Isa - Onde Brilhem os Olhos

What motivates me to travel

• Giving back
• Meeting local people
• Mental health
• Self-development
• Sustainable development

Interests that define me

• Animals
• Climate action
• Minimalism
• Social equality
• Spirituality
• Writing

Education

Well, I do have one or two diplomas and a bunch of certificates archived, but they define me very little, to be honest. In all these years of nomadic life, academic knowledge has been one of the least useful, and if you need to know a lot about them, I suggest you check my LinkedIn page, since there I better embody the "academic Isa" (which, by the way, I’m quite proud of, you know? It’s just that here, at Worldpackers, I prefer not to be defined by my diplomas (-; )

https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaelena

Work experience

So, again, how about taking a look at my LinkedIn? ;-P

My life experience has led me to redefine the word WORK in a quite interesting way. What gives me work today (that is, the things I devote the majority of my life energy to) are projects that don't financially sustain me, and don't need to be that way. It’s hard work to think about where I’ll set up my camping tent each night, it’s hard to be a woman traveling alone in this world. It’s hard to choose battles in a reality that is sometimes apocalyptic, and it’s in this that I put most of my strength.

Then, to make some money—which from time to time is necessary—I carry out various tasks that range from mowing a garden or cleaning bathrooms to more "elaborate" gigs, which are described there on my LinkedIn, since here at Worldpackers this isn’t about those gigs I want to talk about. =]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaelena

Travel experience

Back in 2016 I left the neighborhood where I was born to travel with my dog for a year across Europe, initially by train and hitchhiking and whatever else was possible with a big and elderly dog. Upon arriving in Germany, the 'possible' that presented itself was a bike. The most feasible route was through rural areas. And what was supposed to be the last year of that old dog's life multiplied by five, so we kept pedaling through Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal... 15 thousand kilometers, always through farms and organic estates.

After Pipoca left, I kept going a bit further through Europe: Poland, the Czech Republic, France and the Netherlands. Until finally resuming my South American journey, already understanding myself better as the Latina woman I am.

Back in Brazil since 2022, I guide the journey through biomes, and I want to see and learn about different agricultures, campesinatos, cuisines, ecosystems, fauna, and folklore.

Other volunteer experiences

I have references on HelpX, Nomador and Trustroots. Several Couchsurfing experiences ended up becoming what I call CouchWWOOFing, since I would go to stay for one or two nights with people from rural areas and ended up staying for weeks helping with field work. It’s worth checking my profile there, as well as on Couchers, Warmshowers and BeWelcome. Finally, I did so much WWOOFing in this life that I ended up being hired by the organization, and today I hold a nice role in the Federation. But again, this is a LinkedIn topic, not Worldpackers, hehe...