Meet Gladis
Welcome to Happiness on the Way! I’m Gladis — the Filipina behind this blog about soulful, slow, and sometimes messy travel.
I’m not your typical travel blogger. I didn’t quit a high-paying job or a powerful passport that would easily allow me to buy a one-way ticket. I also did not travel to find myself.
I came from a low-income family in the Philippines, and my first trip was because of a student exchange. At that time, it was my only shot at getting on a plane.
I was 18 when I flew for the first time. I rember checking my flight details at least 30 times. I filled my suitcase with crackers and canned tuna because I couldn’t afford to eat out.
And yet, I loved every single part of that trip. Watching locals pass by and walking through unfamiliar streets was enough. From there, I chased every opportunity that would allow me to travel — student exchanges, consultancy jobs and a sales career that with free trip incentives.
Along the way, I also met people (specifically three men) who encouraged me to go further. More about this later.
Travel taught me how to live.
How the little things are the big things.
How to live in awe.
How to be grateful.
How to love and let go — and love again.
How to be courageous, how to trust, how to fail, and how to grow.
And finally in February 2024, I quit my job and travel full-time.
featured in:
I created Happiness on the Way (HOTW) because…
i found happiness on the way.
In the quiet moments while looking out the window of a bus,
Sharing cold bread with a lady at the top of a mountain.
Reading handwritten notes from hostel coworkers I’d just met.
When a dog decided to join me on a hike.
Or when strangers went out of their way to drive me to the airport so I wouldn’t miss my flight.
I’d like you to experince that kind of magic too. HOTW is for:
- The Soulful Traveler. Someone who wants to see the world — not just more of it, but to feel more while they do. Someone craving presence, depth, and real connection. Someone who wants to capture the world with their heart — not just through a photo.
- Less-privileged Woman. A woman who has a weak passport. Who has to pack long sleeves and scarves for the Middle East and bikinis for the beach — because she’s wants to be free and respected. Someone who is scared to travel world, but goes anyway.
- People in Transition. Going through a breakup, burnout, career shift, or quarter-life crisis. Someone who isn’t just looking for a trip — but looking for understanding and healing. Someone who want to fall in love with the world again… and maybe even with themselves.
Today, over 25,000 people read this blog every month and follow my beautifully chaotic life on the road. I want to help you do the same — travel more meaningfully, live more freely, and maybe even surprise yourself along the way.
This blog shares the exact tools, stories, and mindset shifts I’ve used to overcome fear and conditioning, and embrace a full-time lifestyle of freedom and joy. And if I can do it — with one of the weakest passports in the world and financial limitations — you definitely can too.
Let’s experience happiness — not just at the sights, but on the way.
Join the HOTW Community
the long story
My First Flight
I grew up from a low-income family in the Philippines. We don’t go to vacations even malls or cinema. We don’t have a car so we also don’t go to another city.
I got full scholarship so I was able to go and study in Manila. And when I was 18, I was chosen for a fully sponsored trip to a youth symposium in Hong Kong.
I remember telling my mother just the day of my flight so she won’t worry about my pocket money.
I didn’t buy a single thing. I walked everywhere. And yet, I felt in awe and happy. I felt something wake up in me.
Education
After that first trip in Hong Kong, I chased travel any way I could. I got accepted in another two student exchanges in Cambodia and in Japan. Specifically in Japan, I lived with two old Japanese couple and it opened my eyes in living with locals which later fueled my loved for volunteering and work exchange.
I graduated a degree in Internal Auditing from Far Eastern University and Briding Leadership from Asian Institute of Management.
However, I did a 5-month internship in an auditing firm and realized the cubicle 9-5 hustle career was not meant for me – so I never actually used my degree.
Working Years
I knew 9-5 wasn’t for me so I started my own startup. Long before AI was a thing, my small team worked on AI recruitment for fresh graduates. We run it for two years, got funded, got businesses and graduates to use our platform. I knew that solving problems and innovating thing is something I love to do.
So after throwing off the towel with my startup, I worked as an associate with the University of the Philippines Innovation Hub. Little did I know, it will lead me to traveling in the US and Singapore.
After this “reminder of my love for travel”, I joined part-time with financial advisors. Because I earn based on sales and I get free trips if I hit the quota. I was able to travel to around the Philippines, Indonesia and South Korea either for free or because I can afford it with my job.
Meeting Three Wise Men
While traveling in Asia, I met different nationalities who introduced gap years, sabatical and being digital nomad to me. To someone from the Philippines, these terms were new to me. We don’t take a break after school, especially when we’re employed, but somehow they made so much sense to me.
But the most influential encounters to me where three men who eventually inspired and supported me to travel full-time.
One was a Swiss traveler who nudged me to book my first solo trip — to an island in the Philippines. I rode around on his motorbike, swam naked under the stars, and finally understood what freedom felt like.
Another one is a Colombian who became my boyfriend for four years. He was my first travel meet cute turned into my first love. Together, we navigated long distance, cultural differences, and even trekked to Machu Picchu. However, the pandemic hit us and we eventually broke up in 2021.
When the border reopens in 2022, I went back on traveling. I booked a trip to Sri Lanka — a country I barely knew and backpacked alone, without a plan. And that’s where I met Matthias (the third person) who has been my amazing partner for four years now – the guy who encouraged me to start this blog (from buying the domain until now) and who supported me to travel full-time.
My Travel Blog, Retreat and Yoga Journey
Although my work as a financial advisor was so lucrative that it brought me to the luxury trips, part of me was craving something deep.
I went on more solo trips that had more basic locations were I can connect with more locals and were more meaningful for me. I found joy from these travels. That’s where I got the name “Happiness on The Way” from.
I felt at home. And with this peace, I launched retreats back in the Philippines and helped several people who felt lost and lost their spark in their daily lives rediscover life.
In November 2023, I decided to go deeper and got my Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) in Bali, Indonesia.
Quiting My Job and Traveling Full-time
I was lucky that I could do my job semi-remote. I can do most meetings outside the Philippines but I am looked down because I leave my team of 80-people in the Philippines.
I felt trapped. I like my job. I like team. But I felt limited. I wanted to travel the world. Wake up on the mountains or beaches. I want to turn off social media for a week when I wnat or need to. I want to be free.
So after back-and-forth in February 2024, I quit my job and never looked back. Interesting fact: when I sent my resignation letter, I won a round-trip ticket to the US and while on that plane, I got an email that I gt accepted into Mediavine, the premier ad agency for bloggers.
If that’s not the universe supprting me, I don’t know what it is.
A Few More Things About Me
go-to ‘coffee’ order
matcha latte
dream volunteer gig
tour guide + yoga teacher
Last meal on earth
ramen + sushi
on repeat
Castle on the Hill
Travel superpower
falling asleep anywhere
Favorite book
Power of Now
Weirdest place I’ve slept in
in a juggle mud house
One thing I’D tell MY younger self
you’ll figure it out