Daniela Mora had no intention of becoming a luxury travel influencer. As an aspiring chef and sommelier, the only time the 26-year-old used Instagram was for fun. That is until the opportunity all but fell into her lap. Now, with over 83,000 followers and counting, she travels to exclusive locations and lounges in exquisite, five-star hotels soaking in the benefits of her new role.

Her Instagram journey started in 2017 with a focus on food and wine. Daniela Mora traveled between New Zealand and Canada in her early 20s. She visited various wineries and created content as a hobby. In February 2020, everything changed. Mora got stuck in Bali for over eight months. During that time, she chose to rebrand both herself and her social media to focus solely on travel. She immediately noticed a big increase in followers and engagement. “Changing the content of my Instagram and my following, that changed my whole lifestyle,” Mora said. By letting go of her previous dreams, it made room for her to follow a new passion.

Daniela Mora has traveled to four continents and over 40 countries. Her longest stays include over a month in Mexico, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Spain and the Maldives. She is an ambassador for Blackmagic Design, a leading innovator and manufacturer company specializing in creating video technology and high-end cameras. Mora is a representative of Luxury World Traveler, a travel-focused marketing company and social media platform that partners with luxury hospitality brands and influencers. She also has a feature in Players GDL, a media company in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Daniela Mora’s new career path started in Bali where the luxury travel niche chose her. She was on vacation at the beginning of 2020 when she found herself unable to return home. Mora decided to extend the impromptu holiday and ended up living in Indonesia for almost a year. Without a job, funds began to run low. It wasn’t long before she had to turn her hobby as a digital content creator into a primary source of income.

Mora began to contact hotels in Bali for collaborations. She found success with many of the higher-end resorts that had the budget for influencers and media trips. Eventually, when her account started growing more, Mora said the smaller hotels re-contacted her, but at that point, she was already growing in the luxury travel role. She said, “I think everybody wants to travel, and the way to find that inspiration is to aim for the highest outcome and go wherever your possibilities allow you to. That’s what I did.”

What sets Daniela Mora’s content apart from other luxury travel influencers are not her stunning photos or lavish vacations, but her inspirational captions, her connection and her mission to constantly interact with her followers.  Mora said it’s all about the connection with people: “it’s about not being above others and not just going, ‘Look where I can vacation,’ but being at the same level as everyone else and simply saying, ‘Whatever you dream in life you can achieve.’” She spends a large amount of her time outside of trips responding to comments on her recent posts, reaching out to new or previous followers, and interacting with different travel pages and businesses.

In addition to growing online, Mora found success in entrepreneurship. Her film production company, Kelapa Media, launched in February 2020. By creating engaging digital content, Kelapa Media is another stream of revenue for the successful influencer. Together, with her partner Oscar, Mora offers professional photography, video and marketing packages to businesses worldwide.

Mora also launched her sustainable swimwear line, Kelapa Wear, at the same time as her film company. In Indonesia, Kelapa means coconut. Mora intends to use coconut fiber and designs on her swimwear to weave the name with the design. While the idea is still in motion, Mora has already found success marketing the brands she already designed and styled herself.

Six Senses Uluwatu in Bali sells Kelapa Wear, as well as other small boutique hotels in Indonesia and surrounding areas. Swimsuits can also be bought online at kelapawear.com. As the brand grows steadily, Mora hopes that one day it will be what economically sustains the couple so they can continue to travel as a hobby.

As a young female from Mexico, Mora said it’s important to be seen as a strong icon, successful business owner and travel influencer. “People see me at this age and realize they can be like this, too.” Her best advice is to trust the process and know that where you are today is where you are meant to be.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but I know it’s going to be the right thing for me because that’s where I’m meant to be. You are always in the right place at the right time. When it feels like everything is happening to you, remember that it’s not. It’s happening for you. Eventually, you will end up doing what your life purpose is and you will be happy if you follow your path and not others.”

Daniela Mora is currently in Mexico spending time exploring her home country. Her 2022 docket includes traveling to Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa to experience a luxury wildlife safari before traveling to The Seychelles Islands and the Maldives and then returning to Bali. For luxury travel advice and inspiration, follow Daniela Mora on her Instagram: @luxtravelcouple.