The Orange Mermaid | Michelle Dano | SEO Content Writer | Travel Writer
The Orange Mermaid
Words, Waves & Wanderlust
The Orange Mermaid chronicles the life of a digital nomad who splits her time between crafting optimized content, traveling solo across borders, and freediving in Philippine waters.
Welcome!
What You'll Find Here
The Orange Mermaid is where all these pieces of my life come together:
Freediving Journals
Join me as I document my underwater adventures across the Philippines' most beautiful dive spots.
Solo Travel Stories
Tips, mishaps, and discoveries from my journeys across Southeast Asia and beyond.
Ocean Conservation
Insights on how we can better protect the underwater world I've fallen in love with.
Digital Nomad Life
Honest talk about balancing work and wanderlust as a remote content writer.
About Me
SEO content writer by profession, solo traveler by choice, and freediver by passion.
Hey there! I’m Michelle, and I live at the intersection of three worlds: digital marketing where I craft optimized content, solo adventures across foreign lands, and freediving in the Philippines’ most beautiful waters.
There’s something incredibly freeing about seeing new places with just a backpack and my curiosity. Despite being an introvert at home, something transforms in me when I land somewhere new. Maybe it’s the anonymity or the fresh start each place offers, but I become surprisingly confident navigating foreign streets, trying new food, and meeting fellow solo travelers.
But my greatest love? Freediving. As a Pisces, water has always felt like a second home. Holding my breath and descending into the blue gives me a connection to the planet I can’t explain with words (ironic for a content writer, I know!).
New On The Blog
Ask Me Anything!
Curious about holding your breath longer underwater? Wondering how to negotiate client calls across time zones? Not sure if that country is worth visiting solo? This is your space to ask!
Recent questions I’ve answered:
- How do you manage internet connectivity while island hopping?
- What breathing techniques helped you most when starting freediving?
- Is it safe for women to travel alone in Chiang Mai?
- How do you explain to clients that you’re working from a beach?
Submit your questions through the form below or drop them in the comments of any post. I read every message, and your question might inspire my next blog post!
Hi! My name is Michelle and here's what I do...
Travel.
There's nothing better than spending my time exploring unfamiliar places with the people close to me. I realized that the world is ours to explore, and there's more to life than just the four corners of our comfort zone. I wish to see more of what's out there and share it with you.
Dive.
If there's anything I love more than traveling, it's doing it the underwater way. Since I started diving, I've never felt closer than ever to nature and the ocean. I love the thought that despite our noisy life on land, there’s a silent world out there waiting to be marveled at, explored, loved, and protected. Aside from its breathtaking beauty (literally and figuratively, lol), it always comforts my mind, and being that, I wish you could experience it too.
Words That Might Guide You, Too
The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.
Travel isn't always pretty. It isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that's okay. The journey changes you; it should change you.
When you dive, you begin to feel like an angel. It's a liberation of your weight.
Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.
In the waves of change we find our direction.
Let's Connect!
Whether you’re a fellow freediver, solo traveler, digital nomad, or just curious about any of these worlds, I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a message or follow along on my social channels for regular updates from wherever in the world I currently am.