@mylifesatravelmovie

Have you ever seen a lake this blue?! Welcome to Lake Bacalar! Also known as the Laguna de los 7 Colores because of the many shades of blue! . There's so many interesting facts about this lake, I don't even know where to begin, but I will start by saying that I LOVE Bacalar! . We went sailing on the lake with @daytourbacalar who did a phenomenal job of bringing us to the best areas to swim as well as dropping all the info about the lake and its importance to the atmosphere (it's an oxygen gold mine). . You should know that you definitely need a boat tour to see the best spots, as sometimes they need to sail an hour away depending on how the weather has been, and also to see the Cenotes. . Ok so now my fun facts! . 🌬️This lake is particularly important because not only does it have a mangrove jungle (highest oxygen producing plants) but also stromatolites, which look like white boulders covered in fuzzy mud, which also produce a ton of oxygen! . 🌊 The water looks extra blue because the bottom of the lake is made of white sulfuric mud! . 🛶 There is a Mayan-man-made canal cut through it called the Pirates Canal, that was made as an important trading route, then later infiltrated by pirates. . 🤯 There are Cenotes (really deep water holes with underground caves) IN the lake! . 🛏️ There are also tons of hotels and restaurants right on the lake! . Definitely add this sailing tour to your list of things to do when you visit this area of Mexico!! It's only about 4 hours from the airport (2 hours from Tulum) and 100% worth it! . Blog post itinerary coming this week! . Is Bacalar on your to-do list? Do you have any questions about it? . (PS how cute is Oscar's shark fin life vest?!) . .

If we could all learn to work WITH nature rather than abuse it for our own selfish luxuries, the World would remain a beautiful place, and we wouldn't be doomed for the wrath of global warming! . I made a personal pledge to live more sustainably, and promote the sh*t out of it to others, and that includes aiming to only go to eco-friendly restaurants, hotels, and tours! . Bacalar has FAR exceeded my expectations for how eco-friendly they are, and how much they truly care about the precious environment here! . My favorite restaurant was @laplayitabacalar ; a gorgeous jungle escape with a massive tree providing the roof of it, and the famous 7 Colors Lagoon providing the views and entertainment! Plus the food is all locally grown and sustainable! . Sustainability means something won't run out (think compost gardens, renewable energy like solar and wind, re-usable products) which is the key to stopping the climate from increasing any higher. . If we don't adapt to it, we will eventually run out of land, which means we will run out of oxygen. Oceans will continue to get warmer, causing more storms and more coral and sea life death. . You may not care because it doesn't directly affect you now. But it WILL affect your kids and grandkids detrimentally one day! . So please! Consider looking into eco-friendly / sustainable venues like this one, and destinations like Bacalar! . I know I've asked this before but I always love when others share this particular answer: what do you do to live sustainable and prevent global warming? . (PS: wearing my sustainable swimwear line made from recycled sea waste, plastic, and yarn! @mylifesatravelshop) . . .

Category 5 Hurricane Delta decided to head straight for us in Playa del Carmen, so this morning I ran to the car rental place, booked a pet friendly hotel, packed up our stuff, and we drove 3 hours southwest to Bacalar. . Can't say I'm surprised that we have a catastrophic storm coming at us right after moving here, since ya know, 5 days after I got to Spain we got put into lockdown. And in general, 2020 is a complete catastrophe itself. But hey, I don't call my brand "My Life's a Travel Movie" for nothing! . I made the decision to voluntarily evacuate mostly because of my pup Oscar, and also because we don't know how long we will be without power, and we aren't prepared for that. . I'm not worried about us, but I am worried and feel incredibly bad for the locals, especially all the businesses that are about to be pummeled. . The hurricane is supposed to make landfall around 2am, so please send your positive energy and well wishes to the people who need it most from Cancun to Tulum. . Last, I just want to point out that this year has a record high amount of hurricanes and major storms to make landfall. If you look at radar or the news you'll hear that Hurricane Delta is picking up strength because of WARM waters. Do you know what's causing the increasing temperatures of ocean waters? GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE. . If you don't think those are real things, and you don't do anything at all to help stop it (including voting for ppl who want to help offset it, not who call it fake news), we will not have a beautiful planet to travel and live on much longer. Please vote, please offset your carbon footprint, please eat less meat, please raise awareness! . Will be updating the situation here on Stories, as well as trying to figure out a legitimate organization to do a fundraiser for the local people starting tomorrow. . Stay safe everyone, count your blessings and check your privilege!! . .

Where I'm living in the Mexican Caribbean isn't just all sunny beaches and endless tacos and tequila! In fact, you may think of it as a fiesta destination, but health and wellness are really big here as well! Which is perfect for my post-lockdown commitment to getting my mind and body back in shape! If you'd like to see what wellness activities are available in the most popular destinations from Cancun to Bacalar, tune in every Tuesday in October at 10:30am EST to @Mexican.Caribbean 's partnership with founder of Xtend Barre,  @AndreaXtendBarre, who will give you a virtual tour of four epic facilities and sessions! Kicking off the series is @NizucResort in Cancun, said to be 'The Most Instagrammable Hotel in Mexico'! You'll take a virtual tour of the Mayan-inspired spa and see what it's like to do Hydrotherapy, and a Mayan Shaman session! Don't worry, it's not like the 'sessions' they used to do in cenotes... ;) What do you think, would you come here for a wellness vacation?  @visitcancun [partnership]

STOP scrolling, read, and share if you ever want to be able to swim with whale sharks in the future! . I have TWO very important things to say and I have faith in you good people and travelers to actually listen and help spread the word. . 1. Today is officially 30 days until elections. For any of my fellow digital nomads, expats, or travelers who will be overseas until after Nov 3 who have not received their ballots, please go to FVAP.com and fill out, print, sign, and send in a Federal Write in Absentee Ballot. Step by step instructions are on my blog mylifesamovie.com! . Please send this info to anyone you know overseas who can vote! And please vote for the party who has a goal of working to combat climate change! (Cough Jomala). . 2. It has been announced that new covid vaccines will require the killing of over 500,000 sharks (including whale sharks) because they use something called squalene which is an oil found in their livers. HOWEVER squalene can also be produced sustainably in labs, which has been proven already in California! Evil people opt for sharks because it's easier and cheaper, but with an already declining shark population, this could be seriously detrimental! . Please sign the petition on my stories against this mass killing, share this fact with others, and always be sure to check the ingredients of health supplements! You'd be surprised to see even some vitamins use shark in them!! . I was fortunate to swim with whale sharks off of Isla Mujeres, where they come to feed naturally from July to October, without any human hand feeding disruption. I would absolutely hate to see a decline in their numbers because of the above mentioned things! . Share, talk about it, DO SOMETHING to help!! That's the only way to get things done! Don't just sit back and watch other people do it! If you've ever used a Be The Change quote, then actually do something to be it! . Thank you for your time, have a lovely Sunday...after you sign the petition and make sure you are all set and ready to VOTE! . . .

Which of these Mayan pyramids is your favorite (located in 3 diff countries) 1, 2, 3, or 4? . I ask because one of these got the title of a 7 World Wonders, out of dozens of Mayan ruins all over Central America (and the Egyptian pyramids!). . Here's where these are and some info: . 1. Cobá, Mexico : Most recent Mayan city before Spanish takeover. Highest pyramid in Yucatan (can no longer climb), said to have been ruled by women! Also perfect photobomb by a matching butterfly! . 2. Tikal, Guatemala: Said to be the greatest city in Mayan history, inhabited in 900BC, with thousands of structures, and over 100k people (my fave). There are also other pyramids in Guatemala that were built to align perfectly with the sun. . 3. Xumantunich, Belize: One of the tallest pyramids (about 130ft) that you can still climb (I'm at the top), and over 3000 years old. . 4. Chichén Itzá, México: Voted one of the New 7 World Wonders, and nominated because of it's smart ancient construction; during spring and autumn equinox, the sun aligns with the main temple and projects a serpent shadow that aligns with the serpent statues. Aka one of the first physical calendars. . In case it isn't obvious, I love seeking and learning about ancient civilizations, and I truly believe traveling is the best education you can get! Maybe I'll be a crazy geography professor one day haha! (Joke, I have sworn off 9-5's for life) . So which is your favorite? Visually and or for what they actually are? . I'll be getting into the spooky awesomeness of Mayan rituals next!! . . .

Add this hidden gem that's often skipped to your Riviera Maya bucketlist: COBÁ!! . Located in between trendy Tulum and World Wonder Chichén Itzá, the ancient Mayan city of Cobá sits on a massive area of jungle with ruins and a pyramid that's actually the tallest one in the Yucatan peninsula! It was also said this city was run by women! . If you've ever visited Mayan, Aztec, or Incan ruins, you'll know that there's a strong energy feeling around them. I definitely felt that here! And also moments where I felt like I was transported to another time and place! . Oh but about the photos! This is actually a boutique hotel, completely hidden amongst the dirt roads and small local houses with chickens in the yards. I only heard about it because of a friend back in LA! . I wanted to mention it because here I felt transported to another time as well, like when travelers would wear all khaki and have heavy trunks as luggage (that's how the inside is decorated). . Not only does the exterior look like it's built on Mayan ruins, but even the pool floor is constructed to look like a cenote! Inside is a perfumería where you can make your own scent, and there's also a cute little restaurant you can have lunch at after exploring the ruins and cenotes nearby. . Will have the info for it in my Cobá blog post/itinerary! . What/where is the most unique hotel you've ever seen?? . 👙 ("Amazon Jungle" with reversible bottoms) . . .

Behind every Insta-famous photo spot, is a reality that most people never show. 😂 Sometimes it's laughable or cringe worthy, like massive crowds, or much smaller than it looks, but sometimes there's awesome things right near it! I showed on Stories how this famous art piece in Tulum is right on the side of the street and there's usually a line for photos. That was expected. But I had no idea it was an entrance to a really cute boutique hotel on the beach! Here's what happens if you actually go through the statue! What did you think would be on the other side? What's the best or worst IG vs Reality photo spot you've been to?

Testing! A bunch of people are telling me they aren't seeing my posts again (which is frustrating since I post every day), so if you wouldn't mind helping me figure it out, please double tap, and also let me know about how frequently you see my posts! . Believe it or not, if you submit proof to IG that your audience isn't seeing your posts (and they actually want to), sometimes they'll do something about it since their bots are programmed to only assume ppl want to see your posts if they like/comment/save them! (This is also why a lot of creators are opting towards the tok) and they also don't favor when you give things away like I did recently with Fuerteventura! . ANYWAY about this famous photo spot in Tulum!! Like most IG-famous spots, there was always a line of ppl politely waiting for photos! I'm surprised they haven't started charging for pics! The only not great thing was a lot of ppl were standing in the road to get it... . Originally created by Daniel Popper, and purchased to keep at Ahau resort in what I call the "Bali area" of Tulum. . I call it this bc it looks and feels like the expat/foreigner-created trendy areas of Seminyak and Ubud, except much more expensive! But also with much nicer beaches! . Tulum can definitely feel overwhelming with the high number of restaurant, bar, resort, beach club, and shopping options, not to mention endless photo ops, so I'll be working on a stress-free guide for you soon! . If you enjoy my actual travel information and posts, please don't forget to let me know!!! 🙏🏼💖 . . .

Would you swim in a cave? Where the water is freezing and crystal clear yet you can't see the bottom, and there's bats flying above you? . It's definitely a bit freaky, but I'd highly recommend it 😂 This is actually a Cenote (the difference is it has multiple entry/exits instead of one) and there are tons in Riviera Maya, but this might be one of my favorites. . Why, you ask? 🤓 Because most only have one or two water pools, and you can't really see the cool stalactites (crazy looking rocks hanging down) unless you swim under them with dive gear...which I did a while ago and ended up thinking I was drowning, and didn't dive or go near a Cenote for over a year. . This Cenote, called 7 Bocas, has the photo-worthy pool, but also a cave system that's swimmable without diving equipment! As the name implies, it has 7 "mouths" (openings), that you can climb down into, and then swim to the others! ...if you dare! . It definitely feels like you're in outer space when you swim here...or like, a Nat Geo docu about Mayan human sacrafices (they used to sink them in Cenotes thinking they go all the way down to...well, you know). . There's an entire "Ruta de Cenotes" with about 10 of them, and although they take longer to get to, and the pricing has gone way up ($15-20 vs $2-5 when I went 4 years ago), they are all run by extremely friendly, excited locals who live there, and the gov has also hired other locals to give info at the entrances to them! . Video of the swim coming soon, and blog post with more info on how to do a self-tour and my fave Cenotes! . . .

Congratulations to the 6 people we are sending to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands!!! . Took a while to go through over 1000 entries and make sure all the rules were met (yes I actually do check every single one!!), and also add in the bonus points, but here they are!! . 🥇3 Nights at SurfEscape + Global Citizen One Piece + Map Necklace: @erica_adventures_ and boo! 🥈 3 Nights + Map Necklace : @mssallyng & @designinglifeaubroad 🥉 3 Nights: @sarahlore88 & Fam! . Thanks so much for everyone who entered!! I have a special gift card for you on @mylifesatravelshop! . Also big thanks and shout out to @thesurfescape for the opportunity!! Maybe soon we can get them to do one at their Zanzibar property! 😍 . What do you think? Would you want to get sent to Zanzibar?! (I’ll def be there next June!) . . .

:: When life gives you lemons, grab some salt, take a tequila shot, and remember that "Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do", oh and also that you probably have it better than A LOT of people, even when you're struggling!! . Not once since the world went into complete chaos did I seriously complain about not being able to travel, even though, ya know, my career and income depends on it. . Instead I started new projects and businesses from one of the world's strictest lockdowns, and used my experience to entertain and uplift others going through a similar (or less worse) situation. . I went from averaging 30 new countries per year to 3, and am incredibly grateful to just have made those 3 happen. I also went from moving to my dream city, to having to leave due to visa issues, to moving back across the ocean to a new country where I have found paradise. . I never once complained about any of it, I just figured out how to make the best of all of these lovely hurtles 2020 is throwing at me. . I know for sure I am privileged to be a US citizen, to be able to run my own businesses online, to be welcome in most countries, and during normal times, to have a strong passport. Which is why even if I can't travel and am not making as much as I did last year, I still consider myself extremely fortunate, and am grateful for what I small amounts of travel and income I can get this year. . I know things will pick up again eventually. For all of us. In the meantime we just have to be grateful for the things we do have, and use this time to grow in new ways. And also think about and be considerate to those who have lost more than we have (think locals who rely on tourism!). . How have you made the best of the worst year in decades? . . 📸Shout out to my babe ebenorozyoga who is finally Interested in photography and practicing his new skillz on me and Oscar 😂😻 . . .