Eye opener in Puerto Vallarta.

I took another trip down to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico again to check out some more great resort properties but this blog isn’t about the resorts. No, this blog is about the people I saw in Puerto Vallarta, a generation of travelers that, honestly, I never knew traveled often, much less to Puerto Vallarta.

As we visited one hotel after another, I started to see a trend in terms of general age range of the folks at these places. Retired couples of all shapes, sizes and physical abilities were roaming around these resorts and streets of Puerto Vallarta.  Some were out playing tennis, some were bellied up to the bar, and some could barely walk far enough  to get into the pool without  support from their spouse but they were there, and there were a lot of them. Upon looking around the resort where were staying at, I felt really, really, young. Folks in their 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and I’d even venture to say  90’s were enjoying themselves in the sunshine of Puerto Vallarta.

 Grandparents on vacation with their grand kids were having a candle lit dinner as Grampa and Gramma sipped on wine while their grandkids sat at the table (exhausted from a day of fun and sun) with the glow of the candle illuminating their inquisitive eyes, they asked question after question about everything under the sun waiting on bended ear for the response.

Saddle-brown leather skin was everywhere. One example is that of an 80 something woman wearing a Kenya tee-shirt, smoking a cigarette and slugging back beer by the pool. Just watching her, I was inspired. not so much by the cigarette smoking and beer guzzling, however it was pretty cool that at that age, she was still rockin’ and rollin’ pool side and wasn’t on an oxygen tank in a wheel chair staring into white walls of a nursing home.

This older generation of ours is large and in charge. They are traveling. They are seeing the world and  going on adventures. They are staying in dumps as well as  in 5 star hotels. They are zip-lining, snorkeling, doing water aerobics and yoga on the beach. They are getting together with friends they’ve had for a lifetime and are enjoying their life. They are celebrating life with their families. They are really living life to it’s fullest. It seems that at this stage of their life, the traveling retirees lose site of their judgments of the world at large and simply enjoy every day that has been given to them.

All of my grandparents are gone now. I live in a community where there are very few retirees/ senior citizens so I really don’t have much  exposure to this population anymore. I realized that after having seen them in Puerto Vallarta en masse, that I have not been paying enough  attention to  this generation. I became inspired by their grabbing life by the handle bars and doing their thing. I realized that in no time flat, that will be me. When I am older, I intend to surround myself with travel ~ with good old friends and good new friends. I intend to march my leather clad body around the pool in my cover up as I saunter up to the bar to grab a fruity drink.  I intend to never let limitations prevent me from traveling.  

Puerto Vallarta is a great destination for everyone. It’s easy to get to. It’s beautiful and offers excellent resort options for every age. Puerto Vallarta is such an easy town. I can’t really explain it any other way. It’s easy to get lost staring out at the sea. It’s easy to get transported back in time by exploring some of the local towns. It’s easy in terms of having modern conveniences and it’s easy in terms of having a culture that is welcoming of all ages, races and cultures.  

Every single travel experience I have, I have another epiphany of sorts and this trip was no exception to the rule. I learned that at any stage our lives, we have the ability to live out our dreams. Some day, I’ll have saggy leathered skin covered with sun spots and wrinkles but I tell you what, they will be my road map of a life well lived. I wish the same for you. Viva la Vida!