such a wonderful part of this adventure.

3) We want to live abroad

We’ve both realized that some of our happiest and most alive moments came from traveling abroad. 

The mix of new adventures and people + figuring things out in a new place + shifts in perspective, have been transformational for both of us.

I don’t think uprooting yourself is necessary for happiness. It’s just good at forcing resilience and creativity, which is a desirable thing for us before we’re too old to enjoy it. 😉 For this reason, we’re making a commitment to live in a place long enough to integrate with a local community. 

We’re also going to take Spanish lessons and Jill will be hosting a yoga retreat and teaching some yoga while we’re there.

4) It’s a great experiment

Our initial winter abroad will be a test to see if it’s something we want to repeat as well as seeing if we think it’s something we could do longer term. 

I’ll need to make sure that I can continue to do my work seamlessly, since that’s my top priority. 

And Jill will need to see if she can build on the momentum of her yoga + retreat business while working remotely. If all goes well, we’ll think about trying other places in Mexico or countries further away. 

One of the big reasons we chose Mexico is because it’s drivable with our dogs and we can easily catch a flight home from Puerto Vallarta for any important family matters and work stuff. As with life and business, it’s important to conduct useful and meaningful experiences that fall outside of your comfort zone.

That’s where the magic (and growth) seems to happen.

5) San Pancho is perfect for us

The choice of location was pretty easy for us. San Pancho is a charming little beach town with delicious food, cobblestone streets, and friendly people who are quick to smile.

We’ve visited there many times and we always look forward to coming back. It already feels like a second home to us with the small town charm, lots of dogs everywhere, and a laid back vibe.

The logistics work beautifully too. It is just a few hours to fly to most U.S. cities, it’s only one time zone away from what’s normal for us, and there are direct flights from Puerto Vallarta to Portland. San Pancho has Fiber internet with Starlink offered at the local co-working space, it’s easy to get around on foot or a bicycle, and the cost of living is considerably cheaper than most places in the U.S. 

One of the things I’m most excited about is seeing how living in a different culture impacts me and shifts my perspective. 

As an American, I feel insulated from many of the world’s problems and yet, I’m always astonished at how much healthier, happier, and connected people seem to be in places like Costa Rica, Mexico, Tanzania, and Croatia.

As we get closer to our departure date, I’ll continue writing about our experience as we make decisions and start to pack, leading up to our drive South in November. 

I appreciate any feedback or advice you can provide us as we take on the logistics of planning our first winter abroad.

And please send along any recommendations of things to see and do in and around Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita, and San Pancho.

Live bravely,

Michael