Hey there! I’m Mariah, The Adventure Enthusiast and here’s my story…

Born & raised in Oregon, USA, my family and I frequently enjoyed the outdoors through camping and hiking. Those memorable experiences nurtured my love for nature which would grow and develop into my love for travel. By age 23, I was “free”. I’d just earned my pastry degree and held a well-paying job in that industry. I’d just moved in with my first-ever girlfriend, and at the time I thought life going great. Not long after graduation I started experiencing intense anxiety. I couldn’t nail down the source was and it started to effect my daily life, work and budding relationship. Months later, my girlfriend broke up with me, and a couple weeks later, I was fired from my job at a high-end restaurant. My life was spiraling and my head was spinning. I started having frequent panic attacks, I was lonely, I was living paycheck-to-paycheck. I was downright miserable.
That’s when I realized I needed to take control and make a major life change to avoid continuing down the awful path I was on.

So, I decided to move to Hawai’i.

Fast forward 4 months and I’m on a plane to Maui. Little did I know that was the best decision I could have ever made for myself. I spent exactly one year on the Valley Isle where I learned countless life lessons and made unforgettable memories with truly incredible people.

Then one dreary night I found myself flying solo at a Mexican restaurant upcountry when I started to feel restless in life again. After 9 months, I was stagnating and the anxiety monster was beginning to resurface. So, two generously poured passion-fruit margaritas later, I made another revolutionary decision.

I booked a flight to Belize. Right there on the spot.

It would be my first solo international trip and I would be headed to a country I knew nothing about. I won’t lie, I was anxious, but this anxiety turned out to be an enormously helpful tool in finding my courage for the trip. This was the feeling I’d been missing; the promise of adventure was strong and I was ecstatic to do something so radical.

Let me just note here, no one in my family travels. For generations my family has stayed within a 500-mile radius. And this whole time I was planning my trip and living on Maui I had family members who were both very supportive and of questionable ‘supportiveness’ calling my poor mother asking her what the heck I was doing, and sometimes even doubting my ability to go to a foreign country alone. But I brushed all that off and focused on myself, my goals and what I wanted to get out of the trip.
So off I went, I explored and I adventured. I met many kind and wonderful people and had a wonderfully balanced trip complete with its shares of ups and downs.

From these experiences I uncovered my true passion: Travel. I’ve also discovered how strong and independent I am, and that I really can do anything I set my mind to.

This brings us to now. I know what my passion is, but I keep asking myself, “What else is there? What can I do to create value in my life and in the lives of others who share my passion?”. These questions are what led me to start a blog. This blog is for women like me, women who don’t know where to start but know that they need a new perspective or change. Let’s face it, travel can be overwhelming, especially if you’re a lone female in a “big and scary” world. Yes, the world is a big place, but with every trip you take it gets just a little bit smaller. You build your network and make connections; and the more you travel, honestly, the less scary the world is. As humans we naturally fear the unknown. It’s all about perspective. Travel promotes understanding and a sense of community throughout the world which is currently being diminished by an excess of political divide. This is why I feel everyone should travel, so we may authentically connect with one another from a mindset of love and understanding, rather than promoting animosity from a mindset of intolerance.

This is where I leave you with my Golden Life Rules…

1. Do what makes your heart soar, not sore.
2. Dream big now, worry about the details later.
3. Your success is directly related to your mindset.

Wishing you insightful expeditions with love, Mariah