Tag: moving to italy

This is my 3rd year being an American living on a vineyard in Italy (married the owner!) and I def have a lot of tea/wine to spill about it 😂 People have this dreamy or glamorous “Emily in Rome”-esque idea about traveling to Italy, falling in love, preferably with someone who owns a vineyard, and living happily ever after…well I did that, and it can be a bit more “difficile vita” than “dolce vita” at times! Shall I give the full interview for the “real Netflix documentary about an American living in Italy”?? 😂

I’ve swam with Orcas, a crocodile, and my for-fun hobby is shark diving, but I draw the line at poisonous swimming snakes. 🙅‍♀️🐍 It really just came up to me like that when I was sitting on the beach on an island in New Caledonia! I had been contemplating going swimming with the turtles nearby, but changed my mind after I saw this! This was a “Blake-banded Sea Krait”, common to this area in the South Pacific Islands, I’ve heard several divers say they’ve seen them! But no thanks, I prefer sharks. 😂 Animal safety tip: as an experienced animal encounteress, i never ever suggest provoking or trying to “fight off” any dangerous animal that isn’t actively trying to attack you. Stay calm and still and let it pass like I did in this video. Then, feel free to run. (Jk I’d still suggest carefully and slowly backing a way, keeping an eye on it). What would you do if you saw a swimming snake?! —————— For anyone new here: Hi! I’m Alyssa Ramos of @mylifesatravelmovie - one of the very first travel “influencers” and now 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 (and animals). Follow me for expert tips and inspiration!

I’ve stayed at over 500 hotels in my 12 years of traveling to around 20 countries per year, here’s 20 that absolutely blew my mind and I cannot forget!! Swipe to see each caption for the name and location of these beauties (and some just bizarre!) I have a full list with links of the hotels here and ones I’ve posted about, linked on my bio! Please use those links if you book these places bc most don’t pay me to give this free publicity so the way I can monetize is using the links, it costs you nothing, and helps me a lot, thanks!! 😁😁😁 The currently viral @shebara resort in Saudi Arabia with UFO looking over-water bungalows! Costs around $2-4k per night and doesn’t include the transfer to get to the island… Check out my Shebara blog post for full details! Probably the most bizarre hotel I’ve ever stayed at is this one in Turkmenistan. It’s known as “the wedding hotel” bc it’s where most people have their receptions, but the ground floor wing behind me is open for tourists….except, I was the only one there and it seemed like it had been empty for a while.. You can’t book hotels on your own in Turkmenistan, you have to take a tour and have a letter of invitation. Full blog post with that info too. I’m scheduled to return to Turkmenistan in October and also next year with @mylifesatraveltribe (sold out though, join the waitlist!) I never would have guessed I’d end up living on a vineyard and recalling @pacheca.group The Wine House as inspo for a future rental project!! These wine barrel rooms are in Portugal. Who thinks I should try to build some on our vineyard in Sardinia Italy? One of the bougiest hotel experiences is at @anantaramaiaseychelles ! The villas are beautiful but it was the 24/7 butler service that I can’t forget! The Seychelles was my 100th country, and they brought me enough wine bottles to write out the number in my private jacuzzi! One of my all time favorites is @tulia_zanzibar 😻 it’s one of the most beautiful, thoughtfully designed, sustainable resorts I’ve experienced, AND it has a water slide! Scotland surprised me a lot with its incredible hotel options! Namely, all of the castles! There’s so many of them!!! An incredibly u

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!