Travel writer says Puerto Vallarta is more than its worst moments

Travel writer Meagan Drillinger has made Puerto Vallarta her home base for the last five years. After cartel violence in Jalisco this week, videos of burning cars and buildings, shuttered storefronts, canceled flights into Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, and orders to shelter in place left residents and tourists frightened.

From Seattle, she watched her phone fill with messages, forwarded footage, and WhatsApp voice notes from friends and loved ones on the ground. Her relationship with the city began on a reporting trip in 2013 and deepened over time. By much of 2024 and 2025 she was there full-time, learning traffic patterns, seeing familiar faces at coffee shops and bars, and picking up her mail; routine and relationships turned it into home.

Moments like seeing a smoldering car a few blocks from her last address made the violence personal.

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