Hi! I’m Tess(a), the face behind Tess Travels and next to me in almost every adventure is my partner in crime, Loena. She didn’t just walk into my life; I rescued her from a puppy mill where she spent her early life in terrible conditions. We promised each other a fresh start, and ever since, we’ve been healing and growing side by side.

 

Back in 2021, everything changed.

I had just finished treatment for depression, the darkest chapter of my life. And even though the photos you see online may look bright and adventurous… don’t be fooled. This life almost broke me before it ever healed me.

 

That year, I reached a point where staying the same felt more dangerous than changing everything. So I made a decision that scared me and liberated me at the same time:

I booked a random one-way ticket to my dream destination and two weeks later, I was standing alone in Iceland, my first solo trip ever.

 

And something happened there.

Away from my routine, away from familiar voices, away from expectations… I finally heard myself again. I realised the life I was living wasn’t truly mine. So when I returned home, I quit my job the next day. Not because I was brave, but because I was desperate to live.

 

Like Alexander Supertramp said:

 

“Nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The joy of life comes from new experiences and endlessly changing horizons.”

 

I knew I couldn’t heal in the same environment that made me sick.

So I left again. I needed space, real space. Space to figure out who I was, what I cared about, and who I wanted to become when nobody was watching.

 

And trust me, solo traveling wasn’t always pretty. There were nights I cried in the dark, mornings I woke up terrified, moments I felt painfully alone.

But those were also the moments that shaped me the most.

Sometimes you have to break before you truly grow.

 

Traveling taught me that life is so much bigger than the “safe” path we’re told to follow; study, work, repeat until retirement. I didn’t want to wake up at 80 wishing I had lived more boldly.

I’d rather regret the things I did than the things I was too scared to try.

 

And now?

I finally feel alive.

I rebuilt my life piece by piece, step by step, choice by choice.

And Loena… she healed right alongside me. Together, we created a second chance, a life filled with nature, freedom, movement and meaning.

 

That’s what Tess Travels is all about.

Helping people explore. Helping people remember that life is meant to be lived.

Inspiring others to take that first step toward their own version of freedom.

 

Let’s make memories now, the kind we’ll laugh about later when we’re old and covered in wrinkles.

 

Below you can find the places that shaped me into who I am today.