Turning Travel, Fitness and Curiosity Into a Way of Life
For Juliette Rabahi, movement is more than a lifestyle, it is a way of thinking, growing and experiencing the world with curiosity and purpose. Through her platform, Julie On The Move, she has built a space that brings together her passions for travel, fitness, wellness and content creation, while encouraging others to step outside their comfort zones and create experiences of their own.
A Lebanese-Canadian with a strong sense of independence and adventure, Juliette has travelled to more than 20 countries, embracing everything from spontaneous solo journeys to immersive local experiences. Her travels have shaped not only her perspective on the world, but also the way she approaches life: with adaptability, confidence and a willingness to keep moving forward.
Fitness plays an equally important role in her journey. As a coach, she believes in consistency over perfection and in creating healthy routines that can work alongside travel, work and everyday life. Her experiences in the Maldives also inspired her to create The Maldives Insider Guide and develop My Maldivian Escape, helping others discover a more authentic and accessible side of the destination.
In this conversation with TorontoPages, Juliette shares the story behind her journey, the lessons travel has taught her and what it truly means to live a life “on the move.”
For our readers meeting you for the first time, who is Julie beyond @itsjulieonthemove?
Beyond social media, I’m someone who genuinely loves movement, adventure, and constantly challenging myself. I’m into fitness, travelling, and content creation, but at the core of everything, I’m someone who doesn’t like feeling stuck. I love discovering new places, meeting different people, staying active, and creating experiences that actually mean something. “Julie On The Move” is definitely my brand, but it’s also a pretty accurate description of who I am in real life.
Tell us a little about your background and the experiences that shaped the person you are today.
I’m Lebanese-Canadian, and my background has definitely played a role in giving me a strong sense of family, independence, and determination. Over the years, fitness, work, travelling, and stepping outside my comfort zone have all shaped me in different ways. Travel, especially, changed my perspective because it taught me how adaptable and capable I really am. Every new country, challenge, and experience has added another layer to who I am today.
What were you doing before travel, fitness, and content creation became such an important part of your life?
My life wasn’t always centred around travelling and creating content. I’ve worked different jobs and built a life where I was constantly balancing responsibilities. Fitness was something I became increasingly passionate about, and travelling eventually became much more than an occasional escape. Content creation came naturally from wanting to document those parts of my life and share what I was learning along the way.
Your name, Julie On The Move, seems to describe both a lifestyle and a mindset. What does “being on the move” mean to you personally?
It means never allowing myself to become too comfortable or stagnant. Obviously, there’s the literal side of it, I’m always travelling, hiking, training, or exploring somewhere but it’s also a mindset. I always want to be growing, learning, experiencing something new, and moving towards the next version of myself. You don’t necessarily have to be on a plane to be “on the move.” Sometimes, it simply means continuing to move forward.
Do you remember the moment when travelling changed from something you enjoyed into something you wanted to build a life around?
It wasn’t necessarily one exact moment. It happened gradually as I realized how different I felt when I travelled. I loved the independence, the unknown, and the fact that every day could turn into a completely different experience. Eventually, I stopped seeing travel as something I needed to take a vacation from my life to do and started asking myself how I could actually make it part of the life I was building.
Your first solo adventure began with a one-way ticket and no real plan. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
I think sometimes confidence comes after you do the scary thing, not before it. I didn’t have every detail figured out, but I knew I wanted the experience badly enough to take the risk. Buying a one-way ticket forced me to trust myself and figure things out as I went. That experience showed me that I was much more independent and resourceful than I had given myself credit for.
Having travelled to more than 20 countries, what has travel taught you about yourself that you could never have learned at home?
Probably how adaptable I am. When you’re travelling, things don’t always go according to plan. You learn to problem-solve, communicate with people who may not speak your language, and become comfortable with being uncomfortable. It has also taught me that I need a lot less than I once thought I did. Some of my happiest memories have come from very simple experiences in places completely unfamiliar to me.
You often look beyond the famous attractions and tourist hotspots. What makes a destination feel genuinely authentic to you?
The people. You can visit the most beautiful destination in the world, but what stays with me is usually the people I met and the moments that weren’t planned. I love local restaurants, smaller communities, family-run businesses, and places where you can actually observe everyday life. I still enjoy the famous landmarks, of course, but I always want to know what exists beyond them.
How do you usually discover the hidden places, restaurants, and experiences that rarely appear in traditional travel guides?
I talk to people. Locals will tell you things that you’re never going to find on a “Top 10 Things to Do” list. I’ll ask where they eat, where they go on their days off, or what they would show someone visiting their home for the first time. I also leave room in my itinerary to wander. Some of my favourite experiences have happened because I wasn’t following a schedule.
The Maldives, particularly Gaafaru Island, seems to have been a turning point for you. What made that experience so significant?
The Maldives completely changed the way I looked at travel. I spent around two weeks exploring the country and visited eight different islands, experiencing everything from local islands to resorts and seeing both the affordable and luxury sides of the Maldives. Gaafaru especially stood out because it felt raw, peaceful, and authentic. It showed me a completely different Maldives from the version people usually see online. There was something special about experiencing the local culture and realizing how much exists beyond the traditional resort experience.
Your Maldives experience eventually became The Maldives Insider Guide. What made you decide to turn your personal travel knowledge into an e-book?
After spending so much time there, I realized I had learned things that would have saved me a lot of time and money if I had known them before going. The Maldives can look incredibly expensive and intimidating online because most people only see luxury resorts. I wanted to show people another way to experience it.
The guide came from my actual travels across the islands and what I learned about transportation, local islands, resorts, excursions, budgeting, and finding those hidden experiences. I wanted someone to be able to take what took me months to learn and have it all in one place.
You have also developed My Maldivian Escape. How did you move from simply sharing your travels to actually helping others create their own experiences?
It happened naturally because people started asking me how they could recreate what they were seeing me do. They wanted to know where I stayed, how I moved between islands, how much things cost, and how they could experience the Maldives without spending an unbelievable amount of money.
My Maldivian Escape became a way of taking my personal experience and turning it into something useful. I didn’t just want people to watch my travels; I wanted to help them realize that they could actually have these experiences themselves.
Of all the countries you have visited so far, which destination surprised you the most and why?
The Maldives surprised me the most because what I experienced was so different from what I thought the Maldives was going to be. Before spending significant time there, I associated it with overwater villas, honeymoons, and expensive resorts. Once I started exploring the local islands, I realized how much culture, community, and adventure exists outside of that image. It became a completely different destination in my eyes.
Is there one place you have visited that you feel completely differently about after experiencing it through the eyes of local people?
Definitely the Maldives. Staying on local islands gave me an entirely different perspective. You start recognizing that this beautiful destination people fly across the world to visit is also somebody’s home. You see children going to school, families gathering, fishermen working, and people living normal, everyday lives surrounded by this unbelievable scenery. It made the experience much more meaningful to me.
Fitness is just as visible in your life as travel. Where did your passion for training and wellness originally begin?
Fitness became something that gave me structure, discipline, and confidence. What started as wanting to improve physically eventually became much more about how training made me feel mentally. I loved becoming stronger and seeing what consistency could do.
Eventually, that passion grew into coaching and helping other people understand that fitness doesn’t have to be punishment; it can become something that genuinely improves the way you live.
You describe yourself as both a fitness coach and traveller. How do those two sides of your life complement each other?
For me, they fit together perfectly because fitness gives me the ability to experience travel the way I want to. I love hiking mountains, walking through cities, and choosing experiences that require me to be physically active.
At the same time, travelling keeps fitness exciting because my environment is constantly changing. One day, my workout might be in a gym, and the next day, it might be climbing a mountain or walking kilometres through a new city.
Maintaining a fitness routine while constantly travelling can be challenging. What are your non-negotiables for staying active and healthy on the road?
Movement is the biggest one. I don’t believe every workout has to be perfect, especially while travelling. If there’s a gym available, I’ll train, but if there isn’t, I’ll walk, hike, or find another way to move.
I also try to stay hydrated, prioritize protein, and make reasonable choices with food without obsessing over it. Travel is meant to be enjoyed. For me, sustainability means having enough discipline to maintain healthy habits while still allowing myself to experience the destination.
Your content shows that fitness does not always require a gym. What are some of your favourite ways to stay active while exploring a new country?
Hiking is probably my favourite because it combines fitness and travel perfectly. I also walk everywhere when I’m exploring a new city and love outdoor workouts. Sometimes, you can see more of a destination during a long walk or hike than you ever would sitting in a car or tour bus. I don’t really think of those things as “exercise” when I’m travelling; they’re part of the experience.
You are also developing personalized fitness and nutrition plans. What do you believe people most often misunderstand about creating a healthy, sustainable lifestyle?
People often think they need to change everything overnight. They go from doing very little to trying to train every day, eat perfectly, and completely change their lifestyle, and then wonder why they can’t maintain it.
I believe consistency matters much more than perfection. A plan should fit your actual life. You should be able to travel, go out for dinner, enjoy yourself, and still maintain your overall habits. If your routine only works when life is perfect, it probably isn’t sustainable.
Away from travelling, training, and creating content, what hobbies or simple pleasures help you switch off and feel grounded?
I actually enjoy the simple things. Spending time with people I care about, going for walks, being outside, relaxing by the water, listening to music, or having those quiet moments when I don’t need to be filming anything. Because so much of my lifestyle is very active and “on the move,” I’ve learned to appreciate slowing down too.
Finally, what message would you like to share with us at TorontoPages magazine?
I would say: stop waiting for the “perfect” time to start doing the things you really want to do. You don’t need to have your entire life figured out before you take the trip, start your fitness journey, pursue an idea, or step outside your comfort zone.
So many of the best things I’ve experienced started with me simply deciding to go for it and figuring out the rest along the way. Keep moving, stay curious, and don’t be afraid to create a life that looks different from what other people expect of you.
