Born a traveler. Keeping it a priority.

I was born a traveler, and have made it a priority all my life. I’m often asked “When did you find out?”. The answer is simple. I found out when I was 3 years old, back in 1981. I was with my parents and my sister at a beach town in Portugal called Nazaré. I was small, and everyone around me was taller. I remember looking up to see things. On that particular day, I looked up and saw two fascinating humans with backpacks on. A blonde couple wearing dark blue backpacks. That was a very uncommon sight at that time in Portugal. The idea of backpacking was far from being a common reality. Yet, when I laid my eyes on them, I felt a familiarity I couldn’t explain. 

As a kid I always heard that snails carry their home in their shells. And when I saw the couple’s blue backpacks it looked like they carried their homes there. So I told my parents: “When I grow up I want to be a snail man.”. And there it was, my childhood dream of becoming a snail man! A story that continues to be told in my family until this day. We enjoy it even more now, when I have totally lived up to the dream, and happily became Snail Woman! (a series of comics yet to be produced)

There I was at 3 years old in the extreme South of Europe, in the early 80’s with that huge dream. Believe me, my cultural context was not immediately supportive of the possibility of me living life as a traveler. Portugal had just came out of a dictatorship that lasted many decades, during which traveling was not allowed. Also, women were still seen by society as less independent beings. The goals and expectations that most people in my position were meant to have were all connected with marriage and motherhood + career. Me… I just wanted to travel. So I respectfully put the social norm aside, and focused on my traveling nature. And I remember knowing fairly early on that everything else in life was going to be somewhat secondary.

Then I was just waiting to be 18 to be free to roam around the globe. And so it was.

I started traveling with my family when I was young. There were amazing trips together that I will never forget, and there was a sense of exploration already present that I appreciate until this day. Later there were wild camping trips with my sister and our friends, and a dedication to explore ourselves and test the limits of life that came with adolescence. That too was special and I deeply treasure it. But I was really counting the years until I could go explore the world on my own.

When I did, it was the most wonderful thing. I felt aligned, on track, excited, thrilled and constantly happy. Like a fish that had been waiting to be in the water. The world was my ocean.

And it has never stopped feeling like that. It’s now been 25 years since my first journey on my own. I’ve spent most of my adult life traveling. I look back and I see 22 solid years of living nomadically - just me traveling without a basecamp. Roaming the planet with one backpack and no return ticket. Having a few 6 month stops here and there.

For the last 3 years I’ve been experimenting with a new set up. I now have a basecamp by the Atlantic Ocean, on the West coast of Portugal. I keep pretty nomadic, but now I always have this camp set for when I return. As a traveler I know the value of basecamps - those important stations where we rest and stock up, get in touch with loved ones, put life in perspective, review and rearrange things, reflect, integrate, and regroup our energy to get ready for the next part of the journey. 

Then in 2020, with covid-19, and lockdowns, as we entered our global standstill experience, like most people on Earth, I was forced to slow down my traveling. As a nomad soul, I’m used to turn every situation to my advantage, and see the good side of every sudden change of plans. Early on, at the beginning of the first lockdown, I was already determined to have a great time no matter what - the same spirit I have when I’m on the road.

I’ve used the last year and a bit to reflect on 25 years of traveling, on everything I’ve done while living nomadically, on my work around the world, my online global work, my love of psychology, my dedication to people and communities, my love of eco-villages, sustainability and regeneration, and the most delicious network of relationships around the globe. It’s great to put everything in perspective. To see what I want to let go of, and I want to keep.

Knowing what I want to explore further now, I got myself busy bringing more structure to my business, and integrating the wild experiences I’ve had in the world into a creative & cohesive body of work - it’s been a deep and beautiful inward journey that I’m now happily ready to share with the world.

As I’ve grown in gratitude for all my world experiences, for the people & the many cultures of the world, for all the wild animals, the oceans and the mountains, and all the old forests of our planet, I have also deepened my purpose of sharing journeys and life changing experiences with more and more of you. I am eagerly waiting for the world to safely open up again, so that we can travel together!

In 2023/24, I will be SO HAPPY to take you with me to Japan, Nepal, and Bhutan! … Can you imagine how great it will feel to go out and live our traveling dreams after this looooong experience of confinement? It will be an absolute honor to lead you towards some of your wild traveling wishes!!

Check them out!!! And make sure to subscribe to the newsletter to receive updates about the upcoming trips!