Mariana

Portugal
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Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
My next destination:
Namibia
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Description
I’m Mariana, a wanderer on a quest to discover exciting projects, bold ideas, and folks making the world a sunnier place. I’m fueled by good vibes, good souls, awesome conversations, random encounters, and the jaw-dropping beauty that surrounds us. A wise host once said, “Every mind is a new world to explore” and I wholeheartedly agree. There’s something magical about spending hours bouncing ideas around, diving deep into new perspectives and feeling in new ways. New stories keep the journey alive!

I believe in slow and meaningful travel (no, I’m not just “counting countries” to post it on socials), deep conversations, and the magic of connecting. I’ve spent the past years hopping between countries, volunteering, working, and occasionally wondering if I should just open a small veggie café on a remote beach (jury’s still out).

I’m passionate about sustainability, conservation, and social innovation—basically, anything that brings positive change and helps us be kinder to the planet and each other. In my down time, you’ll find me experimenting with veggie recipes, DIY-ing, dancing my heart out to Latin beats (and practically every other beat), practicing yoga, getting outdoors for some nature sports, or just soaking in the beauty of the world.

We’re lucky to be here, so why not share the joy?
Interests
Yoga / Wellness
Water sports
Van life
Self development
Vegetarian or vegan
Sustainability
Sailing / Boating
Nature
Plant care
Pets
Outdoor activities
Music
Mountain
Hitchhiking
Hiking
Gardening
Events & social
DIY & crafts
Dancing
Culture
Camping
Charity work
Cooking & food
Beach
Adventure sports
Animals
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Portuguese: Fluent
French: Beginner
More details about my language interests
Learning languages enriches us, and I find authentic beauty in each one. I am particularly interested in developing proficiency in Arabic.
Find a language buddy
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Gardening
General Maintenance
Life at a Farmstay
Art Projects
Some knowledge of:
DIY and building projects
Babysitting and creative play
Being an elderly companion
Hospitality/Tourism
Able to teach about:
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Eco Projects
Helping around the house
Animal Care
Charity Work
Languages
Helping with Computers/ Internet
Teaching
House sitting
More details about your skills
Some skills in Short:

• Creative Side: Photography and Design
• Cooking Enthusiast (some say "quite tasty")
• Tour Guide
• Customer Service
• Reception
• Volunteering and Venue Management
• House and Pet Sitting
• Babysitting
• Gardening

Long Version:

I can work in both structured and creative environments, always striving to improve and deliver my best. With a background in tourism and the service industry, I am comfortable with customer service, reservation management, stock control, client requests, operations, team management, partnership creation, and event organization.

My involvement in diverse environmental and social projects, such as Immigrants Support, Animal Welfare, Women's Rights, and Sustainable Community Developments, has equipped me with valuable skills in Community Engagement, Event Planning and Coordination, Project Management, Networking, Research and Analysis, Fundraising, Volunteer Coordination, and Interpreter/Cultural Liaison.

On the practical side:

• Culinary Skills: I'm adept at cooking, with a focus on vegetarian and vegan dishes. Anything with "raw," "fermented," or "dehydrated" piques my interest.
• Creativity in Renovations: I enjoy working on new details for places, particularly when the budget is tight, as it sparks more creative ideas.
• Child Interaction: With experience in babysitting and projects involving children, I bring dynamic and pedagogical ways to engage with kids.
Pet Comfort: Growing up around rescued animals and currently hosting about 40 cats and dogs, I'm comfortable with both petsitting and housesitting while traveling.
Age
31
What else ...
Looking forward to doing the best in your project :)
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  no
- Special dietary requirements
  Vegetarian (never a problem for anyone, as I usually take the "side dishes")

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17 May 2024

Left by host (Help us at our hotel and ...) for Workawayer ()

Mariana, how a nice person you are !

Mariana is very smart, active, helpful, supportive with a very open minded and full of ideas person.

She helped me a lot in my project, very flexible and even working more hours than she should do!. In spite of she is limited to working hours but she really cares a lot and never regretted accepting her as my… read more

(Excellent )

2 May 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help us at our hotel and ...)

Staying with Faraj and assisting in his project offers an immersive experience in Egypt, probably one of the most complete and authentic experiences you can have here.

With his enormous heart and hospitality, you'll feel right at home and never overwhelmed or pressured. He is very knowledgeable and willing to share insights about Bedouin and… read more

(Excellent )

19 Sep 2017

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with plant based ...)

Usually people say "my home is your home" but not always you feel like that. At Patti's house, you do feel it. She makes you feel part of the family, of the group of friends, of the house, of the business. She introduced us to the world of fermented food, inspired us to more raw and dehidarated dishes, showed us the magic of the fusion of flavors… read more

(Excellent )

31 May 2017

Left by host for Workawayer ()

It has been extraordinary to have Mariana as part of our family here in the community. There´s no better word to describe her. She is an extraordinary young woman and extraordinary human being. She and her partner Eric arrived with a different idea of the project that according to our Facebook page was a place full of activity and people, however,… read more they soon realized that the house was going trough a transition phase and that most of the time there was nothing going on. When they arrived they found a dead project with half of the space it used to have, also, the house need it a lot of maintenance, the paint on the walls was peeling off, the walls of the kitchen were dirty, the bathroom was unfinished and still under construction, the patio was a disaster. I could list all of the things that were wrong with the house and it would be a really long list. That's why we were not sure of having volunteers anymore or not at least until we could fix the place up a little bit. At the last moment and after a few emails ¨warning¨ them about the issues we had (not only with the house but with the organization) They agree to come over and we agree to host them. Well to this day we can say that Mariana and Eric have been one of the best things that had happened to the house! With almost no resources they updated the whole place up! It´s amazing what they accomplish during the short period they stayed. Not only they deep clean the whole place, but they renovated an 80-year-old bathroom with their original ceramic! They painted the walls, they organized the patio, Mariana even set up the store, which now looks amazing and its just waiting to be filled with organic products.
Mariana was especially focused on the details, she is very meticulous and a perfectionist; and for that we are extremely thankful, she took care of every little detail this place. Marian is very mature for her age, she is intellectually advantaged way beyond her years, she can also be a little stubborn but in a positive way, she will insist until she gets things done.

As a host, we can sincerely tell you that you would be missing out a great element and possibly a great friendship as well if you did not welcome Mariana and Eric, they are not your typical young careless wild party volunteers, they are deeply conscious, vegan, mature, intelligent believe me they are the real deal. We only regret our project was not ready for them.

Wish them both the best in their travels.
M and J

(Excellent )

18 May 2017

Left by Workawayer () for host (Versatile project looking for ...)

When I first visited the community, I thought to myself: this is the right direction for society and this is the place I want to open myself one day. A holistic approach to our individual lifestyle and the right and only sustainable path to our society. When we arrived, the community was going through a restructuring process and therefore there… read more

(Excellent )

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17 May 2024

Left by host (Help us at our hotel and ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

2 May 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help us at our hotel and ...)

(Excellent)

19 Sep 2017

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with plant based ...)

(Excellent)

31 May 2017

Left by host for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

18 May 2017

Left by Workawayer () for host (Versatile project looking for ...)

(Excellent)

19 May 2017

Left by host for Workawayer ()

Mariana is a great spirit full of energy and very positive aproach to all always searching ways to help, she is an amazing vegan cook, she made some beautiful dreamcatchhers for the rooms and she is amazing with kids my daughter loved her!
Siempre bienvendia mi hermanita portuguesa!

(Excellent)

18 May 2017

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with Building, Garden, ...)

This look like a film set for a surf movie. There's a cool vibe, non stressed and laid back atmosphere around. That's how I felt the whole time in this place. Unlike Mexico City (where I lived and studied for three months before coming here), the month here really helped me regain some serenity. It's actually the perfect place if you're looking… read more

(Excellent)

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