Why This Work Exists
In October 2019, I realized something had to change.
I wasn't just tired of cold weather. I was tired of cold people.
One late-night search for "temperate climates" led me to Brazil and Ecuador. I had lived abroad before for work, but this time was different. I wasn't relocating with structure, an employer, or a plan. There were too many questions, too many ways to get it wrong.
Then I saw a $200 flight to Costa Rica.
I listed my condo. Booked the flight. Packed everything I owned into storage. I knew I could figure out my life on a beach in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica wasn't my master plan. It was a pivot. A prayer. A gut decision.
I arrived with one month booked and no roadmap. No guide. No structured process. Just space to rest and decide what was next.
Then the pandemic hit. Borders closed. I stayed.
Two weeks later, I met my now-husband. And what began as a temporary reset became a new life.
But building that life came with trial and error. Immigration. Banking. Housing. Sequencing decisions that most people underestimate until they're in it.
And I know how different the journey is when you have one."
Costa Rica was the fourth of five countries that I have lived in. Unlike the others, this time I didn't have a system supporting the move. So I built one.
Melanin Tours was built from that lived experience. This work exists because major life transitions deserve more than guesswork.
— Celeste, Founder of Melanin Tours