The Team Of Choose Happiness Adventures ~ Who We Are

Arlena Mourier ~ Owner of Choose Happiness Adventures LLC  and CHAretreats

I am the mother of two sons and the grandmother of two very witty grandchildren.  My professional career was as the Manager of Payroll for a major east-coast railroad.

I retired early and moved from the New York Metropolitan area to Tucson, Arizona.  After my retirement, I walked the 500-mile Camino Francés, one of the three major pilgrimage routes in Europe. 

I walked alone.  While walking, I  was living life without having to attach any hopes or dreams to another human being.

On that walk, I realized my dependence on others always prevented my inner strengths from shining through. The Camino was a very inspirational and spiritual experience for me.

After returning from the pilgrimage; I was contacted by American Pilgrims on the Camino to form a Chapter in Tucson. Although unsure, I formed the Old Pueblo Chapter of APOC and led it until 2016. This successful Chapter is ongoing in its support of pilgrims.

Because travel has always been a passion of mine, I created Choose Happiness Adventures and led CHA’s first group of 17 people on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

Since then, I have led people on pilgrimages every year with exception of the COVID years. To date, I’ve completed 14 Caminos on various routes.  I love hiking and walking long distances – upcoming for me in 2023 to celebrate a milestone birthday is a rim to rim backpacking trek in the Grand Canyon.

Since I have been a devotee of Yoga and healthy living for most of my life, I recognized the need to bring yoga to the walking tours. Because of this decision, I became a certified yoga instructor and a Chopra certified meditation instructor.

In 2017, CHA’s first spiritual yoga retreat was offered. During these retreats, I and another instructor teach yoga and meditation each morning.  We always include travel to the local historic sights in our retreats.  

I call myself a “foodie” and therefore, Choose Happiness Adventures’ walking tours and retreats (CHAretreats.com) always feature great local cuisine and wine.