Once In A Lifetime Journey
  • Destinations
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      • Djibouti
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      • Albania
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      • Brunei
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    • Central & North Asia
      • Bhutan
      • Bangladesh
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      • India
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      • Tibet
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  • Countries visited: 115
  • Currently in : Singapore 🇸🇬
  • Partner with us
  • SOLO FEMALE TRAVELERS COMMUNITY

Once In A Lifetime Journey

Once In A Lifetime Journey
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Djibouti
      • Kenya
      • Madagascar
      • Malawi
      • Namibia
      • Rwanda
      • Somaliland
      • South Africa
      • Sudan
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
    • Europe
      • Albania
      • Andorra
      • Azerbaijan
      • Denmark
      • France
      • Germany
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Kosovo
      • Lithuania
      • Macedonia
      • Malta
      • Monaco
      • Montenegro
      • Russia
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • United Kingdom
    • North & Central America
      • American Samoa
      • El Salvador
      • Guam
      • Guatemala
      • Hawaii
      • Honduras
      • Mexico
      • United States
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Peru
    • Middle East
      • Oman
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Sudan
      • United Arab Emirates
    • Pacific
      • American Samoa
      • Australia
      • Cook Islands
      • Fiji
      • French Polynesia
      • Guam
      • Hawaii
      • Kiribati
      • Micronesia
      • Nauru
      • New Zealand
      • Palau
      • Samoa
      • Solomon Islands
      • Tonga
      • Tuvalu
      • Vanuatu
    • Southeast Asia
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • Indonesia
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Myanmar
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Central & North Asia
      • Bhutan
      • Bangladesh
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Japan
      • Macau
      • Maldives
      • Mongolia
      • Nepal
      • North Korea
      • Pakistan
      • South Korea
      • Sri Lanka
      • Tibet
  • Inspiration
    • Inspiration

      Luxury Escapes in New Zealand: Indulge in the…

      July 21, 2023

      Inspiration

      Most Impressive and Unique Train Routes Around the…

      May 11, 2023

      Inspiration

      Top-Rated Countries For Online Gambling

      April 11, 2023

      Inspiration

      Luxury Trip In New Zealand: What To Do

      April 11, 2023

      Inspiration

      Excellent Places Where To Place Bets In Dublin

      April 11, 2023

  • Reviews
    • Hotels & Resorts
    • Train, Planes & helicopters
    • Food & Drinks
    • Spa & Wellness
    • Tour & Activities
  • Resources
  • Wine Tourism
    • Australia
    • Indonesia
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • Thailand
    • US
    • South Africa
  • Solo female travel

About Mar Pages

by Mar September 2, 2014
About Mar Pages

I am a former telecoms strategy management consultant who one day decided there was more to life than 15h working days seven days a week.

I managed to make that decision because I had finally taken some time off for myself which I invested on a sabbatical in the South Pacific. Away from the boardroom filled with executives of some of the multi-billion-dollar companies I advised, I found clarity. I loved my job, and the 5* hotels and business class flights it afforded me, but I did not want it to take over my life.

I did not quit straightaway but a year later, I exchanged my high paid job that earned me more in a month than most of my friends made in a year and I opened a hole in the wall take-away cafe, became a barista and started a blog as a means to put my thoughts into writing.

Duplex Suite at the Six Senses DuxtonDuplex Suite at the Six Senses Duxton
Six Senses Duxton Six Senses Duxton
Sunset views from Kalokalo tapas barSunset views from Kalokalo tapas bar
Enjoying the sunsetEnjoying the sunset
Me with the Gorillas in RwandaMe with the Gorillas in Rwanda

Behind the bar, I was a nobody, a 30-something expat who was filling take away cups of coffee for busy expats in smart suits heading to corporate offices. My degrees and my MBA did not matter, my previous experience was silent and this gave me the chance to reflect on what I wanted to do next.

I took a year to myself. I spent hours in the cafe grinding beans and steaming milk. I became an angel investor in a couple of travel startups. I embedded myself into the startup community thriving in Singapore. I launched the Travel Massive Singapore chapter which I left in 2020. And I built this blog, doing it for myself first. After nine years traveling 75% of my time to over 80 countries, I had a lot of stories to tell!

About Once in a Lifetime JourneyAbout Once in a Lifetime Journey
About Once in a Lifetime JourneyAbout Once in a Lifetime Journey
About Once in a Lifetime JourneyAbout Once in a Lifetime Journey
About Once in a Lifetime JourneyAbout Once in a Lifetime Journey
About Once in a Lifetime JourneyAbout Once in a Lifetime Journey

My plan was not to spend the rest of my life brewing coffee. I only wanted to do something different, something which utilised only a small portion of my brain, so I was free to think. And I had the same romantic idea every consultant or banker has: open a B&B by the beach, setup a winery or start a bohemian cafe. The novelty quickly wore off and after losing three kilos in a month from walking up and down all day, I realised having an F&B business was much harder than I thought and not as fulfilling, financially or otherwise.

Since opening a winery was out of the question because I grew up in one, I was ready to go back to the job market. The only thing I knew was that, this time, I did not want to sell my soul to a heartless and purposeless company, no matter the money. The offers from headhunters to rejoin the world of consulting or of telecoms kept streaming as I was very senior and there were very few professionals of my experience in Asia.

But I had done it, I had reached as high up in the professional services career as I ever wanted to. I had nothing to prove to myself or anyone else and I did not want to go back.

A job title was not important, a career working for a large corporation did not define me. I wanted to learn, I wanted to be inspired and I wanted to travel the world. I needed a meaningful job at a company that respected my private life and that treated me like an adult. A company I respected and which respected me.

After a few months of considering opportunities against my aspirations and ideals, I settled for Google. The company was a natural fit and after a lengthy recruitment process for a few positions, I joined exactly a year after I had quit my consulting job. I sold the cafe the week before starting and I kept the blog, still as an online diary of sorts, mostly for myself.

If you tell good stories, people will find you.

And they did.

Somaliland girls piled up to chat to meSomaliland girls piled up to chat to me
The intricate walls of Tipu Sultan’s Museum. Photo by Jinson Abraham (@JinsonAbraham) for the Ministry of Tourism and Government of IndiaThe intricate walls of Tipu Sultan’s Museum. Photo by Jinson Abraham (@JinsonAbraham) for the Ministry of Tourism and Government of India
Yoga stretching with a great view of Cempedak IslandYoga stretching with a great view of Cempedak Island
Looking out of the sceneryLooking out of the scenery
Me in my hot red PorscheMe in my hot red Porsche

My blog started to grow organically in number of visitors. My social media followers kept piling up. I attended a blogging conference where my entrepreneurial and business mindset were awoken again and I hit a tipping point.

I realised I could turn this platform that was my daily source of inspiration and meditation, into a lifestyle. Not that it was going to be easy, building a blog is truly hard work, but I could do it and I could build something I could be proud of.

Since then, I have worked with dozens of companies in the travel and hospitality world and made hundreds of connections with inspiring individuals. I continue to be involved in the investment and entrepreneurial communities in Singapore and I regularly speak about pursuing your passion.

Since 2017, I started helping smaller companies define social and digital marketing strategies and consult them about improving their presence and results.

In February 2018 I left Google to focus full time on this blog and on Singapore n Beyond, my second blog and in January 2020 I took over a very engaged Facebook group on Solo Female Travel along with my business partner Meg from Mapping Megan, and launched the website in May 2020.

The group has close to 70,000 members and empowers women to travel on their own. We also launched 4 sub-groups for Mothers who travel solo, for Entrepreneurs who travel solo, for language exchange, for Solo Female Travelers who want to connect with others to find a travel buddy, hangout, swap homes or find pet/house sitting opportunities.

In the summer of 2020, Meg and I also launched a community for Facebook group Admins looking to successfully grow, engage and monetise their groups and its corresponding website where we plan to share our combined experience managing, growing and monetising large groups for the last six years.

I now spend the majority of my time managing the thriving communities, writing, traveling and consulting to companies on digital, social and influencer marketing. My corporate experience, my years as a management and strategy consulting and my success building a travel blog are proof that I am experienced and a lot of travel brands need help getting started, maximising the value they get from influencer collaborations or improving their digital marketing strategy. Even the large travel companies.

If you are curious about how I make a living while staying in one of the world’s most expensive cities, you can see my Income Reports here where I explain how I make my money. Or buy my book, 30 Ways to make money online with or without a blog available on Amazon Kindle or paperback version.

Title 01
Star Image

I am trilingual and speak Catalan, Spanish and English.

I can communicate in French. Enough to understand and speak badly.

I understand Portuguese – don’t test me.

Star Image

I have lived in 8 cities.

I have visited 112 countries. Rwanda was number 100!

I have worked in 40+ countries from South Africa to the UK, from the US to Australia.

Star Image

I have a degree in Business and an MBA from ESADE, Top-10 best in Europe.

I build business plans for every new business idea.

I even have a business plan for my life which I used to decide when to quit Google.

Title 02
Title 03

My first ever “real” trip overseas was to Cuba in 2001. Previously, I had been to Switzerland as a little kid and plenty of times to Andorra and the southern most part of France, just because it is very near home. But Cuba is the first ever trip I consider. It was also the first time I traveled abroad alone, albeit with all my university colleagues.

Map_Oct_2019
Title 04
Hotels I've stayed atAirlines I have flown
Singapore

  • Six Senses Duxton Singapore
  • JW Marriott Southbeach, Singapore
  • Capella Sentosa, Singapore
  • Westin, Singapore
  • Sofitel So Sentosa, Singapore
  • Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
  • Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
  • Fullerton Hotel, Singapore
  • Shangri-la, Singapore
  • Fort Canning, Singapore
  • Naumi Hotel, Singapore
  • W Singapore Sentosa Cove, Singapore
  • Six Senses Singapore at Duxton Hill, Singapore

Thailand

  • The Boathouse Phuket
  • The Peninsula, Bangkok
  • The Siam, Bangkok
  • Conrad Hotel, Koh Samui
  • The Racha, Phuket
  • Sri Panwa, Phuket
  • The Dhara Devi, Chiang Mai
  • Soneva Kiri, Thailand
  • Baba Beach Resort, Phuket
  • The Boathouse, Phuket

Indonesia

  • Cempedak, Bintan
  • Bawah Reserve
  • The Sanchaya, Bintan
  • Nihi Sumba, Indonesia
  • Holiday Inn Baruna, Bali
  • Ubud Hanging Gardens, Bali
  • Chapung Se Bali
  • The Legian, Bali
  • The Mulia, Bali
  • Tembok Spa Village, Bali
  • Nikoi, Bintan
  • Banyan Tree, Bintan
  • Tempat Senang, Batam
  • Turi Beach, Batam
  • Montigo Bay, Batam
  • The Sanchaya, Bintan
  • Intercontinental Resort, Bali
  • Bawah Reserve, Indonesia
  • Cempedak Private Island, Bintan, Indonesia
  • Natra Bintan
  • Capella Ubud, Bali

Fiji

  • Outrigger Resort Fiji
  • Castaway Island Resort Fiji

Rwanda

  • Lake Kivu Serena
  • Kigali Serena
  • Bisate Lodge, Rwanda

Azerbaijan

  • Fairmont, Baku

US

  • Westin San Francisco Airport
  • Intercontinental Hotel, San Francisco
  • Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay

Dubai

  • Al Maha Desert Resort, Dubai

Oman

  • Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman
  • Alila Jabal Akhdar, Oman

China

  • Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain, Chengdu
  • Aman Summer Palace, Beijing
  • Alila Anji
  • Alila Wuzhen
  • Shangi-la, Lhasa
  • Peninsula Shanghai

Sri Lanka

  • Amanwella, Sri Lanka
  • Amangalla, Sri Lanka
  • Chena Huts, Sri Lanka
  • Ulagalla, Sri Lanka
  • Madulkelle Tea & Eco Lodge, Sri Lanka
  • Galle face Hotel, Colombo

Malaysia

  • Manukan Island Resort, Borneo
  • Casa del Mar, Langkawi
  • Cameron Highlands Resort
  • Gaya Island Resort
  • Batu Batu, Malaysia

Japan

  • Hyatt, Tokyo
  • Intercontinental ANA, Tokyo
  • Green Leaf Resort, Niseko

Bhutan

  • Amankora, Bhutan

India

  • Amanbagh, Jaipur
  • Westin, Gurgaon
  • Westin, Hyderabad
  • Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon
  • The Taj , Mumbai
  • Oberoi Motor Vessel Vrinda, Kerala, India
  • Shiv Niwas Palace, Udaipur

Spain

  • Monument Hotel, Barcelona
  • Mercer Hotel, Barcelona
  • Neri Hotel, Barcelona
  • Majestic Hotel, Barcelona

Jordan

  • Four Seasons, Amman

Philippines

  • Intercontinental, Manila
  • Shangri-la, Manila
  • The Peninsula, Manila

Hong Kong

  • Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

Maldives

  • Conrad Hotel, Maldives
  • Six Senses Laamu, Maldives
  • Joali, Maldives
  • LUX*, Maldives
  • Milaidhoo, Maldives
  • Soneva Fushi, Maldives
  • Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives (twice)

French Polynesia (Tahiti/Bora Bora)

  • Intercontinental Thalasso Spa, Bora Bora
  • Intercontinental Tahiti

Myanmar

  • Shangri-la, Yangon
  • Novotel, Yangon
  • Ibis Styles, Yangon
  • Novotel Inle Lake Myat Min, Myanmar

Vietnam

  • Banyan Tree Lang Co, Vietnam

South Korea

  • Intercontinental Seoul COEX

Mexico

  • Mar Adentro, Los Cabos
  • Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa

Australia

  • Lizard Island Resort, Great Barrier Reef
  • Pullman Bunker Bay, Australia

Tanzania

  • Manta Resort, Tanzania

Switzerland

  • The Chedi Andermatt, Switzerland

Namibia

  • Serra Cafema, Namibia
  • &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge
  • Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp

Loas

  • Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Iceland

  • Bubble Hotel, Iceland

Italy

  • Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea, Sicily
  • Singapore Airlines
    • Singapore Airlines Business Class flight from Singapore to San Francisco
    • Singapore Airlines A350 Business Class
    • Singapore Airlines Business Class flight from Singapore to Beijing
    • Singapore Airlines Suites from Singapore to New York
    • Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class from Auckland to Singapore
    • Singapore Airlines Boeing 787-10 Business Class
  • United Airlines
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    • Emirates A380 Business Class
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    • Ethiopian Airlines Business Class
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    • Lufthansa A380 Business Class Barcelona-Frankfurt-Singapore
    • Lufthansa Business Class Airbus A350
  • Norwegian Airlines
  • SWISS Business Class B777
  • Aeromexico
  • COPA
  • Turkish Airlines

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