In this episode, Andrew sits down with Delia, a full-time solo traveler and digital nomad who has been exploring the world for nearly a decade. A certified freediver and adventure traveler, Delia shares her incredible experience diving with hammerhead sharks in the Galápagos Islands. From breathtaking underwater encounters to unexpected challenges, she recounts how this journey became one of the most unforgettable moments of her life. Along the way, she reflects on the balance between exploration, conservation, and personal growth.

Guest: Delia

• Full-time solo traveler and digital nomad for nearly 9 years
• Certified freediver, scuba diver, and adventure traveler
• Travel content creator and consultant in mindfulness and growth mindset
• Has explored over 65 countries while working as a freelancer

Topics Covered:

1. Introduction to Delia and Her Nomadic Lifestyle
2. Planning a Trip to the Galápagos Islands
3. Diving with Hammerhead Sharks at Kicker Rock
4. The Beauty and Biodiversity of the Galápagos
5. Ethical Wildlife Encounters and Conservation Efforts
6. A Near-Death Experience: Getting Stuck in Coral
7. Reflections on Nature, Travel, and Personal Growth

Resources and Links:

• Follow Delia’s adventures: Instagram: @delia_co

Call to Action:

• Check out our website at oneofftravelstories.com
• If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.
• Share your favorite travel stories with us on social media using #OneOffTravelStories.

Speaker 1

[00.00.00]

But I have a special drive. Let's say to to go where the sharks are, like I attract sharks. So I go down and I see these sharks and there are countless hammerhead sharks around me. They are the most peaceful animals. And the hammerhead sharks I had never seen so close before.

Speaker 2

[00.00.26]

Hello and welcome to one off Travel Stories. I'm your host, Andrew Tawaststjerna. Here. Each episode I chat with someone about one of their favorite travel stories, that one story they've told countless times to friends and family around the dinner table. On this episode, we'll be joined by Delia. Delia has been a full time solo traveler and digital nomad for almost nine years. He's a seasoned vet when it comes to being a digital nomad. She's explored over 65 countries around the world. During this time, she's been able to do it while being a freelance content creator. She's got an amazing Instagram. It'll be up on my website, definitely go check it out. And educator and consultant, um, she likes to share what she's learned, um, as as a solo traveler and digital nomad. But also, um, she coaches in the field of mindfulness and growth mindset. I'll also note she speaks six languages, which is, uh, which is amazing. She's also what I would call an adventure traveler or just an adventure. She has a passion for the outdoors. You can see it in her Instagram. It sort of comes out. In particular, she's a certified free diver and scuba diver. There's some amazing, amazing underwater photos on there and that actually plays directly in to her story today. The one that she's going to tell us. She's going to tell us about her trip to the Galapagos Islands. Uh, the islands, a part of, um, our part of Ecuador. You may have you may have heard of them or know of them from Charles Darwin. Or maybe you've heard of the giant tortoises. It's, uh, these islands are have a very unique biodiversity, a super interesting, uh, group of islands. And, of course, uh, Dahlia is going to tell us a little bit about the islands, but more importantly, she's going to tell us about her story. And as per usual on this podcast, um, things get a little hairy, maybe a little scary, but she obviously, uh, is on the podcast telling, telling, telling us about it. So, uh, she made it out of there and, um, you know, has a great and impactful story to tell. So, yeah, let's go. Let's go here more. Hey, Dahlia, welcome to the podcast.

Speaker 1

[00.02.53]

Hi. Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 2

[00.02.56]

Yeah, it's great to have you. Um, I like to ask when, uh, when I have guests on, uh, where they're calling in from. Uh, yeah. Where are you? Where are you calling in from? I know you're on the, uh, on the road, I guess. I mean, um, I think where you move is home for you is what it sounds like. But either way, where are you calling in from?

Speaker 1

[00.03.14]

I'm never home because I don't have one, properly speaking. I'm in Sri Lanka right now. I'm all over Southeast Asia, um, for a few months, and, um. Yeah, we were trying to make it work, despite our great time zone difference and drive by issues.

Speaker 2

[00.03.32]

Yeah, and for people listening, I'm on the I'm on the West coast in the US, so. Yeah, big, big time zone difference. Um, it's night time here and it's morning there. Correct?

Speaker 1

[00.03.43]

Yes. So we found a good spot. That's.

Speaker 2

[00.03.47]

Yeah, definitely. Well, again, I appreciate, uh, you finding the time, and I'm really excited to to chat with you because, um, well, you've got amazing content online. I think you're a very positive or have a lot of great positive messaging as well. Also a lot of really cool hobbies. So before we jump into, uh, your, your your story, um, as we usually do on this podcast. Just. Yeah, I'd love to hear about, um, you know, how you got into travel, how you got into sort of the nomad lifestyle? Um, yeah. And and and and how you ended up where you are today, I guess.

Speaker 1

[00.04.26]

Speaker 2

[00.07.48]

Yeah. I mean, you've been doing it for since 26. What is nine years? Almost probably if. Uh, yeah. And um, do you think has it gotten has it because of all that information out there, has it gotten a lot easier?

Speaker 1

[00.08.03]

Absolutely, yes. Now, if you just say that you might want to work remotely and travel. There's tons of mentors that you can work with that help you either find a remote based job or create your remote based business, and where to go and how to set up your tax insurance. Like everything can can be easily explained to you and you can be coached one on one and then you can join events, conferences and retreats for that. Like it's so easy. And I'm one of these people, actually, who helps aspiring nomads because over the years I've got so many requests, especially after the pandemic where people started working from home and they're like, hey, I see that you do it from everywhere all the time. Can I can I ask you some questions? And then after talking with me for a while, they, you know, they they they go location independent as well. These are traveling because once you start it's really addictive. I can give you a couple of examples of people who just never went back to their countries. And it's really not a, you know, against living somewhere. It's beautiful to have a base or a part time base. Not saying that people should do it the way I do it, but you know, one day there will always be reasons to stay somewhere. Good ones or sad ones, whatever. But while you feel this sense of opportunity and freedom, that's when you should go for it. I love that, and it's it's beautiful when people can inspire you. Yeah. And and help you. These obstacles?

Speaker 2

[00.09.35]

Yeah. Um. Well, you said, uh, have the ability to choose where you wake up, and I think that's beautiful. I definitely, um, do not currently have that ability. However, um, I would love to have it. And I think I also, you know, completely relate with just wanting to explore the world and learn about new cultures. Um, so it's really cool that. Well, one, you've been doing it and doing it. Yeah. Thriving for so long. But you're also kind of teaching other people and spreading, um, spreading your experience and your knowledge as well.

Speaker 1

[00.10.11]

Yeah. It's important not just to say as a way to give back, kind of because we tend to take for granted what we know and what we learn. But when we share, you don't know whose life you can touch or or change or improve by just sharing your experience, because maybe someone is going through the same challenges or desires. So I, I started talking more and I said, if it resonates with you, fine. If it doesn't, you know, you don't need to follow along. But it's kind of a commitment to give back in a sense, because there's there's not so many people who've been doing this for so long. So the ones who did, they should they should share. Because there's always some insight and some teaching that can come from that. And especially if you talk very authentically about what happens inside of you as you live this lifestyle, I don't want to glamorize it or sell it as, oh, this is a perfect, you know, rooftop sunset lifestyle. It's it's much more. Yeah. And that's why I decided to not keep for me the the struggles. You know, there can be loneliness, travel fatigue, burnout. I talk about this at the conferences and I'm really happy that digital nomad events are nowadays. They give space to to personal development topics and to mindfulness and all of this where I can really share my, uh, first hand experience and, uh, help others avoid these mistakes if they are starting right, right now.

Speaker 2

[00.11.46]

The reality it's not all, not all rooftop sunsets. I like that, um, you've got, you know, in your content, hard to miss. You've got a bunch of stuff in there on diving and the ocean. Have you been, you know, has that been part of your life forever? Um, yeah. Tell me a little bit more about that.

Speaker 1

[00.12.07]

Yes. It's, uh. It's my biggest passion. And it's been in my life forever. When. I mean, when I grew up, um, I was living in my hometown in Italy, and it's a beach town, and, uh, I was, you know, I was a fish since childhood. But then when I was 12 or 13 and I went to Costa Rica and, and I discovered the, you know, the open ocean, it was I was in love even more because, you know, you could see things that you normally at home wouldn't see, you know, just the flying mobiles or sea snakes and the core, it was it was for me finding heaven. And, um, I remember going on snorkeling trips there and just just swimming by myself. And it was actually dangerous because there's some really strong currents there. And one day I almost died for the first time in my life. I mean, 2 or 3 times, uh, it happened in the ocean, but that was the first time. And I got caught in a, like, a riptide, and I didn't know how to, uh, save myself from, you know, um, but I still, like, instead of being traumatized or shocked, I was like, okay, well, if if if I'm dying like this, I'm, I'm dying doing the thing, the things that I love the most. And it's just, you know, the ocean wants me so much. I was not like, yeah, not not traumatized. It was it was exhausting physically. But then like five minutes later, um, I mean, five minutes after I got back to the beach, I completely forgot about it. So I'm really feeling safe in the water, no matter how, uh, yeah, dangerous it gets. And yeah, I'm not gonna use the whole episode to talk about the ways that I'm dying in the ocean. But I found out that that's really my natural thing, my natural habitat. And then I got into scuba diving. Um, I tried it for the first time when I was 16, and then, um, years later when I went to, um, to Thailand and the Philippines for longer periods than I did my diving licenses, my advanced and I, um, yeah, I realized how easy and how natural it felt for me. Whereas people around me, they were sometimes trying to overcome mental blockages or, I don't know, could be a physical limitation or like compensation. And I, I don't know, for me, it was just probably going back to where I belong, like since other lifetimes probably. And then I discovered. Yeah. And then I discovered free diving. Uh, and it was even more of a revelation, because when you're freed up and, you know, you hold your breath, first of all, you become much more aware of your body, your abilities, your breathing, your lungs, and then you're much more free in the ocean because you're not carrying the heavy equipment, the tank and all of that you need for diving. So that was really the embodiment of the mermaid lifestyle. And then I started joining really, really cool trips with other free divers. And that's how I effortlessly picked the topic when you asked me to, you know, find my favorite story for this episode.

Speaker 2

[00.15.21]

Well, it's a good segue, and especially after, um, your Riptide story, I think I'm, you know, curious to hear to hear more stories. So, um, give us a little bit of background on the story you're about to tell. You know, uh, what year was it? Where are you going? And. Yeah. Why were you going there? Thank

Speaker 1

[00.15.40]

Speaker 2

[00.19.56]

And this was kind of unplanned, right? You, you, you got invited to this from someone you met and now you've got like this all star, all star crew and you're heading to the Galapagos. That's amazing. Yeah. It was it was a perfect crew. And we we get there. The first thing that you see when you're Yolanda is that you need to be careful not to step on wildlife, because it's everywhere. For real. Like unlike any other place I've ever been. Where you walk. Even in the, you know, on the streets in the village there, and there's the sea lions just lying there. And then there's iguanas stepping on the sea lions crossing the road. You need to be careful there, because it's just as the humans were animals in a zoo, and it belongs to the animals. And and that was happening in the most touristy spots where, you know, we had our tail, but the rest is even wilder and just the landscapes. Of course, you can imagine volcanic islands in the middle of the ocean, but then this endemic. Yeah, plants and animals and species that are there. We all know it from Charles Darwin, right? But when you see it, I mean, I've been dreaming about it forever. When I was a kid, um, on actually, my, uh, my siblings and I with my parents, we went to a Charles Darwin exhibition in Italy, and I'm like, I need to see this place. And then when you're there and you imagine, can you imagine how wild it was 200 years ago? If now, despite all this development, it's still so predominant.

Speaker 1

[00.21.40]

It is really mind blowing. And also, you don't need to be a diver or a free diver to enjoy wildlife there because you're on the beach, especially in some places, and you just see under the surface. Crazy things happening, like five huge sea turtles and then the sea lions playing with them. And then there's an iguana swimming because they have these marine iguanas there. And then at some point there's a shark, an eagle ray, and the penguins like swimming on top of all of these animals. And you, you think that you're just dreaming? You didn't even have to swim. You just see it on, you know, from the shorts. It is crazy.

Speaker 2

[00.22.23]

That is crazy. That sounds amazing. You're making me feel bad because, uh, I spent almost, like, a whole summer almost volunteering in Ecuador. Um, and I couldn't make it to the Galapagos Islands, so I've been dreaming about going back. That was, like, ages ago. That sounds amazing. Um,

Speaker 1

[00.22.43]

you should go and and don't don't necessarily do these expensive cruises there because some people never go because they think, oh my God, it's already expensive to fly there. And the national park fees and then the cruises, but you can just pick a hotel or a guesthouse, even a hostel. And as I said, just go to the beat and you see an unbelievable show of nature. You can do it on a budget.

Speaker 2

[00.23.09]

Um, so back to your back to your story. You've got this all star crew. Where did you guys, um, where did you guys leave from? And then it sounds like you were staying at a at a hotel or something on the island.

Speaker 1

[00.23.22]

Yeah, we're staying in a hotel. But then every day we were taking the boat to explore the different islands. Because the Galapagos are made of different islands, and some of them are, uh, just small rock formations, like this kicker rock, for example. That's where. Yeah, I have one of my favorite moments, not of the trip, but my of my entire life. Oh, wow. Yes. This kicker rock will be on, you know, highlight forever because it's the place where the hammerhead sharks usually live. And you have to find them. And sometimes they are 100ft. Below the surface, sometimes 50, sometimes 30. So you just need to to, to find them, uh, if you're lucky. But we were this crew of free divers with our fins, with our great bells. So we get there and we spread. Okay. The first who sees the sharks can, you know, tell the other ones. And I was alone. The ocean. And then I just take a deep breath, and I. And I swim down and I dive down. Yeah. It was maybe, like 15m, um, 50, 50ft.

Speaker 2

[00.24.41]

Yeah, that's a lot. And

Speaker 1

[00.24.42]

yeah, it was, it was. No, it was not much because, you know, I was there with, uh, champion free divers, like I'm a baby free diver compared to them. Uh, really? Seriously. It's nothing. You can learn it in one day to go. Okay.

Speaker 2

[00.24.55]

It seems like a lot to me. I don't think I could go down 50ft. I'd have to, like, equalize several times. That's what they, uh, they teach you in the in the two day course. You can you can do 15, 20 years in two days. So I'm not I'm not special at all. But I have a special drive, let's say, to to go where the sharks are, like I attract sharks. So I go down and I see these sharks, and there are countless hammerhead sharks around me in this super slow and elegant flow. You think, oh my God, I see a shark, you know, in your head, some in their head. Some people have this music from scary TV shows. You know, you've got the sharks, but actually people who swim with sharks, they tell you they are the most. Peaceful animals, and the hammerhead sharks had never seen so close before and in the ocean before. So I was just completely mesmerized by the shape of their eyes and their head. But remember, I was holding my breath so I couldn't stay there that long. Right. That. That. So I knew. And that's. That's the beauty of life. Sometimes when you know, you have to be fully present in the moment to microdose eternity, you know, in that fragment, you need to make a memory that's going to last forever. So you use all your senses and all your awareness to just take it in. I don't even know if it was more than a minute that I had this eye contact with all these sharks, but I still have goosebumps thinking about it now. Because as I told you, if you're freediving, you don't have the equipment, the bubbles, the tank. You're really just part of the environment of of the underwater world. So they just swim by completely ignoring you and you're like a fly on the wall. You were part of this school of sharks for for a moment, not someone harassing them in any way. Like, I don't know, a group of tourists with. You know what you see nowadays with over tourism. It was really organic. It was really like a little short visit that I was paying to them. And at some point I knew I had to go back to the surface. And any other time

Speaker 1

[00.27.29]

I tried to to dive again to see them. Maybe I saw 1 or 2. But that first encounter, when I saw like 30 of them around me and I was alone there, I wanted to hug them all. It was so magical. And then when I went home in the evening, I saw that my underwater camera didn't didn't film it. It has like corrupted files. And for a moment I wanted to cry because I knew that I could not recreate that moment, you know? Yeah, you can go on diving trips, and then they almost guarantee that you will see the sharks and blah, blah. But that experience was so real that actually I even thanked. Thanks to the circumstances for my, you know, memory card to be that much, because that really forced me to save it and the hard drive of my memory. I don't even have to, you know, to show these images to anyone. You know how a hammerhead shark looks like, right? But I wasn't doing it for for the ego of posting a selfie. Like, of course you're you're, you know, you feel bad because you don't have that footage, but nobody can take away from me the feeling. But nobody else could even get the same feeling, like looking at a picture. So that was just the right

Speaker 2

[00.28.50]

moment. Very personal. You

Speaker 1

[00.28.52]

know, me, myself and the sharks. And it was the the complete highlight of the trip and one of my absolute favorite moments on the water.

Speaker 2

[00.29.01]

Well that's beautiful. I correct me if I'm wrong. Do they migrate to the islands or are they there all the time?

Speaker 1

[00.29.10]

Um, there are some that kind of are residents in Nicaragua and on, um, other islands, like, uh, there's scuba diving trips. Pretty. I don't know if it's all year long, but with the scuba diving trips, there's like high chances to to see them. And I, I'm not sure if it's just for advanced divers or also for open water divers because I didn't do scuba. There I was, I was saying so much just free diving. I didn't do scuba. But yeah, this is something people can look up.

Speaker 2

[00.29.42]

And you talk comfortably about sharks. Have you done other free diving with sharks around sharks?

Speaker 1

[00.29.49]

Yes, I've seen them in many parts of the world. And what I what I want to tell people is that if you try to see yourself as a visitor and have respect, nature gives back. So don't go on this overpacked tours. For example, when I was in Cebu in the Philippines, I did not go to see the whale sharks there because I know that they they get fed and that disrupts their their natural feeding cycles. And I did not want to be part of that. And there's so many boats chasing them. And then there's a lot of people who, who don't have any idea how to behave with wildlife, to behave in the ocean because they're not used to it. But then there's not enough, um, guidance there. There's no, you know, international regulations that are in place. And the same happens in, in other less developed places. So don't be part of that. Do your research. Because when you want to interact with wildlife, there are ethical ways to do it. And this is what matters to to me and how I say yes or no to certain tourists. So when I was in, uh, Baja California, in Mexico, and I saw that there is a, you know, a conscious approach there. To whale watching and whale shark swimming. Then, you know, I was talking to friends who are marine biologists there, and they recommended me this eco tour and this, um, Sea of Cortez there in Mexico, there's regulation. How many boats can actually access, um, during shark, uh, like whale shark feeding seasons. And then you only you're only allowed to, you know, be at a certain distance. And how many people on the boat can jump at the same time? It's it's regulated. So I did it there. So there's, um, many people who saw whale sharks. They see this huge animal. And then you see they are very small compared to the animal. Right. But in that area, because it was the place where they go and eat basically the plankton they feed on, that it was really not clear, like the visibility was not good. It was good for the sharks because it means that the water is full of nutrients. But for you, it's horrible because you don't see anything until the shark is right at your face. So I and then I have on camera the mouth of this huge whale sharks opening in front of my face, and I could see through it the entire body. It was just, uh, yeah, another unforgettable moment. But yeah, that that I have on my profile.

Speaker 2

[00.32.31]

Well, back to the Galapagos. So you had this amazing experience. Um. And then what? What comes next? Like what? What was the rest of the trip like? Yeah.

Speaker 1

[00.32.42]

So we were doing different, uh, trips every day. Not just on the water, but also on land because there's, you know, animals and hikes and forests and it's it was a really immersive experience that included all of that as well. Um, and then we did a lot of conservation, uh, workshops as well. And we visited um, centers there for, for, for ocean projects. That was super interesting. And, you know, seeing, uh, people who spend their life there, um, researching and protecting the ocean and what the Galapagos are doing to preserve their, their wildlife. It was it was really, um. Educational. It was not just just for fun. And then, um, that specific trip ended and I continued for another week, and I went to another island with my friend as to take more content. And I collaborated with, um, an eco resort there in exchange for our content. We could stay there. And from there we did trips on that other island, Isabela Island. And that was even more wild than the other islands. The the amount of animals we saw, even just swimming in the mangrove bay where anyone can swim because it's really like not deep and it's close to the shore. It was. Yeah. And then we visited the coral gardening, uh, farm for, um, yeah. Where this NGO basically plants like, uh, creates underwater, um, coral gardens to, to to have more, have more corals grow. That's when I have another story to tell you. But maybe I shouldn't tell. I shouldn't say it because it was, oh, my God, another dangerous moment of my life. So basically we were filming and then at the end of at the end of this experience, I say, okay, I'm gonna swim one more time. I'm gonna dive down and say goodbye to this incredible landscape, because you can see these lines like, like laundry hanging, but there were corals hanging there. It was super beautiful. And then little sharks swimming and turtles swimming left and right. It was idyllic. And then at some point I was I finished basically my my heir. I wanted to go back to the surface. I was really the last. The last time of the day. And I. And I feel something like catching me and, like, pulling my hair. And then I realized that I got stuck in the corals because there was one more line of corals that I hadn't seen because thinking that I was already resurfacing. I, I just closed my eyes. And then there was a mistake. A really bad mistake. Because if you know corals, the spongy texture is also very sticky. And my hair got completely entangled in the corals and it was not a joke, I could not I could not free myself. Um, and I had no more air to breathe in my lungs. And I was a few meters down and I was like, hey, there you go, Little Mermaid. This is a really epic and stupid way to die. Um, what shall we do now? But I didn't panic because I was almost laughing. And how poetic that that would be. You know, someone finding her among the corals. Seriously, I didn't panic, and, um, I, I didn't know that, my friend. For some reason saw me and started swimming to save me. But because I didn't see him, I just with my hand, like cut all my hair like I just. And underwater it's different. It's not dry that you can just cut it. You. It was really it was really difficult to cut on my hair. But I also wanted to, you know, to protect the corals. I didn't just want to cut the line or cut the guy. That was important to me to preserve that. So, yeah, we were there with the volunteers. I don't want to damage that thing. I don't care about my hair. So I just cut all my hair, um,

Speaker 2

[00.37.05]

within with a knife. Like, what did you have? I

Speaker 1

[00.37.07]

didn't have a knife. I had to do it with my hands while just not breathing anymore. Let it

Speaker 2

[00.37.12]

rip it. Basically.

Speaker 1

[00.37.13]

Yeah, yeah, just just rip. Sorry. Rip. Rip my hair. Just. Yeah. And then. And it worked. So I went to the surface and then my, my, my my friend arrived and he's like, dude, it was almost fun. To witness that scene because you were just so calm. I'm like, I know, right? I, I've almost killed myself again for the third or fourth time in the ocean, and I wouldn't have had problems being solved when I tell my mom these stories. Oh, I can imagine. She loses ten years of life every time. But, uh, I don't want to. I don't want to, you know, try to say that freediving is dangerous. No, it's just really always the human responsibility to not put yourself in danger. Because actually free diving is something you only do with the body. It's the number one rule. You never free dive alone. So, because my friend was a few meters away, I should have always been within, you know, his reach. Um, instead, I do very aggressive snorkeling. Like, I go down, uh, into tunnels and caves and stuff, even when I'm alone. And I shouldn't do that. Absolutely. So this is the message here. Don't dive alone.

Speaker 2

[00.38.35]

It's a good message. I think it sounds like you've, uh. You've done it enough to that you stay calm, you don't panic. Um, and in any bad, tough situation, that's just that's that's a good, good thing to remember. But obviously, um, easier said than done, as they say.

Speaker 1

[00.38.54]

Yes. Um, a little bit of survival instinct. It's it's healthy appetite for risk sometimes. Can, uh. Yeah. Put you in these kind of situations. But it's important also to cope with. The problem in that moment to have a calm mind. Because if you just panic, no matter where you are, in whatever accident or situation you are. If you don't have control over at least part of your rational brain, then you don't do the things that are needed, right? And when they teach you like first aid or other rescue things, um, you know, when it's going to happen, I will forget these things, right? Because emotions kick in. But at the same time, it's also important to know what to do because there might be the the adrenaline guiding you into into surviving. So now through all the mindfulness that I do and the yoga and the breathwork, I, I developed a calmer state of being. And then I see it in this fight or flight situations where, um, someone could panic and I don't also because so many times in challenging situations, things went well in the end, like I can tell you like ten, ten tons of stories and they all in the end they all went well. So I kind of have this optimistic default setting in my head where I know, like, this is just going to be another story that I can tell forever, but it's gonna be fine. So I don't really see oh my God, this is this is it. This is the end. Like, this is the day I'm gonna die. I'm like, no, no, not today. It's another adventure stretching my capacity.

Speaker 2

[00.40.42]

Yeah, well, I think practicing the the mindfulness in preparation for those tough moments is it's smart. Um, it makes a lot of sense to me. Um, so now you're in the Galapagos. You've had an amazing experience with hammerhead sharks. You've had, uh, let's call it near-death experience. Getting stuck on coral. Um, how was the rest of your trip?

Speaker 1

[00.41.08]

And the rest was. Unbelievable, because any moment it could be like just going for a sunset walk, and then you're surrounded by like 300 sea lions singing and screaming around you. And the baby was like walking past you. And this is something like an interaction with, with animals that you really don't have in many other places of the world, like I've, you know, spent a lot of time in Australia and Costa Rica, places with, with a lot of wildlife. But that is if you want to pick one place where you know you will have that interaction in a short amount of time, it's there. And I was looking at the kids there thinking, hmm, I don't know, probably they're ruining your life because it's there's nothing that can top this experience. If you've seen this as a child, then you're so spoiled that you're probably not going to be impressed when you visit other places. Because if it was the peak of my adventures after adventuring for all these years, if you start like that as a child, I don't even know if I would bring my kids there so early in life because I think they would just want to move there. I could move there.

Speaker 2

[00.42.23]

Well, they probably get quite a shock visiting, you know, New York or Paris or something like that. A completely different,

Speaker 1

[00.42.31]

uh, well, speaking of New York, there were kids from New York that I saw on, um, on a boat excursion there, and I was really shocked because there were these beautiful eagle rays on the surface. So you see these spotted rays really incredible. And. Other animals that you don't normally see anywhere else, and they were on their phones. I'm like, hey, did you? Did you just see what what is happening around the boat? And they're like, oh yeah. But we saw it yesterday already. Like, okay, yesterday you saw some some incredible wildlife and today it's it's not interesting anymore. So you just prefer to be on your phone during the boat trip. It was heartbreaking for me to see that, to hear that. And I didn't I didn't say anything to the parents, but I just just spent a moment reflecting on this, let's say distance. Yeah. Desensitization like that. People get desensitized to, uh, the beauty of nature because they get probably less dopamine than their video games. So they just, uh, really don't feel excited. But at the same time, I understood that it's age related, because when I was their age and my grandparents would drag me to the mountains. Back in Germany, I felt tired, you know. Oh my God. And the snow is cold. Or in the summer, it's hard to hike. Um, other things excite you more. But then as you age, you realize that how you feel nature is something that the rest of your life lacks. Sometimes that calmness, stillness, spaciousness. So then you rediscover it. And many people who really love nature now, um, they are valuing it even more because maybe they've spent some years working in an office or living in a city, or not really having time to to reconnect with themselves. So I felt like, okay, at some point maybe they will they will value it again or more when they grow up, because that's why people, you know, the older they get, the more they they prefer living in the countryside. Or maybe, you know, on the coast, it's, uh, it's also a matter of wisdom. You understand what really matters in life. At the right time, so I decided to devote my life to exploring nature. From early on, because I tried to live in cities when I was studying or. I love what humans do in cities like the culture. And, you know, every place that I that I lived, like every city, had a really different touch. Places like, I don't know, Paris, Melbourne, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, very, very different vibes. Right? So I was always interested in becoming a local there to see where they hang out. What is special about this place? What is it that I only find here? But at the end of the day, if you're sensitive and you're connected to your body, you feel like even in the air, I feel trapped in a city because there's all these buildings. So you don't always have access to the sky, the horizon or nature, like trees, mountains or beaches. And then the electromagnetism of a city and the noise and, you know, the noise pollution, the air pollution. Everything gets too much for my system. So I can only do it for a short amount of time. And I spend, you know, the majority of of my, of my year just being out there in, in nature. And that's how I want to live pretty much my whole life. Well,

Speaker 2

[00.46.13]

uh, it's certainly not a bad way to live. And, um, just from this small snippet, your little story, um, I mean, so much, so much beauty that I think I think a lot of people or anyone listening probably would love to see and experience. So I think it's a great message. I know personally, um, I need city and I need nature. I need them both. I need it all. Um, but I love, love. When I get out there, I'm more on the mountains myself. But, um. And it sounds like you've been doing it your whole life, so this is all, you know, starting it all makes sense if you're talking. You know, you mentioned your parents taking you to the mountains and growing up by a beach. So it sounds like you've been in nature your whole life. Yeah. Glad to hear your, uh. You're doing it across the whole world

Speaker 1

[00.47.05]

Speaker 2

[00.49.43]

I love that and I think it's a good message. You know, you got to find your balance. Um. Dahlia, thank you so much for sharing your story and coming on the podcast. Um, sounds like you've got some awesome stuff coming up as well. So, you know, um, good luck out there. Um, and more importantly, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Um, you've been doing it for a long time. You've got so much knowledge. I mean, it's not just nomad lifestyle. I believe you speak six languages. If if that's correct, and you must have a plethora of knowledge about different cultures and met all sorts of people. So definitely, you know, keep sharing and thank you for sharing here.

Speaker 1

[00.50.27]

Speaker 2

[00.51.05]

Amazing, amazing. Well, um, it seems like you've got an endless amount of beautiful trips and places on your mind. But again, thank you for sharing your story. It's been such a pleasure to have you on.

Speaker 1

[00.51.18]

It's it's been my honor and pleasure. And thank you so much. Again,

Speaker 2

[00.51.24]

a big thank you to Dalia for joining us on the podcast and sharing her amazing story. Actually, a couple stories, uh, edge of your seat style travel stories, which which are always fun. Uh, for as long as everyone makes it out okay and healthy as usual. If you want to learn more about Delia, I definitely suggest checking out her socials. I'll be posting them along with the episode. Also, if you have an amazing travel story that you'd like to share, please find me at one off Travel stories.com.