After a long period without travel due to COVID-19, I finally made my first solo travel trip in 5 years. I planned a road trip where I went dived and hiked the Osa Peninsula, ziplined in Monteverde, did beach yoga in Tarmindo, and swam in a crater lake atop a volcano in La Fortuna.

I traveled around the small island of Cozumel for my first ever visit to Mexico. Known for its top notch diving at the world’s second largest great barrier reef, this island gifted me my best dive experience to date. What I didn’t expect was just how queer my trip would be, and that I would get an invitation to return to the state of Quintana Roo soon after this initial visit.