This trip! God.. where do I begin? Last time I wrote a post on the blog was almost three weeks ago during a moment of heartbreak, doubts, and anxiety. A moment most sane people sleep on to avoid making any drastic decisions. But then again, we are not like most people are we? Each one of us is different. Some choose to play on the safe side and let sanity and stability be the rulers of their kingdom, and then there's those who embrace risks and adventures with open arms… The fearless free spirits and wild hearts that see change as an opportunity to grow. In the past few years I've had too many people in my life tell me what to do or not to do during moments of stress or pain, and for some reason I would always end up listening to them and doing as I was told. Almost every time I regretted listening until the day I grew the balls to believe in myself and in the power within me to know what's best for ME. Yes, I said balls. I don't think there's a word that describes what I've been going through better than "growing a pair"! I mean, in less than 60 days I did not only say goodbye to a 1.5 year relationship but I also left a $100K paying job to follow my passions, travel the world, write, take photos, start my own business, do good and simply be...happy! Not thinking too much about where the next paycheck would come from or what I would lose while chasing my dreams and happiness but focusing on everything I had to gain. I don't know about you guys but to me that took a gigantic pair!! But then of course, like anything new in life, changes can be a little overwhelming. Specially if they involve the important pillars we've been taught since kids to build full of strength and stability: Relationships and careers. So...on April 14, 2015, I found myself at home meditating on the major changes that were taking place in my life. Those thoughts and emotions- good and bad- started to take over my mind and body faster than a granny on the loose speeding through the highway!! Instead of panicking and letting fear take over me, I chose to challenge it by doing what I love most- traveling- but this time solo and completely unplanned. My goal? To clear my mind, meditate, lose fear of dark hotel rooms and lonely nights, forget about perfect calendars and itineraries, forgive, move on, and come back fresh…reenergized…renewed! I didn’t think twice and bought myself a ticket from Miami to Barcelona to visit my brother for a few days. From there, I thought about flying to Milan to visit a friend and… the week after that?? No idea!! I told myself I would figure it out once there and kept repeating these words to myself over and over again: “just flow. Everything will work out in its own perfect way and at its own perfect time. Let it.” I never imagined those words would become the mantra that would lead me to one of the best trips of my life!

Without planning or booking any hotels, I spent 5 days in Barcelona, 4 days in Milan, 3 days reviewing an eco vegetarian hotel in the mountains of Perugia (Umbria) and 1 day in Assisi. How did this all happen? No clue! I’m still trying to figure it out! Except for Barcelona and Milan- which I bought tickets for the night of my meditation and realization- all the other cities and the hotel I ended up visiting and reviewing came alive once I was already in Europe! The only thing I can come up with as a conclusion is that positive thoughts do in fact attract positive outcomes. And…energy is EVERYTHING!

I will share the pictures I took (some by random strangers, others on timer, many selfies, and tons of earthy panoramas.)and eco hotel review with you guys next week. I’m still going over everything. But in the meantime, here are a few lessons I learned throughout my 13-day unplanned trip. This might be extremely helpful to every wanderlust soul out there who whishes to travel the world but has been facing to many “ifs” and “buts”. Time to conquer them, babes! One life. An infinite world. No time for excuses! <3

1) It's ok to say we are not ok! As humans, we tend to worry too much about what others think and try to hide our feelings with a 24/7 smile even though inside we are breaking. It's ok to feel and let go. We are not perfect!

The ones who love you will be there for you. Even if they don’t understand you, your thoughts or decisions, they care about you. So stop being afraid of falling apart in front of them. Let go!

2) Traveling alone is the best medicine. For EVERYTHING! Most of us are afraid of being alone but you see, being alone does not mean we're lonely. Spending time with the "self" helps us meditate, understand ourselves, accept ourselves, change the things that need changing, and love every inch of our own existence.

Dare to take that solo trip you’ve been thinking about for months now. It will help you grow in more ways you could ever imagine!

3) The best way of conquering our fears is by challenging them. This is for all my ladies. As women, we tend to be afraid of traveling by ourselves. We think we can't do it. The maps, the trains, the heavy suitcase, the unknown language, the weird guy who is staring at us intensely, the darkness of the hotel's room... Reality is, if we never try, we'll never know how capable we are and how fearless we can be! ( More explanation with details of my experience on #4)

4) Life is beautiful, energy is everything and positive thoughts do attract positive outcomes. I know you guys might've heard this about a million times already but every part of it is truth. Life is 1% what happens to you, and 99% how you react to it.

Like I mentioned a few sentences earlier, my trip had no schedules or itineraries. I was just flowing. Waking up early in the morning and googling “things to do in…” while sipping my coffee. Once I found the spot I wanted to visit, I would just walk to a bus/train/metro station, buy a ticket there and begin the journey. Yes, I got lost more times than I can count and came back with lots of bruises from carrying my heavy suitcase down the stairs of train stations but that was all part of it! That was what made this trip even more memorable and worth telling. I found myself in wonderful places and then others not so much but instead of seeing it as a bad thing I saw it as a lesson. Never losing the positive thinking, attitude and energy.

5) Nature heals. My God, I was in Milan (one of the most beautiful cities in the world) but I connected and found myself more at peace in Perugia and Assisi. Two places where mountains and trees take over and birds delight everyone with nonstop orchestras. It was there, in the middle of a forest, where I was able to let all my concerns and pain go and felt my soul smile again. It was up on a mountain while watching the sunset and feeling the cold breeze caress my cheeks that I was finally able to clear my mind. I was able to analyze my feelings and emotions. I was able to forgive myself and the loved ones that hurt me. I was able to let go. And above all, being up there by myself helped me realize (even more) that this world is wonderful and infinite and that nature is bigger and more powerful than us in every way imaginable.

For some odd life’s reason, I got to spend Earth Day there. In the middle of the forest of Umbria. So yes, nature heals!

As I promised all the free spirits that asked me, today's post will be dedicated to telling you guys how I went from being a private banker to starting this blog and leaving everything to follow my passions.

Where to begin? There's so much I want to tell you guys but I don't want to make this post so long that you read only half way through. Therefore, I will try to focus on the most important details and those that will hopefully inspire you to follow your dreams. Now, let’s get to the point! <3

I graduated from college in 2010 with a major in international business. To be honest, there hasn’t been one day since that I haven’t asked myself why I chose that major. I think the fact that I speak three languages (Spanish, English and German), love numbers and come from a family of business people had a lot to do with it. My senior year in college I felt completely lost. My family kept telling me to stick to my business major while in my free time I found myself wondering about photography, taking classes about Buddhism and Hinduism, doing arts & crafts and handmade jewelry, volunteering at dog shelters, acting in front of mirrors, and preaching about my humanitarian and vegetarian values (I became vegan later on). One semester before graduation, I realized I hadn't taken a single internship during my 3.5 years in school. Not knowing what I wanted to do with my life I once again let the ones who love me guide me. Everyone kept saying "finance", which made me think they knew better so I interviewed at an international bank in Miami. After 3 meetings with the bank, I had my first paid internship and found myself working from 9-5 while taking 18 credits at school every night. My days started at 6 am and ended around midnight, which was usually the time I got home after school. Weekends I spent at home writing 30-50 page essays for most of my classes. Did I enjoy it? Hell no! But I knew I wanted to make something of myself and challenge the "beauty and no brains" judgment everyone had of me when I was a teenager. I’m not going to lie, that last semester was an ugly pain! I was not only exhausting myself physically and mentally but I was also dealing with a broken four-year relationship with the guy I thought I would marry. Talk about the freaking cherry on top! I guess my ambition was a little stronger than my exhaustion and heartbreak because I graduated with a 3.8 GPA, honors and a job offer at the bank. And that's how it all started... What I thought to be the American dream! The day after graduation I was officially a full time employee at the bank earning 50k, attending fancy client events and living in a nice apartment with an ocean view. My excitement lasted for 3 years until I realized I had never felt emptier and more confused. I knew I needed to take some time off from banking to clear my head and figure things out. Something I’ve always been passionate about is yoga so becoming a yoga teacher felt like the right thing to do. I quit my banking job (first one) and took a 45-day yoga teacher training. A few weeks after I finished my training, I was already giving privates but that was not enough to pay the “banker lifestyle” bills that were piling up and I found myself struggling every day. I had student loans to pay, rent, car, credit cards and tons of other bills on hold. Going to my family for financial support was not an option since I’ve been taking care of myself since college. My ego was also too big for that (not saying it with pride. That is a weakness I’ve been fighting with for years now). Sadly, my parents didn’t give me any moral support either because they didn’t approve my decision to leave banking in the first place. I felt completely alone and more lost than I’ve ever felt! And that’s how I got myself back into banking for the second time. I got offered a better position at another bank with almost double my old salary and, at that precise moment, I felt I had no other choice. I have to admit though, the first 5 months were amazing. I felt I was learning a lot, had a great team to work with, was traveling back and forth to NYC, and going to tons of tennis and basketball games with clients. “The job everyone wanted”, as my friends said over and over again, but I kept feeling like something was missing. I felt imprisoned. Glued to a seat for hours while I looked at the green trees and sky outside my office window. I was the only vegan, hippie, yogi, charity-loving, full of tattoos banker in the office, which made me feel more like I didn’t belong there. I kept telling myself there had to be more to life, never imagining that sentence would be my fuel to start this blog. I wanted to be so close to myself, to my emotions, to my goals and passions and to my wild heart that I decided to detach myself from the things I no longer needed… the things that didn’t make my soul happy. I sold all the items in my closet with designer names I could barely pronounce, moved from a one bedroom apt to a beautiful little studio on the beach, went fully vegan (after 4 years as a vegetarian, I finally chose a vegan diet and lifestyle about a little more than a year ago) and began to volunteer again at the charities close to my heart. Yes, I was still in banking but this time I wanted to make sure it never got to my head again! And even though I had gone from The Devil Wears Prada type of lifestyle to a simpler one, I was so joyful! I felt as if I had taken a huge rock out of my back and could finally breathe! Once I had achieved this, the blog came alive. Friends of mine told me I should put my life and daily choices in writing because it’s not very often that you find a free spirited, vegan, charity-lover, tattooed yogi in an industry full of stress and materialism such as banking. So I did. And I wrote, and wrote, and wrote and with every key I pressed I felt closer to myself than ever! After 10 months of saving (something I didn’t do much the first time I left my 9-5) and dedicating my nights and weekends and every little free second I got off the banking world to the blog, I finally accepted that staying in banking would mean living someone else’s dream and that if I at least didn’t give my passions and life itself another try I would probably spend 5 more years looking out my office window wondering “what if”. There’s no greater enemy to one’s success and happiness than the “what if”. What if I had studied acting like I wanted when I was young? What if I take photography lessons? What if I quit banking again and travel the world? What if, what if, what if! Three weeks ago I waived that “what if” (and banking!) a final goodbye. I woke up one morning and realized I would rather fail 100 times pursuing what I love than succeed at something that is slowly vanishing my smile and taking my years away. There is so much I want to do in this life… From doing my best to leave my mark on this planet, to sipping my morning coffee stress-free under a tree, to taking acting lessons, to traveling and seeing every sunrise and sunset from every coast and taking mental and physical pictures of them! But none of this will ever be possible if I don't believe in it! If I don't visualize it! If I don't do something to make it happen! And the same applies to all of you guys! Nobody knows you better than you do so don’t waste your time living someone else’s dream. Follow your passions and give yourselves entirely to them because once you act in ways that make your heart smile, you’re surrounded by positive energy and this energy attracts amazing things and people to your life to point you in the right direction. Finding the path becomes so much easier when you are doing something you LOVE and above all something good for this world. So go out there fearlessly, take risks and LOVE! In the end, if you think about it, love is energy and energy is simply everything!

xoxo

Vale

“What if I fall?”

“Oh, my darling, but what if you fly?”

The 13-day trip that strengthened my soul.

What if you fly?