
Hi, I'm Vanessa Rivers!
I grew up on a solar-powered farm on the Central Coast of California and went to college at UC Santa Barbara, where I fell in love with surfing.
Surfing led me around the world and it was on one of these trips that I decided to combine my love of the ocean and nature to create an eco-friendly line made in LA out of recycled fishing nets, Summer Love Swimwear (as seen in Sports Illustrated, Daily Mail). Adventures around the globe also inspired the launch of my surf lesson company and my travel blog Glitter&Mud (as seen in Forbes).
I am a (very) proud mom of a little travel girl and Co-Founder of the popular travel community We Are Travel Girls (as seen in Forbes, Marie Claire, Oprah).
A little bit (More) about me
I lived in London for seven years before re-locating back to California in 2018 where I live in Malibu with my husband and daughter. I spend my free time (not that I have much free time with a preschooler!) reading, writing, surfing and traveling.
I have visited over 50 countries and specialize in eco travel, family travel, luxury hotel reviews, and surf destinations. I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with top brands and hotels around the world such as Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Nikki Beach, 1 Hotel Group, Google, TUMI, Pepsi Group, Boxed Water Is Better and Alaska Airlines – the first airline committed to reducing its carbon emissions to net-zero (by 2040)!
I host monthly Eco Talks on Clubhouse so if you’re interested in chatting with me about sustainability please join my email list to be notified when we announce our next talk!

My Family
People are usually surprised to find out I also come from Hollywood lineage. I am the daughter of late artist Christi Zabel and singer Johnny Rivers, and stepdaughter of producer Todd Fisher and actress Catherine Hickland. I grew up with Hollywood icon, Debbie Reynolds, as my beloved Grandma Debbie, and Star Wars actress, Carrie Fisher, as my “Aunt Fishfood.”
I often claim one of my biggest accomplishments is managing to be “semi-normal” despite my celebrity family. My memoir, sharing stories about growing up with a famous, dysfunctional yet vibrant family, will be out soon! Join my email list to be notified.