About
Curated Retreats and Travel Experiences for Conscious Explorers
At Avventura Vida, we believe travel is one of the most powerful ways to grow personally, connect deeply, and contribute globally.
We work with conscious creatives, wellness professionals, and curious individuals who care about how they move through the world. Together, we design retreats and journeys that support local communities, preserve cultural heritage, and protect the environment.
This is not just about travel. This is about alignment. This is about creating something that stays with you long after the journey ends.
Let us help you create something unforgettable—with purpose, care, and intention.
I do not just plan trips. I create experiences that make you feel something. Experiences that expand your perspective, deepen your sense of purpose, and leave a legacy behind.
I am not your typical travel advisor. I believe that how we travel shapes how we live.
After stepping away from the corporate world, I chose a different path—a path rooted in purpose, creativity, and connection. Today, I help intentional travelers and mission-led brands plan meaningful retreats and immersive experiences that restore, inspire, and create lasting impact.
My work blends high-touch travel design with depth and clarity. Every detail is curated with care—from boutique accommodations and meaningful cultural activities to thoughtful moments of rest and exploration—so you can reconnect with yourself and the world around you.. These services are designed to improve operational clarity, cash flow, and long-term business growth.
Earth-First Travel
We are all About
We don’t do empty buzzwords. We choose local over fast, quality over quantity, and eco-conscious vendors who give a damn. Our trips are built with the earth in mind....always. Because travel should never cost the planet.
Travel That Gives Back
We don’t just visit communities; we collaborate with them. That means putting money in local hands, amplifying artisans and underrepresented voices, and building experiences that uplift, not extract.
Equity + Care in Action
We support women-led businesses, grassroots projects, and animal welfare, not because it’s trendy, but because it’s right. Your trip can feel incredible and do incredible at the same time.
Intentional Wellness
Wellness isn’t just green juices and yoga mats. It’s nervous system regulation, joy, rest, movement, and being fully present. We design every moment to nourish your body, mind, and soul—your kind of wellness, on your terms.
Real Adventure, Real Stories
We don’t do copy-paste itineraries. Our adventures are real—like hiking with locals through ancient Lefkada paths and having lunch in their family-run taverna. It’s about curiosity, challenge, and stories that stay with you forever.
Connection Is the Point
Connection isn’t a side effect of travel, it’s the whole point. We create space for conversation, shared meals, cultural moments, and unexpected friendships that become the best part of your journey.
Built on Trust
We say what we mean and do what we say. No hidden fees. No vague promises. Just transparent communication, aligned values, and the trust to know you’re in expert hands.
Stay Curious
We question everything, that’s how we build better. We design experiences that challenge assumptions, stretch comfort zones, and open new ways of seeing the world (and yourself).
life experience
Let’s start at the very beginning.
I am not just a travel planner. I am a creator of meaningful experiences, a believer in connection, and a woman who has built a life rooted in purpose.
I was born in the Andes of Ecuador, where mountains touched the sky and every sunrise felt like a miracle. My childhood held both beauty and hardship—early trauma and a complex family dynamic shaped me. But they also ignited a fire in me. I learned how to survive. Then I learned how to rise.
When my family moved to California, I rebuilt my identity from the ground up. I learned a new language. I worked hard. I earned my MBA. But even as I built a corporate career, the spark of entrepreneurship never left me.
I opened a women’s fitness studio while still working full-time. I taught strength training and holistic wellness and guided women through nutrition, movement, and empowerment. I even ran a meal prep business and hosted outdoor hikes and workouts, because creating community through wellness has always been part of who I am.
That entrepreneurial drive runs in my blood.
Meet Mariajose Herrera—A Life Woven with Resilience and Passion.
At 17, I bought my first plane ticket and traveled solo through Spain and Italy. I did not know then what those trips would awaken in me—but they changed everything. Since then, I have traveled with my husband of 19 years through Greece, Portugal, and Latin America. Travel has been our teacher. It has helped us grow, individually and together. It has deepened our relationship and our understanding of the world.
I created Avventura Vida Consulting to bring all the pieces of my life together—my love for intentional travel, my experience with wellness and events, and my passion for building something that creates impact.
I now run a boutique travel and retreat consultancy and a small bookkeeping business for wellness and creative service providers. Whether I am helping a couple design the trip of their dreams, supporting a wellness brand with their first retreat, or guiding a creative entrepreneur through financial strategy, my work is about helping people live and lead with intention.
Because life is not about doing just one thing.
It is about honoring all of who you are and building a business—and a life—that reflects it.
We don’t just plan travel.
We design experiences that shift something inside you... calming your nervous system, awakening joy, and connecting you to places and people in a way that changes you.
Because when travel is intentional, it leaves you fuller, not just your camera roll.
Let’s create something that stays with you long after the journey ends.
At Avventura Vida, travel becomes a path to connection, soul-filled experiences, and intentional living. Whether you're seeking quiet beauty, cultural depth, or a celebration of life’s most meaningful moments, I’m here to bring it to life with care and purpose.
