¡Hola! My name is Mariela. I was born in Irún, in the Spanish Basque Country, and lived abroad for over 10 years before returning home.
During that time, I embraced an expat and nomadic lifestyle that took me across very different corners of the world — from Rome (Italy), Limerick (Ireland) and Brussels (Belgium), to Washington DC (USA), Geneva (Switzerland) and Tarija (Bolivia), among others. Living abroad meant learning how to start from scratch again and again, adapting to new cultures, languages and ways of life.
Mariela around the world started as a personal travel diary to document those experiences. Over time, it evolved into a space where I share long-form destination guides, personal travel stories, foodie recommendations and reflections on life abroad — all based on first-hand experience.
I love writing and storytelling, and I hope my content feels both useful and relatable when you’re planning a trip, a move abroad or simply looking for inspiration beyond borders.
Alongside writing this blog, I also share my experiences abroad through travel talks, interviews and selected media features.
If you’d like to get in touch, feel free to visit my contact page — I’d love to hear from you.
A few fun facts about me 😉
- As a kid, I dreamed of becoming a diplomat — being an expat is the closest I’ve found to traveling the world.
- I love languages and speak English, French and Spanish fluently. Arabic has been the most challenging one so far.
- Some of the most fascinating countries I’ve visited include Ethiopia and Pakistan.
- I’m a big Harry Potter fan and still waiting for my Hogwarts letter. Any other Potterheads out there?
- My favorite movie is A Night at the Opera (1935) by the Marx Brothers — absurd humor at its best.
- I practiced ballet for 10 years.
- I’m a Virgo… and yes, I can be a bit of a perfectionist.
- I won a writing and calligraphy contest when I was 8.
- My guilty pleasures include dark chocolate, popcorn and banana & oatmeal pancakes — not necessarily in that order.