Bethany Platanella

Bethany Platanella is a freelance travel writer, FIT travel designer, and published author based in Mexico City. With over 20 years in the travel industry, she has worked on an Italian cruise ship, led groups through Patagonia, Laos, Tuscany, and Turkey, and built a career around helping people experience the world more intentionally.

She is a Contributing Writer at Mexico News Daily, where she has published 135+ articles on CDMX culture, neighborhoods, food, and lifestyle — covering everything from Escandón and the Historic Center to local markets, Day of the Dead, and home decor on a budget. Her writing is candid, relatable, and rooted in the everyday texture of city life.

In September 2023, she published her memoir Wander Lust: A sassy, sexy memoir of my journey from the known to the wild unknown — a reflection on two decades of travel, reinvention, and choosing the unexpected. She is also the creator of A Weekend Away In (@aweekendawayin), a series of curated 2-day city itineraries for travelers worldwide.

A certified Vinyasa Flow yoga instructor (200hr RYT, certified 2012 in Costa Rica under Vidya Heisel), Bethany brings the same intentionality to wellness that she brings to travel. She co-founded Beach Baby Green, a fresh salad delivery service in Miami, and launched an Active Retreats company before eventually settling in Mexico City — where she moved at 24 with $8k to learn Spanish and never really left.

Beyond her articles, she writes a personal newsletter of "love letters" — essays on lifestyle, solo travel, expat life, and what it means to age gracefully on your own terms. Her work has appeared in Mexico News Daily, Medium, CanvasRebel, and Shoutout Miami.