a life well wandered.
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About us
We are a Family of 3 Melissa, Gavin and Jago who left UK in 2021 and have been spending winters in the Caribbean and spring and summer in Europe since then. We have now moved to Andalusia in Spain in 2026. Personally even before I met Gavin, I had been an avid traveller in in Australia, Asia, USA and Europe, staying for extended periods. This last period of full time travel with Jago thought us more about family resilience and what actually matters than any settled life could have.
Now we are in the process of putting down some roots in Andalusia in Spain as Jago turns almost 11, it will be more important to him for a stable friends circle, last year of primary and secondary but this period of travel for us as a family has been invaluable and he has learned language and culture and more hands on, that he would never have learned in a classroom. Moving to Spain and immersing further in the language with a full Spanish school day will allow him to become fluent in Spanish by the time he is in his teenage years.
We would also like to use our hands on travel and relocation experience to help others that want to do the same
With Ryse wanderlust, whether you are dreaming of a full family move or just want travel tips, we share what we have learned and actually lived, not just researched in our membership program and blog.
Hi, I’m Melissa
I’m also a Registered Nutritionist, women’s health specialist and the founder of both Roots to Ryse and Ryse Wanderlust.
I am also a digital creator and remote work mentor offering digital products and courses to help others work remotely and travel at any age. www.rysetemplatesclub and www.remoteworkmentors.com
For the past decade I’ve worked with midlife women navigating hormones, health, and that growing feeling that they want more from their lives than what they currently have. Travel – real travel, intentional travel – is often part of that bigger picture.
I built Ryse Wanderlust because I couldn’t find a travel resource that spoke to women like the ones in my community: intelligent, approaching 40 or 50, thinking about retreats and possibly relocation and absolutely done with content designed for someone twenty years younger. Ryse Wanderlust is also for families so a large part of our focus is focus is on family travel but also luxury and wellness deals for the ladies over 35.
What I bring to this that most travel writers can’t
Clinical Nutrition Expertise
I understand what midlife bodies actually need — in terms of food, environment, sleep, and stress. My wellness travel recommendations aren’t just about “nice spas.” They’re about what genuinely moves the needle on how you feel.
Real Relocation Intelligence
Healthcare systems abroad, finding functional medicine practitioners in Lisbon or Seville, managing hormone health protocols when you move countries — this is the depth of intel that only comes from someone who takes health seriously.
The Midlife Perspective
I’m not writing for gap year students. I write for women who want to travel with their families without the chaos, who want to actually rest on a retreat, and who are seriously considering what life abroad could look like.
What you’ll find here
- Destination guides — Portugal, Spain, Mexico, France, Italy, and beyond. Not “top 10 things to do” lists — proper, research-backed guides covering travel, wellness, and what it’s like to actually live there.
- Relocation guides — step-by-step intelligence on moving to Europe and beyond. Visa routes, real costs, healthcare, schools, neighbourhoods — the stuff you actually need to know.
- Wellness travel — curated retreats, spa experiences, and restorative escapes for women who want more than a beach lounger.
- Family travel — luxury-adjacent family holidays that work in the real world, tested itineraries, and the hotels that actually deliver on their promise.
All of this is wrapped up at various levels in our membership program with a small monthly fee to access all the resources of that level of membership. Check them out HERE
The Roots to Ryse connection
Ryse Wanderlust is a sister site to Roots to Ryse – my women’s health and nutrition platform. The two sites are different in focus but entirely complementary: the same women who are working on their hormones, gut health, and midlife wellbeing through Roots to Ryse are often the same women dreaming about a slower pace of life somewhere sunnier. We also help you to start a remote income with options in our other sister websites. Check them out HERE
If you’re new here and want the full picture of who I am and what I do, start over on Roots to Ryse.
Want to work with me directly?
I offer private relocation consultations for women and families considering a move abroad — covering destination selection, healthcare, lifestyle, and the honest realities of the transition. Get in touch