“I made it for the two of us, Mom.”
That’s what I was thinking as I stood on the cliffs of Étretat in northern France.
The wind whipped my hair across my face, sending chills through my body, while the sun gently warmed my skin. It perfectly mirrored what I felt inside: the deep cold and emptiness left after my mom’s death the year before – and the quiet gratitude for keeping my promise to visit the place she had always dreamed of seeing.
I didn’t know it then, but that trip would change my life forever.
The person who left her home in Italy was not the same person who returned.
But let me start from the beginning.
Federica, founder of The Wander Mandala, is a travel coach, writer, and storyteller who believes that travel can be one of the most powerful tools for healing and transformation.
Born and raised in Italy, Federica always felt a deep calling to explore the world and connect with different cultures.
But her true journey began after the loss of her mother, when she embarked on a solo road trip through northern France to honor a promise they had made together.
That experience changed her life forever, sparking a personal transformation that led her to leave behind her old life and embrace a path of growth, adventure, and self-discovery.
Since then, Federica has lived in the UK, Germany, Ireland, and beyond, using travel as a way to reconnect with herself and inspire others to do the same.
Through The Wander Mandala, she now helps people navigate grief, life transitions, and personal reinvention through purposeful travel and self-exploration.
Federica’s mission is to empower others to step outside their comfort zones, find clarity, and create lives that feel true to their souls.
Whether she’s teaching yoga to children in Kenya, watching hot air balloons rise in Cappadocia, or guiding clients on transformative journeys, she carries her mantra everywhere: Your next chapter begins the moment you choose yourself.
When she’s not traveling solo or coaching others, you can find her journaling in a cozy café, practicing yoga by the ocean, or hunting for the world’s best licorice candies in memory of her mom.
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Where Everything Started
Growing up, I always felt a strong desire to see the world and explore different cultures.
But neither of my divorced parents had the money to travel.
Our holidays always meant visiting the same relatives abroad.
As the years passed, that urge to explore only grew stronger – like something deep inside me calling out. I started working young to build a future for myself and chase my dreams.
Then came my chance: a spot in the Erasmus program through my university in Italy.
I could study abroad for six months, partly funded by the EU. I was overjoyed and started planning almost a year in advance.
The life I had always dreamed of was finally within reach.
When Grief Changed Everything
What I hadn’t shared yet: my mom had been sick for years.
She battled an aggressive form of cancer, constantly under treatment and surveillance. In my young mind, this meant she was stable – things felt “under control,” and I clung to that illusion.
But just months after I got the Erasmus news, her health declined suddenly.
She passed away that summer, leaving me with a cold emptiness I didn’t know how to face.
A few months before she died, we had talked about taking a trip together to northern France – Normandy and Brittany, places she had always dreamed of. We never got to go.
During one of my last visits to the hospital, I told her my biggest regret was not going sooner.
Right there, I made a promise: I would go, for both of us.
After she passed, I put all my dreams on hold. I cancelled Erasmus. I buried myself in work, partly to avoid the pain, partly to afford staying in the house where I grew up – the only thing that still felt familiar.
Everything I wanted, everything I had worked so hard for, vanished in an instant.
The Trip We Never Took Together
But I had made a promise.
And I always keep my word.
I decided to honor it by taking the trip my mom and I had planned.
Seventeen days.
Driving from Italy to northern France.
A new place every night.
Endless miles and landscapes waiting for me.
I knew this journey had to be just for me and her memory – no distractions, no one else.
It took me five months to plan every detail. It was my first real trip and my first time traveling solo. I felt fear, doubt, and frustration.
But eventually, I was ready.
I hit the road, for us.
Travel as a Tool for Healing
That journey took me to places I had only seen in photos: lighthouses, cemeteries, historic sites, beaches, small islands, and towns frozen in time.
Every night, a new stop.
I met strangers who helped me without expecting anything in return, and their kindness shifted my perspective.
More than anything, the trip marked the beginning of a deeper journey – an inward one.
After six months of nonstop work and distractions, I was alone with my thoughts for the first time.
I intentionally made space for grief and for my mom’s memory:
- I ate our favorite licorice candies on Utah Beach.
- I lit candles in a tiny maritime church in Normandy, just like she would have.
- I visited her favorite lighthouses in Brittany.
I thought I was making space for her memory, but I was also making space for my own healing.
For the first time since she died, I truly allowed myself to cry.
I sat with the pain, questioning how I could possibly move forward without her.
A single mother and Airbnb host even offered me an energy healing session.
When I opened up about the real reason for my trip, it felt like sharing a part of myself I had hidden for too long.
Loneliness was fierce, but necessary.
I stared at the sea for hours, wondering where my life should go next.
That trip became a time of grief, healing, reconnection, and growth – all at once.
You Have to Leave to Come Back Home
Seventeen days later, I was on my way home.
The places I passed looked the same, but inside, something had shifted.
When I returned, I opened the door to my house and realized it didn’t feel like home anymore.
Nobody was waiting for me. It felt no different from the places I had stayed over the past few weeks.
The words of a song echoed in my mind: “Is a house really a home when your loved ones are gone?”
It wasn’t.
That moment marked the beginning of true change.
I integrated everything I learned on that trip: the dreams I had buried, the goals I thought I’d lost, and the hope I believed was gone. I saw life with new eyes.
So I left it all behind – the house, the job, my comfort zone – and finally followed my dream to live abroad.
It started with a few months in the UK.
Then two years in Germany.
Three years in Ireland.
And I haven’t stopped growing, learning, or moving forward since.
My volunteer experience in Kenya teaching yoga to school kids. One of my biggest dream!
What Happened Next?
That solo journey of grief and healing became the beginning of my transformation.
Over time, travel became my tool for clarity, for reconnecting with myself, for blocking out the noise and returning to what truly mattered – even if it didn’t align with society’s expectations.
I realized my story wasn’t unique.
So many people I met on the road were navigating grief, loss, or feeling stuck.
The more I shared, the less alone I felt.
That’s what inspired me to become a travel coach – to help others use travel as a tool for healing, clarity, and transformation.
That’s when The Wander Mandala was born, using the mandala as a symbol of change, transitions, and spiritual growth.
How You Can Find the Same Clarity
I hope my story helps you feel less alone and reminds you that there is always light, even in the darkest moments.
Here are the practices that helped me heal and transform my life:
- Integrate rituals. Small, meaningful rituals can create space for reflection and healing — whether you’re honoring a loved one or reconnecting with yourself.
- Open up to strangers. Sharing your story with the right people can lift a heavy weight. You don’t have to open up to everyone, but when you find the right person, it can be transformative.
- Embrace vulnerability. Facing your emotions is powerful. Asking for help isn’t weakness — it’s courage.
- Step outside your comfort zone. Growth happens when you challenge yourself, even in small ways.
- Travel solo. Solo travel reconnects you with who you really are and brings unmatched clarity. You don’t have to start big; a solo coffee date or a weekend away is enough to begin.
Even now, I still take solo trips every year to reconnect with myself. My most recent solo trip gave me the courage to finally quit my 9-to-5 and travel the world, just like I always dreamed.
Your Next Chapter
If my story made you feel less alone, I hope it shows you that healing, clarity, and transformation are possible.
Sometimes, you have to leave your comfort zone to find your way back to yourself.
Your next chapter begins the moment you choose yourself.
If you’re ready to travel with purpose and reconnect with who you truly are, I’d love to help you start that journey.
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