Welcome to She Travels, Moms, and Dives! 🌍

I’m Monique, the mom behind the adventures. With a passport full of stamps, scuba gear always ready, supportive husband and two amazing kids (10 and 12) by my side, I’m on a mission to explore the world one solo, couple, and family adventure at a time!

After living abroad for 19 years (and loving every (nearly) moment of it), I’ve learned that travel isn’t just about the destinations—it’s about the memories you create along the way. Whether it’s slow traveling through picturesque towns, diving into crystal-clear waters, or navigating airports with a snack-hungry crew, every journey is an experience worth sharing.

I’m a PRO at living abroad! What’s my living abroad experience, you ask?

📍2005-2010: The Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico where I worked as a marine biologist on the beautiful Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System that runs from Mexico through Guatemala, Belize, and ends in Honduras. Here in Mexico I met my future Spanish husband and began my nearly annual trips to spend time with his family and friends in Mallorca and other parts of Spain.

📍2010-2011 end: Joint European MSc in Plymouth, England and Cadiz, Spain (one of my all-time fave places to have lived).

📍1st 6 months of 2012: Santa Theresa, Costa Rica- I worked on my MSc thesis in this beautiful paradise as my belly grew with my daughter. We headed to California for 3 months for her birth to be close to family.

📍2nd half of 2012 – mid 2014: return to Playa del Carmen, Mexico where we lived up my daughter’s baby and toddler years on the Mexican Caribbean beaches and exploring Mexico.

📍Mid 2014 our job asks us to move to Cape Town, South Africa! We pack up and headed to Mallorca, Spain to visit family for a few weeks when we learned the South African visa process became more complicated, forcing us to stay in Mallorca while our visas were sorted and for the birth of our son. When he was 2 months old we moved to South Africa.

📍2015 – 2017: we arrived to Noordhoek, South Africa, a suburb of Cape Town, and spend the next 3 years slow traveling South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana with the kids.

📍2018: we moved back to Playa del Carmen and settle into life in Playa with young kids. COVID struck, Mexico was 1 of 3 countries to remain open to tourism, and life continued as normal, basically.

📍 August 2021: we moved to Mallorca to be near family, friends, and to enjoy our house near the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. And to road trip Spain and the Balearic Islands, home to some of our favorite places in the world.

📍August 2024: We returned to Playa del Carmen with the intention of returning to Mallorca at the end of the year while the kids spend a trimester in a local school. Our jobs can be done remotely and the kids love their school and friends so much that we’ve decided to stay in PdC for now… until the wind or sea takes us off in a new direction 🌊

When I’m not planning our next trip, you can usually find me:
🌊 Underwater: Scuba diving is my escape! As a marine biologist and PADI Scuba Instructor, there has been no better accomplishment than being able to introduce my kids to the magic of the deep blue.
🗺️ Slow Traveling: Wherever we are living in the world at the moment, you can find us slow traveling the heck out of it. We are all about full immersion and diving into everything a place has to offer- local culture, traditions, language, friends, food- we love to live it!
✈️ Creating content: Sharing family travel tips and inspiring other parents to embrace adventure is what inspires me!

Through She Travels, Moms, and Dives, I hope to:
💡 Inspire families to travel boldly (yes, even with kids!).
🤿 Share my favorite dive spots and tips for diving with little ones in tow.
📍 Highlight the joys of slow travel and hidden gems you won’t find in guidebooks.

So whether you’re planning your first family trip, looking for scuba inspiration, or just dreaming of your next getaway, you’re in the right place. Join me as we dive into the world, one adventure at a time!

Let’s connect—find me on Instagram @shetravelsmomsdives, where I share snapshots of our travels, underwater discoveries, and the real-life chaos of globetrotting as a family.

Pack your bags (and snacks)—let’s explore together! 🌟