Super Mario

Hi! My name is Mario – thanks for visiting my travel blog! I’ve been traveling since birth; I am originally from El Salvador but was brought to the U.S at a young age. 

Traveling broadens the mind’s outlook. There are many good experiences to be had out in this world we just have to take a risk, get out there, and aim for the moon. My journey began with my very first big outing to Japan. Like many others, I dreamed of going to Japan for years. I realized that desire in 2009 when I went on a two and a half week trip to Japan. It was awesome. Something awoke in me on that trip and I was never the same again. I experienced traditional Japan in Kyoto and modern Japan in Tokyo; I was totally dazzled with every bit of what Japan had to offer all of my senses. At the end of that trip I made myself a promise to one day return and once more experience all of Japan’s allure.

Prior to this trip and throughout college, I worked as an auto technician for the extent of my 20’s. It was a profession that I was steered into during my mid-teenage years. Although I think being an auto tech is an honorable profession, I decided long ago that it was not one that I wished to retire from. I completed an auto shop service program, worked at several dealerships, independent auto repair shops, and various auto part stores and have done many jobs from home, but none of those experiences came close to the fulfillment I got from being enthralled during my time globe-trotting.

After a career in the automotive industry and my first eye-opening travel experience in Japan, I started the years of preparation it would take to fulfill the promise I made to myself. I enrolled back into college after having dropped out twice before and began my long journey; years later I earned a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Japanese and International Studies. I came to fulfill my promise by learning the Japanese language, gaining much knowledge of Japan’s rich culture, and returning to Japan in the fall of 2015. I was able to experience Japan’s allure once again. I have a good grasp of the Japanese language and know a lot about the culture, which made the transition of living in Japan much easier and more enjoyable. But the valuable insight that these two trips showed me was that my true desire isn’t solely in traveling to Japan. My real aspiration was to go out and experience this vast world. I’ve been on many trips since graduating from college within the U.S., around Japan and to other countries. God willing – my new and very ambitious goal is to experience most of the world by the age of 50! Which includes a visit to all the world wonders, seven continents and many of the 195 countries our world houses.

I invite you to journey with me as I make my transition from full-time wrench turner to Spanish and ESL teacher. I will be using this platform to share my world travel experiences in hopes of inspiring you to get out there and see the beauty in this world for yourself. Our God is an artist – and I continue to marvel at his many masterpieces.