We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rene Cizio. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rene below.

Rene, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

The name of the website Middle Journey comes from a quote in Dante’s Inferno. “In the middle of the journey of my life, I came to myself in a dark wood, for the straight way was lost.”

Middle Journey is a solo travel blog; as a female traveler, I didn’t start travel writing until I was in my 40s. While I’ve always been a writer and a traveler, combining the two never occurred.

I’ve always been an avid traveler and keen to find unusual places or experiences to try. When I’d return to work after a trip, my colleagues would often seek me out to hear my latest adventure.

“Wow, you really should write this stuff down,” one woman said after I shared a story about a shamanic cleanse I received in the jungles of Tulum, Mexico.

Her words acted like a key in a lock. Shortly thereafter, I lost that job and started Middle Journey.

There’ve been many times when I’ve felt lost and had to start over. Travel and writing have always been ways for me to do that, so Middle Journey fits.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a solo traveler and writer. I create stories and imagery about locations and things to do to help others navigate.
My travel stories are a little different than traditional travel blogs because they’re about doing things, information sharing and storytelling mixed with beautiful landscape imagery. My stories usually focus on finding something unique about the location, like the local beekeeping class, a silent retreat, a ghost town, or a hike that ends at an energy vortex.

I also write stories for other publications and have authored a fiction book, “The Fog.” I’m finishing a memoir about living in Airbnbs all over the US, Mexico, and Canada.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I come from a very poor, blue-collar, working-class background. In my family, the expectation and highest achievement was that you got a factory job. But I had been a writer since I was a little girl. My godmother brought me a typewriter when I was just eight years old. Still, after high school, I followed my family’s blueprint and got a factory job.

It took me a long time to unlearn years of belief that I could only be what I was told I could be. I went to college late and eventually became a journalist. The right paths appeared for me, but it took a while after starting wrong.

I almost didn’t go to school because I thought it was too late. Then, I wasn’t going to start my website. I didn’t think I could travel alone, and I didn’t think I could write books. I’ve had to force myself to do those things anyway. It was too late, I was too old, not good enough, or the time had passed. I’ve had to unlearn all of those things because none of them are never, ever true for any of us.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is deciding the story and how I’ll tell it. I just want to create and share helpful, beautiful things and ideas. Sometimes, I can get caught up in a mossy forest, bee hives, or a particular fall of rocks. I probably spend more time on these things than most, seeing them. But then others see them too and we share that. Or they say my description helps them to see or understand something in a new way. That’s awesome.

I love it when people see me, hear my story, and say it inspired them to do something, too. Sometimes, it’s travel or other creative pursuits. There’s nothing better than knowing I created a spark of energy somewhere in the universe.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.middlejourney.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renecizio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/renesmiddlejourney
• Twitter: https://x.com/ReneCizio
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ReneCizio
• Other: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3imOeiU