One thing living in Mexico has taught us is self-reliance.
Down here, you can't expect anything that worked yesterday to work today or that someone will bail you out if you have a big expensive problem. Don’t get me wrong, the people here are warm and giving, but they can only do so much.
Besides, the key to self-reliance is having a solid plan in place to handle life’s predictable double whammies, like being stuck in a foreign hospital and seeing your bank account wiped out by unexpected medical bills.
Accidents and illnesses can happen to anyone at any time, and we all know someone who's been on the receiving end of the awful double whammy of being stuck somewhere you don’t want to be, while the hospital bill soars beyond belief.
Being hospitalized is bad enough, but if your credit cards and bank account are threatened at the same time, it’s a real bummer!
Here’s a Simple Two-Step Solution to Avoiding the Double Whammy:

1. Carry international health insurance that will help pay for your foreign medical expenses. It is affordable and easy to get. We can help.
2. Get emergency medical evacuation coverage that will pay your ambulance bills and transport you to a hospital back home - wherever your home is. We can help with that too.

We have solutions to fit almost any budget and can insure anyone.
Click here to get a custom recommendation for your international health insurance and emergency medical evacuation needs.

There are only two seasons in Puerto Vallarta: Summer and Perfect!

Loving life in our perfect little slice of paradise is about more than the weather. Unplugging from the "get-it-done" frenetic pace of life up north and plugging into the mañana mentality requires a period of adjustment.

Mexicans care more about relationships than about completing their To-Do List - as if they had a To-Do List! They are never too busy to stop and chat with a friend or a stranger. They are always willing to help with a willing hand and a willing heart. We are slowly learning to be more like them - forgiving and accepting of life's inevitable ups and downs and that's the best thing that has happened to us since we moved to Mexico!

Being guests in this beautiful paradise, we've learned how to keep the inconveniences of life here from  dampening our enthusiasm for living Puerto Vallarta's unique version of the Expat Lifestyle.  The secret to loving life in Mexico has three key parts: Food, Fun and Friends!

FOOD: Along with a long list of time-tested favorites, we sampled and raved about Bistro Teresa's new digs down by the Cathedral and the Barrio Bistro out in Versalles. There are so many outstanding, affordable restaurants here, we are unsure why we have a kitchen in our condo!

FUN: Vallarta is blessed with more theaters and live entertainment venues than any place south of Las Vegas! There are so many shows and so much talent available that seeing everything is impossible! Just this week, we've been serenaded by my wife's favorite singer Jorge Acosta (he's a great singer, but just a little too good looking to be singing Volver, Volver to Ms. Kimberly), we were appropriately "surprised" by a flash-mob supporting the Orquesta Escuela de Puerto Vallarta, we took a tour of the statues on the Malecón, and will hike to Yelapa to swim in a waterfall.  It is impossible to be bored in Vallarta!

FRIENDS: I can't imagine another place where it is so easy to meet and bond with so many adventuresome adults of the Medicare Generation!  Thanks to organizations like ExPats in Vallarta, The PV Garden Club and The International Friendship Club, there is no excuse for sitting alone or bar-hopping in hopes of making long-lasting, quality friendships. Some wise person said something to the effect that the quality of one's life is in direct proportion to the quantity and quality of the friendships he enjoys. Works for me!

Puerto Vallarta's unique version of the Expat Lifestyle (Food, Fun and Friends) isn't without its challenges. There is an expression up north that applies perfectly: "Skating on thin ice." The only ice here is in the margaritas, but the financial risks of illness and accident are all too real and are no place for the mañana mentality!

American and Canadian Medicare, and many domestic medical insurance plans are all but useless here so almost everyone needs affordable travel medical insurance. At PV-Health.com we can cover anyone of any age and any health condition. Not everyone qualifies for every benefit, but everyone can be insured against accidents and most illnesses.

Where your health and financial well being are concerned is no time for mañana mentality - Apply today and be covered tomorrow!

Even with travel medical insurance, you can easily find yourself in an expensive predicament. If you are sick or injured, you´ll have enough trauma without having to put $30,000 or more on your credit card for an air ambulance!  With a medevac plan, you fly home for FREE!

If you’d like to chat about travel health insurance, how medical care works in Mexico or emergency medical evacuation, just click here. A simple form will open. Enter your phone number and a convenient time to call and we'll give you a no-cost/no obligation proposal that will protect you and your wallet!

Now, let's get back to the Food, Fun and Friends!

A friend of mine who lives Guayabitos called to share one of those “bad news/good news” stories that I just have to pass along.

The bad news is that his wife slipped, fell and messed up her knee. She tried to ignore the pain and avoid seeing a doctor for a couple of days. Then, her knee gave out and she fell again! She went to see her local doctor who examined her knee including an MRI - which cost less than a third of what it would in the USA.

The amazingly good news is that the next morning the doctor drove my friend and his wife 60 miles in his personal car to a hospital in Tepic and a day later drove them home!

The really good news is that my friend’s wife is recovering nicely from her surgery.

This is just another example of the extraordinarily caring treatment we receive from the medical community in Mexico.

Do you think there is a doctor in the USA or Canada who would transport a patient in his personal car over 120 miles to and from the hospital?  

When somebody asks why we love life in Mexico, tell them that Mexican doctors treat us like people, not patients or (worse yet) cases!