MEET THE BLOGGER
Hi! My name is Selena and I’m the face behind this travel blog.
I’ve spent the last decade living, working, and stepping out — into new countries, new jobs, and new ways of being. Right now, that means living and working in the Canadian Rockies. I believe the best way to know a place is to actually live in it — the culture, the people, the daily rhythms that make each place feel like its own universe.
Here I share real, lived experiences — guides, stories, and honest tips to help make your next adventure more within reach and empower you to step out more confidently and find your inner magic along the way.
I’ve been so fortunate to experience different corners of the world, and I deeply believe that travel goes so much deeper than ticking off a bucket list. Over the years, I’ve also learned that exploring the world and taking care of yourself go hand in hand. Through mindfulness practices such as aromatherapy (I’m a certified aromatherapist), yoga, and meditation, I found my own way to stay grounded and peaceful.
My Travel Story
In 2016, I quit my airline job and bought a one-way ticket to Australia on a working holiday visa — my first time not just traveling, but actually living and working abroad. Over the next two years, I worked on farms, poured drinks at a bar overlooking Sydney Opera House, and cruised out to the Great Barrier Reef. Not just for the paycheck — but for the New Year’s fireworks over Sydney Harbour, diving days on the Reef, and sunsets from places most tourists only see in photos. It was messy, exciting, and the best decision I ever made.
Then in 2020, mid-trip in Bali, the world shut down. All flights were cancelled and I was stranded for two months before I finally made it home. That unexpected pause turned into one of the most grounding experiences of my journey. And it only made it clearer — I was never going to stop.
Want to know where it went from there? → [See my full timeline ↓]
First time skydiving in Australia. Biggest adrenaline rush in my life — scary but so proud of myself.
My Journey Timeline
Before 2016
The travel bug started early — a mix of family trips, adventures with friends, and first solo explorations through Boracay, Cebu, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Okinawa, and China: Xiamen, Beijing, Tianjin, Yangshuo, and Guilin. Each trip planted a seed I didn’t know was growing.
2016-2018
Working holiday in Australia. The first few weeks were a crash course in real life — searching for work at midnight, moving into shared houses with strangers, figuring out how to stretch a budget in a country where everything costs twice as much. But I had a rule: aim for jobs that came with experiences. A bar in Sydney, right across from the Opera House. A cruise out to Cairns, working on the Great Barrier Reef. Each job opened a door I wouldn’t have found any other way. Visited Bali twice along the way.
2018–2020
After Australia, a detour through South Korea — curious and already a little addicted to the feeling of landing somewhere new. Then back to splitting time between Taiwan and Okinawa, exploring mountains, rivers, and coastlines. It reminded me how much there is to discover close to home. Taiwan’s peaks, rivers, and oceans are all within reach — I’m so grateful for that.
2020–2022
Pandamic slowed everything down. I discovered mountains, rivers, and ocean through hiking, camping, canyoning, diving. Tried an office job. Realised pretty quickly it wasn’t for me. Packed up and moved to Penghu island, right by the sea.
Turns out stepping out doesn’t always mean leaving the country.
2022–2023
Right after the pandemic, I headed to Yuzawa, Japan for ski season.
Managed a hostel tucked in the mountains, learned to snowboard from scratch, and got a taste of snow country life — the kind that means shovelling your car out at 7am, driving on ice, and living somewhere snowfall isn’t a novelty, it’s just Tuesday. Completely different from anything I’d known. Ended the season with a snowboarding trip to Hokkaido. Fell headfirst into snow life and never looked back.
2023-2024
Couldn’t stop chasing snow, so I headed to Australia — Mt. Buller ski season.Then things didn’t go as planned: I got hit by another skier and ended my season early.
Moved to Brisbane to recover and started something unexpected — working as an aged care worker. One of the most humbling experiences of my life. I grew so much empathy. It was also when I found aromatherapy and herbalism, and walked away with my Aromatherapist Certificate. Fell in love with the quiet magic of plants.
2025
After my Australian visa ended, a solo trip through Japan — Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nozawa Onsen, Yuzawa. Then back to Mt. Buller to chase snow again (and got injured. Again. 😭😂). But I pushed through, healed, got back on the mountain, and made it to the end of the season. Then Vietnam called — a solo motorbike trip through the whole country. Then Canada, for another snow season.
2026
After finishing winter season at Sun Peaks ski resort in BC, I did a road trip from Vancouver to Banff. I first saw the Canadian Rockies in a film and thought: I have to go there one day. And now I’m living and working right there, at Moraine Lake, one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Still going. Still stepping out.