3 Ways To Transform Any Obstacle Into An Opportunity

Last month, I was about to catch a flight at the Guatemala City airport when I noticed that my passport and US permanent residency card was missing. As you can imagine, losing all my travel documents in a foreign country during a work trip (and to rub salt in the wound, on the same day…

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Words Beyond Translation: Ojalá

Cusco, Peru How often does what we desperately wish for come true? Ojalá has always been one of my favorite Spanish words, perhaps precisely for the magic and the possibility that it holds. Although it is directly translated to “hopefully,” ojalá actually derives from an Arabic expression: “ma sha allah,” which means “should God will…

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Words Beyond Translation: Ichi-go Ichi-e

A Japanese Encounter in Nepal Think of all the people you meet in your lifetime. What if you recognized each of those encounters as irreplicable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and gave them your utmost presence and attention? Literally translated into ichi (one) go (time) ichi (one) e (meeting/encounter), ichi-go ichi-e is an old Japanese proverb that means…

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How To Balance An Online Business While Traveling Full-Time

It’s been two years since I left my corporate life to travel full-time and build my online coaching business. Back then, seeing the world while working remotely seemed like a faraway dream. Now, I can confirm that it’s completely possible for those who want it badly enough. While this nomadic lifestyle can be challenging, so…

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Words Beyond Translation: Hacerle Ganas

Antigua, Guatemala The expression “hacerle ganas” in Spanish captures a sentiment of strength and perseverance that I’ve consistently found present in Latin American cultures: specifically, what it means to keep moving forward towards a goal, even when faced with adversity. Hacerle ganas roughly means “to create the desire.” It is rooted in the common idiomatic…

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How This Costa Rican Business Makes Sustainability Profitable

A look into Olas Verdes, a Costa Rican hotel that is pioneering the sustainability movement in Nosara.

Throughout my travels, I’m constantly on the lookout for businesses that can balance financial success with a consciousness of how their development affects the world around them. My recent visit to the developing beach town of Nosara, Costa Rica, revealed that it is indeed possible for a business to change and evolve to meet market…

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Words Beyond Translation: Waldeinsamkeit

Colorado, United States I recently came to learn of a German word that perfectly captures one’s deep and intimate connection with nature. Waldeinsamkeit roughly translates to “the feeling of being alone in the woods.” The structure of the word says it all: “wald” means woods/forest, and “einsamkeit” means loneliness or solitude. This word is about…

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Words Beyond Translation: Lagom

Skinnskatteberg, Sweden The Swedes are well-known for their minimalist, functional, and sustainable approach to living, and this is reflected in the untranslatable word lagom. Lagom means not too much and not too little: it’s just the right amount, and as the Swedish proverb goes, “the right amount is best.” Lagom asks us to create balance in…

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Words Beyond Translation: Saudade

No one had to teach me the meaning of saudade, because I’ve intimately understood it since I could speak. Saudade is a famous Portuguese word: countless articles have been written trying to capture its essence, but none of them have quite explained how it makes me feel. Saudade is a feeling of longing, melancholy, desire,…

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I’ve Visited Colombia 8 Times; Here’s Why I’ll Return

I have a love affair with Colombia that’s lasted eight years and counting. I still remember my first visit to Cartagena, a magical Caribbean town on the northern coast, when I was 19. I was instantly enamored by the quaint, romantic Spanish colonial architecture. There was a certain allure in how puddles of flower petals…

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What Travel Taught Me About Love

Celinne_Da_Costa

One year ago, I sat down to write an article about love. After countless hours spent blankly staring at a computer screen, I accepted the reality of why I couldn’t write the piece: I didn’t know enough about love outside of my own personal experience. So, I decided to do the next best thing. Over…

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