María grew up in the city of Madrid, in Spain, but her best memories come from time spent outdoors and by the sea. With a background in Business and a focus on Marketing and Communications, she is currently working in that field and living in the Netherlands. In her free time, she collaborates and writes for an app to discover new places and volunteers for different projects and organizations, as well as dedicating time to her practice of yoga.

María’s passion for traveling began early in life but got accentuated after she studied a semester in China and came in contact with Southeast Asia and the idea of solo travel. On the course of several trips there, she came to explore different realities and spend more time by the ocean, and became fascinated by it.

She joined Plastic Oceans Europe to gain direct NGO experience, and to have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the planet by organizing cleanups and educating herself and others on current environmental problems and solutions.