One Facebook Group Shows How Expat Forums Can Stay Kind

Most online expat groups follow a predictable path: they start as helpful spaces for visa questions and neighborhood tips, then slowly become battlegrounds of sarcasm and territorial behavior. But one Facebook group in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is proving it doesn't have to be that way.

Puerto Vallarta Experience Share has grown to nearly 94,000 followers while maintaining something rare in online communities: actual kindness. When newcomers ask where to catch a bus or find good food, they get thoughtful answers instead of eye rolls.

Canadian expat Melanie Henderson started the page in 2026 without grand ambitions. She simply wanted to share retirement updates with family, friends, and former customers back home. The group's unexpected growth came from filling a need she didn't know existed.

"I began the page as a way of keeping them informed, and the next thing I knew, it unexpectedly grew," Henderson said. "There was no moment when I thought it was needed; I just started it for fun."

What makes the group different is its eye-level approach. There's no "we've been here longer so we know better" energy. Someone shares a sunset photo or a small joy, and the response is warmth rather than competition.

Henderson's vision is straightforward: "This is a group to share, discover and celebrate everything about Puerto Vallarta. I want people to experience the culture and the beautiful people and make meaningful memories."

The group proves that maintaining positivity online isn't about toxic cheerfulness or ignoring problems. It's about intentional culture-building and remembering that real people sit behind every screen name.

The Ripple Effect

The success of Puerto Vallarta Experience Share extends beyond helping tourists find good tacos. It demonstrates that online communities can resist the gravitational pull toward negativity when founders set clear intentions and model the behavior they want to see.

In a digital landscape where many assume online toxicity is inevitable, this group offers a different blueprint. Nearly 94,000 people now have a space where asking for help doesn't feel risky and sharing excitement doesn't invite cynicism.

Henderson measures success not in follower counts but in emotional afterglow. "I want the group to add happiness to everyone who's on it," she said. That simple goal, consistently executed, has created something genuinely useful in an often exhausting online world.

For expats worldwide drowning in contentious forum debates, Puerto Vallarta Experience Share proves that helpful doesn't have to mean harsh, and community doesn't require conflict.