Category: Philippines

Yes, that is a real, wild Crocodile. Yes, I swam with him (several times) Would you dare? This is Panchito the Crocodile, he lives alone in Casa Cenote which is close to Tulum. Crocs are not commonly found in cenotes (pronounced “seh-note-ay” and are deep fresh water reserves throughout the Yucatán peninsula ) and no one is really sure how he got there. Panchito is allegedly “friendly”, but it’s more like “unbothered until provoked”. Recently for the first time ever Panchito attacked a swimmer because some unintelligent people were throwing rocks at him to try to provoke a reaction for a video 😡 Even this last time when I was there, while I was freediving in the cenote, other tourists were loud and slashing at Panchito, causing him to interrupt his tanning session, jump into the water, and dive under the mangroves until the people were gone (I watched all of it and was honestly a bit scared when he came swimming towards me underwater). Anyway! If you want a unique wildlife experience, check out Casa Cenote but do not disturb Panchito!!! Or any wildlife! Animal karma is real! I live in Tulum half-time and have lots of posts and tips about it and also this cenote, all on my website along with tips for over 140 countries - MyLifesAMovie.com ————————— For anyone new here: Hi! I’m Alyssa Ramos of @mylifesatravelmovie - one of the most traveled and most experienced solo travel women in the world! I’ve been to 146 countries so far over 12 years, and love rare destinations and animals! My goal is to inspire you to travel off the typical path and to shatter negative stereotypes about “dangerous” destinations. Follow me for expert tips and inspiration!

Anyone else here grow up watching Free Willy and cried every time? Wait till you see Orcas in real life! 🥹 BTW it’s World Orca Day!!! Yay!!! Share this with a friend who also loves Orcas and Free Willy!! A trip to Mexico to do a Sea Safari where you can potentially see Orcas is likely cheaper than a trip to seaworld to see them in captivity. The choice is yours! (Plz don’t support captivity) All of the info to do this Sea Safari is on my website mylifesamovie.com — full disclaimer that there are no specific “orca tours” because they are highly unpredictable! And all trips must follow local regulations and rules! After 12 years of continuous travel to over 140 countries, I have to say that this is one of my top memorable moments!

I got off the plane in the wrong country in Africa and almost got left in a small remote town with limited flights 😬 What had happened wasssss…I was flying from Zanzibar (Tanzania) to a country called Burundi but was not aware of a quick stopover, so when we landed, I saw a welcome celebration, assumed I was in Burundi, then got distracted watching the ceremony and didn’t realize my hosts weren’t there… Luckily, an airport worker came to find me, it wasn’t hard because I was the only foreigner there, but I accidentally made the whole plane wait an extra 20 minutes 🤦‍♀️ Cool experience though! However if I had realized I was in the wrong country, I would have had a panic attack. How bout you? ———————- For anyone new here: Hi! I’m Alyssa Ramos of @mylifesatravelmovie - one of the most traveled and most experienced solo travel women in the world! I’ve been to 146 countries so far over 12 years, and love rare destinations and animals! My goal is to inspire you to travel off the typical path and to shatter negative stereotypes about “dangerous” destinations. Follow me for expert tips and inspiration!

Fact: when I was young, I never thought I’d get to leave the country. I grew up with hand-me-downs and free-or-reduced lunch (iykyk), with a hard working single mom and 3 other siblings. My favorite movies were any Disney movies with animals, and of course, Free Willy! I used to dream of seeing those animals in the wild…and when I grew up, I learned the motto “Dreams don’t work unless you do”, worked my butt off, built a successful travel career, and now get to see alllllll the animals! So if you’re thinking “she’s living my dream”, remember, it was once mine too, and if I can make it happen, so can you! All of my travel tips and itineraries for these places are available on my blog - mylifesamovie.com ! They are all ethical animal encounters, and the responsible tourism to see them helps protect them against poaching! Locations: - Orcas in Baja, Mexico - Elephants at a sanctuary (formerly used for riding and saved now, please don’t ride elephants!) - Lions in the wild of Serengeti Any other animal lovers out there? ————- For anyone new here: Hi! I’m Alyssa Ramos of @mylifesatravelmovie - one of the most traveled and most experienced solo travel women in the world! I’ve been to 146 countries so far over 12 years, and love rare destinations and animals! My goal is to inspire you to travel off the typical path and to shatter negative stereotypes about “dangerous” destinations. Follow me for expert tips and inspiration!

As I approach my 150th country and 12 years of continuous travel, I’ve decided it’s time to start reflecting back on all of these extraordinary places and experiences, and what better way than to finally answer the top question I get, “What’s been your favorite country?” My answer is usually, “The next one!” But now it’s time to go more in depth! Every week I’ll be posting what my favorites have (and have not) been, but in a variety of topics! Please read the caption of each for the country and why it shattered my expectations! My passion has and always will be photography and writing, so please let me know if you enjoy posts like this one, and also any “best or worst” topics you’d like me to cover! Thank you, as always, I appreciate each and every one of you who has followed my journey around the world! ————— For anyone new here: Hi! I’m Alyssa Ramos, one of this generations’ most traveled and most experienced solo travel women in the world! I’ve been to 146 countries so far, and Antarctica 4x over 12 years, with a passion for shattering negative stereotypes about women, animals, cultures, and countries. My goal is to inspire you to travel off the typical path. Follow me @mylifesatravelmovie for expert tips and inspiration! BURUNDI — This has been one of my favorite “hidden gems” in Africa, and it completely shattered my expectations (even though I got off the plane in the wrong country trying to get there)! I was shown around by locals, who took me to an incredible waterfall, a drum ceremony, and then they invited me to a wedding!! It’s been one of the most real, unique experiences I’ve had, and I’d love to talk more about it! CHINA — My current fascination is exploring as much of China as I can! After a bad experience in my early travels, I finally returned with a lot more travel experience, and absolutely fell in love. China is truly ahead of the curve, and as they say “living in the future”, but I also loved that I could still experience a lot of their traditional past! SAUDI ARABIA — before I got stuck in the woarzone earlier this year, I traveled solo to Saudi expecting difficulties and judgement. Instead, I was treated with respect, and I

Am I afraid of Orcas? More like obsessed with them. I WISH they’d pop up when I’ve done the Polar Plunge, but so far they’ve only ever approached our small boat in Mexico, where we were permitted to follow regulations and swim with them! I’ve done the Polar Plunge in Antarctica 3x and once in the Arctic, Orcas are always possibly present, but I know that humans are NOT part of their diet. We probably have too many toxins, chemicals, and damaged livers for them. 😁 I’ll be repeating both activities soon, so if you’d like more info on solo travel to Antarctica, the Arctic, or swimming with Orcas in Mexico, (OR joining one of my community’s expeditions there) drop me a comment and I’ll answer, Or check out the links on my profile for all of my global travel tips from over 143 countries and 12 years of traveling!

I’ve climbed Kilimanjaro and Everest Basecamp with no fear of heights issues at all, then I got to China and suddenly developed jelly legs and vertigo 😳😂 Out of the 145 countries I’ve been to so far, China by far wins for most extreme adrenaline activities, especially at extreme heights! Everyone does them so casually there too, even in dresses like me, so maybe I’ve found my adventure people!! I’m already planning to go back to China. I love it that much. Have you been? Wanna join us? ————- For anyone new here: hi! I’m Alyssa Ramos of @mylifesatravelmovie - one of the most traveled and most experienced solo travel women in the world! I’ve been to 146 countries so far over 12 years, and love rare destinations, and my goal is to inspire you to travel off the typical path. Follow me for expert tips and inspiration!

I bought a new phone in China bc you get a decent tax refund, but soon after, it started talking to me in Chinese, and then people started calling it and sending text messages! I honestly felt like I was in a movie, where you find a phone and then suddenly you’re forced to carry out some crazy mission or something! Turns out, for some reason, the girl who sold me the phone put her own SIM card in it to activate it (no idea why), and it was all her friends calling her. 😂 Anyway, FYI you’re NOT supposed to open any tax refund products from their boxes before you leave the country! And you have to get the papers signed/approved BEFORE and after customs! Makes a few hundred dolla difference! ———— New here? Hi! I’m Alyssa Ramos @mylifesatravelmovie, one of the world’s most experienced solo female travelers who has been to 146 countries plus Antarctica 4x. Follow here for bucketlist and peculiar travel destinations and encounters!

True story: I did not speak any Italian (besides ciao, grazie, and vino) and my husband didn’t speak any English when we first met!! We used translation apps and some Spanish (he understands because Sardinian sounds similar) but when I first moved here, to a small traditional town where not many people speak English, it was very, very evident that I needed to learn Italian. Knowing Spanish didn’t help me. The conjugations are completely different and so are most words (dislike when ppl assume I learned bc of that). And full immersion didn’t force me to learn either, bc my ADHD would just tune out. Apps also easily bored me. So I looked up online tutors and found Preply, which has thousands of real humans to teach you face to face online, and they can customize your lessons to your learning style and needs. I’ve been doing Italian lessons twice a week for almost 3 years now, and the online tutors are the main reason why I can speak conversational Italian now! So if you dream of meeting your partner randomly in another country, or planning to move abroad, and you want to learn the language (or just want to learn one for fun), check out my blog post and please use my link on there for a discount and affil for me! Mylifesamovie.com ! My current tutor Lara is amazing, she does my Italian lessons also in English and Spanish so I don’t forget my native tongue! Also doubles as an unofficial therapist 😂😂 Last, let this bring some hope and inspo to my fellow solo female travelers! If you haven’t found your partner yet, he may be waiting for you in another country!! If you’d like to see what my life is like, married and living on a vineyard in Sardinia, tap the account at the top that I shared this post with! ———- This post is about: Moving to Italy, learning Italian, living in Italy, married in Italy, life in Sardinia