Get to know Carina Otero, the founder of She is Not Lost

Hi, I’m Carina!

I’m the creator and curator of She is Not Lost. My goal is to inspire women to travel and know that it is never too late to get started! I personally didn’t grow up traveling- Before I was born, my parents immigrated to San Diego, California from the Philippines and always prioritized education over travel because in their eyes, “we already live where people vacation!” My education fortunately led me to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles where I met my best friend and roommate who invited me to visit her family with her in Peru. I took my first international flight when I was 18 years old, and ever since that trip I have been hooked on travel.

I then focused on pursuing a career that would eventually involve or allow me to travel, and set my sights on one day having my own boutique filled with clothing and accessories I would source from across the globe. My career path led me from various retail jobs to corporate international buying positions, but I found that the trajectory was unfulfilling, lacking in creativity, and I would constantly find myself daydreaming of destinations I wanted to visit. That daydreaming led to a collection of bookmarked travel photos I would come across on Instagram, and She is Not Lost was born.

Why I created She is Not Lost..

She is Not Lost started purely as a hobby, rooted in a love of travel photography and the inspiration that comes from being able to imagine yourself in bucket-list destinations. Visualization is a powerful tool for realizing your dreams, and I hope that the features shared on She is Not Lost will show you a new destination or maybe a fresh perspective of a familiar place!

In my years of traveling, I have learned as much if not more from visiting new destinations than I have in my more formal education. Travel makes the world feel smaller, and the sense of community both online and offline makes far-off places feel more accessible, whether you are a female traveling solo, with friends or family, or in a group.

What am I up to now?

I’m grateful that this hobby and passion has turned in to a full-time profession. In addition to creating sponsored content and speaking at events and conferences, the majority of my income comes from freelance consulting and travel writing. I work remotely to help various clients with their digital media strategy and by producing visual or written content for their blogs and social channels.  

For me, travel and social media isn’t all about becoming a travel influencer with thousands of likes and followers. Rather, it’s about finding the right balance for your interests and lifestyle, and maintaining a healthy relationship with the inspiration you are finding, creating, and sharing. What I love most about working remotely is the ability to find balance: it gives me the freedom to travel when I want to, and the freedom to stay put when I want to. As much as I love to travel and discover new places, I also love to recharge at home near my family, focus on developing my career, and maintain a routine. Not only do I hope to inspire you to travel, but also to find that perfect balance for you in your life.

Follow along with @carinaotero on Instagram:

Featured in:

— Forbes — NowThis Media — HuffingtonPost — HuffingtonPost Italia — Rollinglobe — World Traveller Magazine — NYLON España — The Zoe Report —