woman sitting purple sweater orange coffee cup

WHERE IT ALL STARTED


Because my father is Mexican and my mother is Canadian, I was lucky to grow up in two very different countries – Eastern Canada and, up to the age of 12, Western Mexico.

While Guadalajara is known for tequila and mariachi music, it’s also a vibrant centre for arts and culture. My formative years were spent going to the ballet and theatre regularly, and my father often took us to a Charlie Chaplin matinee on Sundays.

Even though I lived in a beautiful and safe neighbourhood, I often saw extreme poverty up close. I've always considered myself fortunate to have an awareness of light and dark that colours the world around me.

When I travel, I like spending more time than the average tourist would in a new place.

Trying my best to experience local lifestyles because, what I know to be true at least, is that the real magic of being there happens when deep immersion meets unhurried exploration.

I don't go with a schedule or a checklist. Instead I like to wander and let the day unfold. 

One is far more likely to appreciate a destination – its unique pace, food, people, culture and quirks – when you're not racing from one “must-see” thing to another, don’t you think?

The real value is in the slowing down, not the speeding up.

As Mae West said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.”

5 other things I’d tell you over coffee…

  • I worked as the Assistant to the Vice-Provost International at one of Canada’s top universities, and that involved a ton of international travel planning.

  • I put myself through university and stuck to my guns to study something I loved, rather than listening to advice from everyone about how impractical it was to enroll as a Double Major in Art History & Italian. Hey, I spent a semester in Italy, so no regrets about the best experience ever! 

  • I spend my free time planning my next adventure, looking at homes for sale in San Miguel de Allende (my favourite place in the world), reading, gardening, and walking my dog, Maggie.

  • Siena is where I studied and spent the most time in Italy, so I really got to know and love the city. I also appreciated the slower pace and more relaxed atmosphere of Sicily’s Taormina - long before The White Lotus made it popular.

  • I live for researching destinations and creating itineraries! Just tell me where you want to go and I’m all over it.

  • “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

    Mark Twain

  • "I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list."

  • "I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well."

    Diane Ackerman

  • "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

    Saint Augustine

  • "Once a year, go someplace you've never been before."

    Dalai Lama

  • "If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up someplace else."

    Yogi Berra