Welcome. Bienvenido. Wellness Warriors.

Why the name

So… why the name, Wellness Travel Diaries? Wellness has been an important part of my upbringing. Growing up as an athlete, I was always aware and intrigued with the notion of how to “feel my best” so I could “perform my best”, whether that’s at the next big tournament, or an interview, or going through a big life transition. Feeling good was a necessity. If I wanted to live my life in the most vibrant way possible, then wellness and travel needed to be a priority. However, it didn’t become my first priority until I was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, and the emphasis on wellness became the key to “feeling better” so I feel more alive

Side note: Yes, I have a non-visible disability, but we’ll talk more about this later.

Thus, wellness travels are what keep me feeling alive! With an enormous passion for food, culture, and travel through the perspective of wellness, I thought Wellness Travel Diaries would bring just that. My hope for you is that my vibrancy encourages you to travel and paint your world full of color. I believe traveling broadens our horizons, opens our perspectives and inspires us to be the best versions of ourselves as we try things outside our comfort zones. I want to show you ways to thrive abroad, and open your eyes to all the beauty that resides within you and is currently besides you. Every day is a new day, with a new adventure waiting to unfold.

Why I started

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”, the infamous question asked by that infamous person(s). For me, the answer to this question changed rapidly, almost instantaneously to whatever my mood or phase I was going through at that time was. Similar to the seasons, I would cycle through what I wanted to be when I grew up. It was fine, I’d figure it out. I always had goals. My goal of figuring it out was to try it, talk to someone about it, and if I liked it I continued, and if I didn’t I would cross it off.

“What do you want to be when you grow up Ciara” my sweet third grade teacher asked me, as she sat me down at the semi-circle table in the back of the classroom.

“Mmm, I want. Mmm, I. I want to be…”

“Wait”, she interrupted, “Why don’t you draw it. Class remember you’re assignment for today is to draw what you want to be when you grow up”

The classroom quickly filled up with paintings of doctors, teachers, firefighters, athletes, and police women or men. Some pictures were mirrors of what their parents were, others were the complete opposite. All beautiful creations, vivid and vibrant reflections of dreams these third graders had. My dream, rather my painting, was me standing in front of the Eiffel tower with my husband, and kids. Intrigued and slightly confused by my drawing, my teacher asked me to explain it. She was a tad concerned, I may not have understood the assignment.

“Ciara, can you please explain what you to be when you grow”, my teacher asked kindly, with a slight smile across her face, as she stared at my painting.

“I want to travel!” I excitedly explained, grinning cheek to cheek, “Look!”, as I showed her my painting.

Her eyes lite up to my response. She smiled brightly and exclaimed, “Well, when you’re big, one day you will do just that”.

The Middle East- my first abroad trip

I started writing about travel in 2013, during my first travel abroad experience in the Middle East. I would write hours on end to my family and in my journal describing all the adventures I was experiencing. From sleepless nights under the moonlight stars in beautifully decorated Bedouin tents in Wadi Rum, to riding camels in the scorching heat across the Sahara Desert, as I covered my head with whatever scarf I had at the time to cool my body’s temperature down. From snorkeling amidst the clear blue Mediterranean Sea in Aqaba, squealing with joy as the fish would swim up close to me, to stuffing my face with as many dates, 5 shekel (about $1.40) falafel sandwiches and hummus that I could afford. I didn’t even gain weight! Thank goodness for all that walking.

Once I returned home from my 5 ½ month trek to the Middle East, backpacking through 7 countries, I knew I had to go abroad again. But how? Senior year, and that infamous question popped up again, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, except this time it quickly evolved to a more daunting question, “What are you doing when you graduate?”

Time had passed and the weight of this question constantly swirled around my brain. “Follow your passion,” voices would advise me. So I sat and contemplated vigorously about these passions and goals of mine. What to do, what to do, I would repeat over in my head. Then, my first ah-ha momentous magical moment materialized. (Side note: I love poetry. Every now and then poetry will intertwine with my post, so stay tuned!)

Back to School

Volleyball was the key. After 8 years of playing volleyball, with my senior year approaching fast, I decided to pursue a career playing professionally overseas. I had a couple tournaments set up, so once I graduated I would move to Prague to begin my professional career.

You know that legendary quote, “Life is what happens to you when your busy making other plans?” (thanks John Lennon or Allen Saunders). Well, amid my ah-ha momentous magical moment plan, that is exactly what happened. I got severely injured my senior year with a concussion, whose name I’ve deemed Wilbur, and never finished my senior year of volleyball.

Fast-forward 1 year later, Wilbur was very much still alive, and my concussion turned traumatic brain injury (TBI) was consuming my life. The mantra “follow your passion” became a menacing ominous voice, as pain was my constant currish companion. “Follow your passion” ceased to exist, as “know your limitations” grappled for my attention. Unfortunately, “know your limitations” won, and bound to the confinements of my Wilbur, I was. I knew I needed to find an outlet. An outlet were I could still experience the joys of life, work less due to my disability, heal, be around people and continue to learn more.

One weekend, a couple good friends and I went to visit our dear friend who lived near San Francisco. Per normal, we were talking about post college plans or our end-of-the-world dilemmas (in case you’re wondering most of those crises were diverted), and reminiscing over all our crazy-fun adventures during school. One friend briefly mentioned her post-college plan was to move Spain to teach English part-time. Boom. Snap. Crackle. Cue rainbow light bulb flicking over my head, and me beaming with a cheery smile. That was when my next ah-ha momentous magical moment materialized. My gut instinct told me I had to go.

Side note: I also really enjoy storytelling so sometimes my informative posts will have a story smack dab in the middle, but don’t worry, all the oh-so juicy information will be there. Promise.

My second trip abroad

11 months after that conversation, I was air-bound to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where I taught English for the year. Highly recommend teaching abroad by the way, it’s a beautiful way to connect, learn, grow and encourage others. I had a remarkably time. The money I made allowed me to travel to other cities within Spain and countries while I was there. I learned Spanish (Side note: I really enjoy learning new languages, currently I speak English (duh!), Spanish, and beginner American Sign Language (ASL) which was my focus of 2018) and made a lot of new friends. After exploring Barcelona, various German Christmas markets, and eight more countries, I returned home and immediately knew I had to go back.

On the other hand, upon returning home I knew I needed to pause and focus on my health. Wilbur prevented me from living the life I wanted, and I knew I didn’t want that. I decided to place an even bigger emphasis on my health so I could heal more, and get stronger to pursue my goals and passions. After numerous doctors visits, physical therapy, neurology visits, I realized there was not many easily accessible and affordable resources for TBI survivors. I started working at a local non-profit organization focusing on the Independent Living Movement. Then boom, another passion developed, a passion with a mission to help breakdown barriers those with disabilities face and to spread awareness. My next ah-ha momentous magical moment materialized and I decided to take my passion for spreading disability awareness by sharing my personal journey with a non-visible disability, thus combining more of my passions.

2020, Wellness Travel Diaries and beyond

So… here we are now! After traveling to:

Countries

• Spain
• South Korea
• Italy
• Singapore
• Romania
• Germany
• England
• Greece
• Bulgaria
• Switzerland
• Austria
• France
• Portugal
• Ukraine
  • Chernobyl exclusion zone
• The Bahamas
• Mexico
• Croatia
• Malta
• Cyprus
• Jerusalem
• Haiti
• Egypt
• Jordan
• Hungary
• Exploring various other states, and cities in the U.S

National, state, and forest parks

• Yosemite National Park
• Joshua Tree
• Plitvice Lakes National Park
• Cape Greco
• hikes in San Bernadino National Forest (Big Bear or Inland Empire)
• hikes in Los Padres National Forest
• Gaviota State Park
• Zion National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park

• Having transformative travel experiences (from epic night train adventures to through Eastern Europe, or watching the “fire run” at a festival in Barcelona)

As a Black female traveler, with a lens of a non-visible disability, my hope is that everyone will find something here that sparks and vibrates positive frequencies within them. Through laughter, joy, openness, positivity and witnessing all the breathtaking beauty of traveling, I hope this blog will paint some vibrant strokes of colors in your life, and show you how to travel with a wellness-focus.

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