Mariellen Ward, Travel writer

Mariellen Ward at Tiger Fort, overlooking Jaipur, India. 2006

At Tiger Fort, Jaipur during my first trip to India, 2006

Freelance travel writer and blogger

Welcome to Breathedreamgo! My name is Mariellen Ward and I’m an award-winning professional travel writer based in Rishikesh, India. I launched Breathedreamgo in August 2009, inspired by my extensive travels in India.

I have a BA in Journalism and write for leading international newspapers, magazines and online sites (see portfolio below). My passion is travel in India, the underlying theme of my writing is “meaningful adventure travel” and I am an advocate of women’s solo travel and responsible travel / sustainable tourism practices.

I carry a reusable bottle when I travel and refill it with filtered water. I take great care to show cultural respect while travelling and in my writing. I try and promote fair trade artisans and organizations, responsible tourism companies, and well-managed wildlife tourism. I speak out against irresponsible practices and animal cruelty, such as elephant riding. These values are important to me personally and professionally.

I am co-founder of the highly successful Toronto Travel Massive, a monthly meetup group for travel bloggers and the travel industry; and I am also the co-founder of Delhi Travel Massive; and I started the #WeGoSolo movement to encourage women to travel solo safely.

To find out “why India” please read My Story. In 2010 I published my first book, Song of India: Tales of Travel and Transformation. You can get a free PDF copy of this book by signing up for my inspiring weekly newsletter in the sidebar.

Please scroll down to see a select portfolio of my travel-related writing. I am also a copywriter. You can find out more about my corporate communications work on my Linkedin profile.

For profile / travel pictures please visit this Flickr set.

Mariellen Ward, Breathedreamgo, Taj Mahal, Holi, India

Portfolio

Magazine and newspaper articles

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER India

March 2018 Cover story: A Place in the sun — 26 Summer Trips

April 2018 Cover story: Beyond Capital Limits

National Geographic Traveller

VOGUE India
The Travel Issue: Oysters in PEI (PDF)

Living the Legend: Following in the footsteps of Mirabai (Vogue Mirabai PDF)

OUTPOST Magazine
Just Breathe, Dream, Go (16-page feature on my travels in India)

Outpost cover

Ensemble Magazine

Solo in Ireland
Taking a tea pilgrimage to Darjeeling

Dreamscapes Magazine
– Yoga in India (page 12-14) or PDF

AMEX Essentials Magazine
– The Best of India

Travel+Escape iPad Magazine

– Tea and Sympathy in Darjeeling
– On the Goosebump trail in Ireland

Wild Junket Magazine
– PDF of Shangri-la in the Himalayas

Zoomer Magazine
– Happiness: What do they know that we don’t? (PDF)

Toronto Star
– Aging Gracefully: Delhi at 100

Homemakers Magazine
– The Joy of Cheap

Toronto Star
– Mumbai Mesmerizes

Maple Tree Literary Supplement
–Defining Indo-Canadian Writing

Canadian Living Magazine
– Change is a process, not a destination

Toronto Star newspaper
– Life in an ashram in India

Homemakers Magazine
– Sacred Journey (PDF)

Zoomer Magazine
– Lotus Blossom: Turning 50 in India (PDF)

Discover India
– Bengaluru: Impressions of a city (16-page cover feature) (Bangalore PDF)

Asian Woman (Canada) Magazine
– Role Models: Rani Mukherjee, Pryianka Chopra and Seema Biswas

This magazine
– Booming trade in slum tourism dispels some myths, create others

Arrival Magazine: Aeroplan’s monthly magazine and Arrival online
– Winter wonderland: Cool, colourful things to do in India in winter

Acura Style magazine
– Golden Mirage: Jaisalmer (PDF)

The Toronto Star travel section
– India: Journey to the other side

Dreamscapes Magazine : Globe and Mail supplement
– India is Yoga (PDF)

Online travel and yoga magazines / sites

BBC Travel How India gave us zero

BBC Travel:

Atlas Obscura

Gastro Obscura

Langar at the Golden Temple

CN Traveller India: When you write a travel book, you need to have terrible things happen to you

CN Traveller India: Tips and advice from a solo woman traveller

World Nomads

Travel safety for women in India

UnearthWomen

An afternoon with Dervla Murphy

Inside Himalayas

Grass Routes Tour of Nepal

Horizon Guides

Saving Pushkar’s historic camels

International Expeditions:

Zeghram Expeditions

The Volunteer Traveler

Four great reasons to travel alone

Better Places Travel blog

HappyTrips

Toronto Guides

Vancouver Guides

Huffington Post

G Adventures

FreshBooks

How to plan and save for your dream trip
How the pros run their business on the road
When a vacation is good for business

Mantra Wild

WomensWeb.in
Following in the footsteps of Mira

Frommer’s
Three Iconoclasts in Travel

Coolhunting.com
Kensington Tours Explorer in Residence Series

TheDailyMuse.com
How you (yes you) can make a sabbatical happen

Killing Batteries
A vomit anthology

Toronto Tourism: My Toronto
Nostalgia, Toronto Style

Travel+Escape
Bi-monthly Immersive Travel column
– Comfort and Joy: Three heavenly havens
– Are you a tourist or a traveler?
– New Year’s Eve in Kerala
– Have you found your soul culture?
– A perfect winter moment
– Tom Cruise, lost in Havana and the real Cuba
– Deep in the jungle of Costa Rica
– Exhale at a tropical health spa in Kerala
– A Tale of two Beaches
– India’s sustainable tiger safaris
– Help save India’s most sacred river
– The Healing Power of Travel in India
– 10 (More) Inspiring travel books
– Twilight at the Cottage
– Don’t get scammed in Delhi
– Busting the Blessing Scam
– At the New Delhi Train Station

Vacay.ca
Senior Writer
– India masala in Toronto
– On Titanic 100th, Halifax remembers
– Halifax respectfully honours the Titanic
– Titanic memorabilia in Halifax
– Titanic feast proves Halifax seafood supremacy is unsinkable
– Riding the rails into Group of Seven Country

– Chasing Justin Trudeau in Ottawa

Travel Wire Asia
Regular Contributor
– The dust of India
– How to “do” a yoga ashram in India, Part 1
– How to get ready for your ashram adventure, Part 2
– What to expect at an ashram, Part 3
– How to shop in India, Part 1: Top 5 tips
– How to shop in India Part 2: Top 5 things to buy
– Favourite places in India: Rishikesh

Mahindra Homestays
– The “Queens of the Hills”

Green GlobalTravel
– On the Trail of tigers in India’s Ranthambore National Park

– Travelllll
– Why India? The advantages of destination specific blogging

Sympatico Travel
– On the trail of the tiger in India

– Fit for a Prince: Rolling out the red-and-white carpet

FreshJuice
– The menu on the Titanic: A Moveable Feast

ZipSetGo
– What is Transformative Travel?

Brave New Traveler / The Matador Network
– Travel is an exercise in perception

Bootsnall
– 10 Ways to Experience India Now

Passports with Purpose
– Why I support Passports with Purpose

Bootsnall
– Five hard truths about long term travel

The Art Gallery of Ontario : Maharaja
– If these walls could talk

Travel Writers Exchange
– How to work with tourism boards

Travel Writers Exchange
– The importance of finding your travel niche

Matador Abroad, The Matador Network
~ India, poverty and the fear of traveling to poor places

SoloTraverlBlog
– Getting ready to go: Four top solo travel tips
– Recovering from loss by following a dream

Transitions Abroad
– Yoga as a window into Indian culture

Transitions Abroad
~ Learning to love Delhi

Journeywoman website and e-newsletter
~ She packs for India: packing tips for travel in India
– Top 10 things to buy in India
– Top 10 tips for women travelling in India
– How to dress for social success in India

Trazzler
~ Strolling in Lodhi Garden, Delhi
~ Falling in love with the Jaisalmer desert

What travel writers say
~ Ashrams in Rishikesh

SoloTraveler
~ Recommended: Traveling solo in India

The Matador Network
~ 11 reasons to visit India in the summertime

Humantimes.com
~ What Yoga is

Examiner.com: Sustainable Travel
~ Butterflies are free: volunteering in Dharamsala

The Mindful Word
– How I learned to accept change

Guest Posts

Hostelbookers
– How to fall in love with travelling solo: 11 lessons from 4 WeGoSolo experts

Interviews

QiRanger.com
How to be safe in India, podcast

Backpacking Spirit
India Packing List

TravelersUniverse.com
The art of solo female travel: Go your own way

Hotelscheap.org
Expert Interview with Mariellen Ward

Pure Xahir
– profile of Breathedreamgo on site that curates and reviews blogs

Bootsnall
India: A Healing Journey

Where.ca
Travel Tuesday Q&A with Mariellen Ward of BreatheDreamGo

MyBindi
Canadian travel blog makes list of top Indian blogs

Desi News
Wide-eyed Wanderer: A profile

Citizen Lou
Helping Hands

8 Women Dream interview
Breathedreamgo: A mantra for living

Weekly Voice
How one woman found solace in India PDF
Interview: How one woman found solace in India

Interview with Rashi Khilnani, Indo-Canadian Report on CBC
– Blogging about the IIFAs

Appearance on Nat & Marie, Ustream TV talk show

Masti Magazine
– Song of India book-review

Canadian Living Magazine
– Change is a process, not a destination (PDF)

Akshara Yoga blog
– Of Breathing, dreaming and blogging

India-Asia News Service
– Raj Kapoor martini marks IIFA in Toronto

Travelblog

Mariellen’s India Travel blog
~ between December 2005 – April 2009 I spent 11 months living, traveling, studying and volunteering in India. Please visit if you want to share my adventures on the subcontinent.