Needing a Vacation from Other People’s Vacations
Hi. Hola. Terve. Yassou.
When you tell people you spend half (or all) the year living in a place everyone else saves up to visit for one week, they usually picture one thing: a never-ending parade of houseguests. “You must have friends and family coming down constantly!”
That’s exactly what I thought too when we started wintering in Cancun. We’re Canadian. Our friends and family back home are shoveling snow from November to April. Why wouldn’t they jump at the chance to escape to our place for a week or two? Flights down, sunshine, beaches, great food – and staying with us makes it ridiculously affordable compared to a hotel. Win-win, right?
First couple of years? Barely a trickle. Just two different couples made the trip. We had a blast with both of them, but I was genuinely surprised there weren’t more. They’d happily drive across Canada to visit us in the summer, yet somehow the idea of hopping on a plane to paradise in February didn’t click the same way.
Then the pandemic hit and, well… nobody was coming anywhere. Those years were very quiet on the visitor front.
This year the floodgates opened. We just wrapped up nine straight weeks of guests. Nine weeks! Friends, family, different combinations, some overlapping. The apartment was buzzing pretty much non-stop. Although the guests are on vacation, this is just my life. I still have work to do. I can’t just drop everything every day and visit like when we went on vacation together. I hope nobody thought I was being antisocial — I just sometimes have deadlines.
And right up front, I want to say this loud and clear so nobody gets the wrong idea:
We had an absolute blast with every single one of you. If you’re reading this and you stayed with us this winter – thank you. You were not a burden. Not even a little. We loved showing you “our” Cancun, eating at our favourite taco spots, watching sunsets together, and just catching up properly in person. Those visits created great memories, and we wouldn’t trade them.
But…
I’m also not going to lie. This morning I woke up to a mostly empty apartment, padded into the kitchen at 5 a.m., and quietly made my tea without worrying about waking anyone or tiptoeing around someone else’s schedule. It felt like pure luxury. A little slice of heaven. Today I wandered off to a local cafe with my laptop, and no worries about seeming unfriendly because I wanted to go alone. I wanted to write, and not be distracted.
Even the most beloved company still requires an adjustment to your daily rhythms. When you live somewhere full-time (or half-time, like us), you settle into your own flow – early mornings, work blocks, quiet evenings, the exact way you like your kitchen set up. Guests turn all of that into delightful, wonderful chaos. While they’re here it’s fantastic. When they leave? You exhale and remember what your normal feels like.
So yes – as much as we enjoyed playing hosts, we kind of need a vacation from other people’s vacations right now.
It’s one of those funny truths about this lifestyle that nobody really talks about. You move (or winter) in a popular vacation spot expecting constant company. Some years it’s quiet and you sink deeper into local life. Other years it’s a full house and you get to see your favourite place through fresh eyes. Both parts are good. Both parts are part of the deal.
To all our recent guests: the door is still open. Seriously. Just maybe give us a little breathing room between groups next time? 😉
And to anyone thinking about doing the same thing – spending extended time in Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Lisbon, wherever – just know the visitor flow can be unpredictable. Roll with it. Embrace the busy seasons, savour the quiet ones, and be honest with yourself (and your guests) about what you actually need to recharge.
What about you? If you live away from home part of the year, do you get flooded with visitors or is it more of a pleasant surprise when someone actually shows up? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments.
Until next time
