Episode 156 - Fernanda Villacis, Neotropic Expeditions
If we approach travel with an open mind and an intention to grow our cultural competence, the world becomes a playground full of joyful connection and opportunity.
In this episode of the Soul of Travel Podcast, Christine hosts a soulful conversation with Fernanda Villacis, Managing Partner at Neotropic Expeditions in Ecuador.
Being born and raised in Ecuador, one of the most biodiverse places on earth, has shaped Fernanda’s love for exploring and her deep appreciation for the natural world. She is an adventurer at heart that truly believes travel has the power to transcend boundaries and create positive impact within local communities and globally.
Fernanda has been working over the past 25 years in tour operation and hospitality services including logistic and operations management, sales and marketing development and guest experiences design. Through the last 18 years, she has made Neotropic Expeditions DMC and Opuntia Galapagos hotels her home, sharing same values and passion for adventure travel, community involvement and sustainability. In 2021, Fernanda became managing partner of Neotropic Expeditions.
Fueled by passion for creating cooperative and strong connections and inspired by the curious minds of her two kids, Fernanda has made it her mission to create meaningful, sustainable, and authentic adventures that cater to the needs of families, adventure seekers and fellow women by listening and understanding their values and motivations.
An Introduction to Transformational Adventure Travel
Fernanda’s curiosity and attraction to the travel world started when she was five years old; she got the chance to live in Fort Collins, Colorado, while her father studied for his advanced engineering degree.
Sharing spaces with people from Asia, India, other countries in Latin America and, listening to other languages, and getting to know other people created an impact on Fernanda and her perspective. As she returned to Ecuador, Fernanda continued to be interested in languages and cultures, moving into a general manager position at an international hotel chain at just age 18.
After spending five to six years at one of the biggest tourism companies in Ecuador, she decided it was time for a change. She took all her marketing expertise into a pharmaceutical company role but always felt something was missing.
She was invited on a Fam trip into the western Andes and the coast of Ecuador. After hiking, rafting, and kayaking on the coast, Fernanda recognized the power of feeling the power of a place in these new types of experiences. She got to know the leaders at Neotropic Expeditions and began immersing herself in the new universe of transformational adventure travel.
“Adventure can be many things, and anyone can do it, “ says Fernanda.
”Adventure can be trying something new, tasting a new flavor, putting your hands on and having a pottery class with a local artisan, and challenging yourself to explore and do something new. At the end, limitations are only in our minds, and everything depends on our openness and our willingness to do something new.”
Being pioneers in adventure, Fernanda says, has allowed Neotropic Expeditions to build strong local community connections through the years to support a chain of different, small entrepreneurs that are primarily family-owned and women-led. These are the key elements that enable Neotropic Expeditions to be sustainable in everything they do.
Transformation and Sustainability in Community-Based Tourism
Fernanda shares about the natural synergy that exists between adventure and transformation. When we take the opportunities at hand to heart, engaging with local people, traditions, and cultures, says Fernanda, “This provokes an awakening process where you get to understand others. Also, where you get to understand yourself. We tend to reflect who we are when we see the realities of others.”
Increasing our cultural competence is embedded into the work of Neotropic Expeditions in every experience, both for travelers and host communities.
Women-Based Tourism for Nurturing and Growth
Through the pandemic, Fernanda had the opportunity to spend time visiting small businesses and tour operations in Ecuador. When she visited the women in communities around Ecuador, Fernanda found more than she expected: The clear drive to create spaces for women to travel, to nurture themselves, and to strengthen and integrate partnerships between women travelers and women-based efforts in host communities.
Fernanda found a natural framework in the elements of nature. When women are open to these types of experiences and concepts, visits can then be integrated into these natural tendencies and strengths to deepen the experience.
“Adventure can be trying something new, tasting a new flavor, having a pottery class with a local artisan, and challenging yourself to explore and do something new. At the end, limitations are only in our minds, and everything depends on our openness and our willingness to do something new.”
Soul of Travel Episode 156 At a Glance
In this conversation, Christine and Fernanda discuss:
The transformational power of travel
Intentionally creating meaningful and sustainable experiences
Encouraging travelers to dig deeper
Understanding our travel values and goals
Women-only journeys focused on nature in Ecuador
Join Christine now for this soulful conversation with Fernanda Villacis.
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Related UN Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goal #3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Sustainable Development Goal #5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Sustainable Development Goal #8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
Sustainable Development Goal #11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Sustainable Development Goal #12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Sustainable Development Goal #17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode
Visit Neotropic Expeditions to book your next tour in Ecuador. https://www.neotropicexpeditions.com/
Visit Fernanda on your favorite social media network: Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn.
About the Soul Of Travel Podcast
Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of people making a positive impact in the tourism industry. In each episode, you’ll hear the stories of women who are industry professionals, seasoned travelers, and community leaders. Our expert guests represent social impact organizations, adventure-based community organizations, travel photography and videography, and entrepreneurs who know that travel is an opportunity for personal awareness and a vehicle for global change.
Join us to become a more educated and intentional traveler as you learn about new destinations, sustainable and regenerative travel, and community-based tourism. Industry professionals and those curious about a career in travel will also find value and purpose in our conversations.
We are thought leaders, action-takers, and heart-centered change-makers who inspire and create community. Join host Christine Winebrenner Irick for these soulful conversations with our global community of travelers exploring the heart, the mind, and the globe.
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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Esme Benjamin (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.
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Soul of Travel Episode 156 Transcript
Women’s travel, transformational travel, sustainable travel, women leaders in travel, social entrepreneurship
Christine: Welcome to the Soul of Travel podcast. I'm Christine Winebrenner Irick, the founder of Lotus Sojourns, a book lover, Yogi, mom of three girls and your guide On this journey. We are here to discover why women who are seasoned travelers, industry professionals, and global community leaders fall in love with the people and places of this planet. Join me to explore how travel has inspired our guests to change the world. We seek to understand the driving force, unending curiosity and wanderlust that can best be described as the soul of Travel. Soul of Travel Podcast is a proud member of the Journey, woman Family, where we work to create powerful forums for women to share their wisdom and inspire meaningful change in travel. In each soulful conversation, you'll hear compelling travel stories alongside tales of what it takes to bring our creative vision to life as we're living life with purpose, chasing dreams and building businesses to make the world a better place. But the real treasure here is the story of the journey as we reflect on who we were, who we are, and who we're becoming. We are travelers, thought leaders and heart-centered change makers, and this is the soul of Travel.
Today's guest, Fernanda Villacis, feels that being born in Ecuador and living in one of the most biodiverse and amazingly natural places on earth has shaped not only her love for exploring, but also her deep appreciation for the natural world. Fernanda is an adventurer at heart who truly believes that travel has the power to transcend boundaries and create positive impact within local communities and globally. She has worked over the past 25 years in tour operation and hospitality services, including logistics and operation management, sales and marketing development and guest experiences design. During the last 18 years, Fernanda has made Neotropic expeditions her home, sharing same values and passion for adventure, travel, community involvement and sustainability. In 2021, she became partner of the company and office manager. She has made it her mission to create meaningful, sustainable, and authentic adventures that cater to the needs of families, adventure seekers and fellow by listening and understanding their values and motivations.
In our conversation, we discuss the transformational power of travel and the intention she puts into creating experiences that are both meaningful and sustainable. We also talk about how we can encourage travelers to dig deeper and understand their own travel values and think about why they are taking a trip and what they hope to gain from the experience. She also shares about her women only journeys focusing on the elements of water, air, earth, and fire, and how this focus can create deeper connections for travelers to people and the diverse ecosystems of Ecuador. Join me now for my soulful conversation with Fernanda VSIs.
Welcome to Soul of Travel podcast. I'm Christine Winebrenner Irick, and I'm so excited to be here hosting this conversation. Today I am joined by Fernanda Villacis, who is the managing partner at Neotropic Expeditions in Ecuador, and she is passionate about designing mindful adventure travel experiences, which is something we were so lucky to be able to connect on in person. We met last year here in Denver and immediately had all these great conversations. So I knew that I wanted to bring her onto the podcast to share her expertise with all of you. So Fernando, welcome to Soul of Travel.
Fernanda: Thank you, Christine for having me here at this beautiful and inspiring space. And yeah, I do recall when we personally met at this A TTA and SMO sponsored trained venue as February and as I was already a fan of your podcast and a follower for a while. It was pretty exciting and I guess that it was meant to be.
Christine: Yeah, absolutely. I really, really enjoyed it. And since then we have landed in a few virtual spaces together in the adventure. You mentioned the Adventure Travel Trade Association, but also the transformational travel designer program space and some women travel spaces. So it's so great when our communities start to kind of overlap and bring us into the same spaces over and over. Well, before we begin, I would love to just turn the conversation over to you for a moment to introduce yourself and tell my listeners a little bit more about who you are and the work that you're doing.
Fernanda: Yes. My name is Fernanda VIIs. I'm based in Kitto Bor. I am a mom of two young kids, a nature lover, and as you said, I am partner and manager at Neotropic Expeditions that it is a DMC for Ecuador and Delos, and also with directly manage and own a group of small oceanfront boutique hotels on the three major islands of the Galapagos. So as Theo tropic our roots and our main expertise is related to the venture travel side, and I feel that being pioneers in adventure has all asked to build through the years strong local communities, connections and to support chain of different small entrepreneurship that are mostly family owned and women. And those are key elements and differentiators of us that also enable us to be sustainable in everything that we do.
Christine: Thank you for sharing that. Well, before we start learning more about the work that you're doing, I'd love to hear a little bit more about how you got into tourism and what was the breadcrumbs, I guess, maybe that led you there, and when did you know that this was a space that you really wanted to work to create impact in the world?
Fernanda: I guess that my curiosity and my attraction to the travel world started when I was five years old because at that time I got the chance to leave for almost a couple of years for Colorado because my dad was getting his master's engineering degree there. So at that time, I do have some few memories and I do recall sharing spaces with his friends, his university community of friends that were people from other places in the world, from Asia, from India, from other countries in Latin America, listening to these other languages and looking at these new spaces and how other people look like, I do feel that at that early stage that created an impact on me. And then when we got back to Ecuador, and as I grew up, I always have this interest on learning other languages and to strengthen my skills, not only in English, but I learned some Italian, some French, and that allowed me to get my first job when I graduated from high school to be the assistant of the general manager of a big international chain hotel.
And that for me at that time that I was 18 years was awesome. And it was a huge opportunity that introduced me into the hospitality world. And that opened me also the doors to be able to join later to one of the biggest tour companies here in Ecuador where I worked for several years. And that was my first formal school for tourism where I learned a lot and I stayed there for five or six years. But then as my backgrounds also were related to marketing, I decided that I wanted to change. And I moved into a pharmaceutical company and I was there for a while, but I wasn't happy and I felt that something was missing. And at that time was invited to join a farm trip that was a farm trip, an adventure farm trip on the western Andes and the coast of Ecuador.
And the way that I get to know these places was doing rafting, day nature hikes and sea kayak on the coast. And I haven't done nothing like that before. I was mostly a city girl, so I got very impressed and it was kind of like an aha moment for me because I didn't know at the time that you could get to feel and experience a place in that way. So that was the way that I got to met the Menes brothers that are my partners here at Neurotropic, and they are these very well-known adventure guys here in Ecuador. And they invite me to join the company. And I said, of course, yes, because I wanted get to know more about this new war to me and getting immersed into this kind of new universe for me. And also at that time, I recall that I didn't knew how to swim, I didn't knew how to bike, but I decided to learn as an adult because I get this deep inspiration and motivation, and I used to tell my friends and colleagues at that time that if I could do it, anyone can do it, because I do realize that adventure can be many things and that anyone can do it Thinking that adventure can be trying something new, tasting a new flavor, putting your hands on and having a pottery class or an embroidery class with a local artisan and challenging yourself to explore and to do something new because at the end, limitations, most of the times are in our minds and everything depends in our openness and willingness, willingness to try to do something new.
And I guess that since then neurotropic has become an important part of my heart and it has become my home.
Christine: Thank you so much for sharing all of those experiences, and I really loved what you were saying about adventure travel. I know we both really think about the ways we can connect mindfulness and transformation and sustainability and how adventure travel really can weave all those things together. And like you said, adventure doesn't have to limit people that can be involved in it. I think sometimes if you say adventure travel, people might think of very hard physical adventure. And I love what you said that adventure is really just anything I think that is pushing you out of what encouraging you to try something new. So I always say a huge adventure for someone might just be going somewhere where they don't speak the language or ordering off a menu where they don't read that language, and all of those things are very adventurous to do. And so I love that you mentioned both your experience pushing yourself to be more adventurous and then also the ways that people can look at adventure. I think that it's really important to encourage people to, as you said, not kind of contain themselves by whatever they think they know how to do or what they are comfortable experiencing. When you're talking about adventure travel, how do you think that that does lend to bringing together transformation and sustainability and community-based tourism?
Fernanda: I think that there's a natural synergy that arise between adventure and transformation and also regenerative, because at the end, even if you don't come with a clear intention of I want to have a transformative journey at the end, it will happen naturally because you get all these opportunities to challenge yourself, to change your mindset, to get these close engagements with the local people, to get to understand better the culture, to find all these rituals that are done locally, these traditions that have ancestral wisdom, all that stuff. At the end, it provokes like an awakening process when you get to understand others also, you might get to understand yourself. We usually tend to reflect who we are when we see the realities of others. And usually here in Ecuador especially that we have all these ambient villages and also different ethnic groups. There's such a rich history and cultural components that you can nurture from.
So that's part of the adventure trips that we provide and visiting these people at the end, it creates a wellness experience not only for our guests, but also for the people that we are visiting because we are providing incomes for them, we're generating ways of incomes for them, and at the end, that's a sustainable way to promote the tourism on a long-term basis. Sometimes when we visit this remote in Indian tribes, instead of switching into the oil industry or into illegal logging, it's going to be much better if they see that tourism is also a way where they can generate incomes, but also that will allow them to preserve their cultures, their wisdom, and who they are with their kids and the youths.
Christine: Yeah, I think that's one of the things that when I first started traveling that I really noticed that there was a great opportunity for in travel is to create an additional layer of value for those cultural practices wherever we're traveling. Because as you said, sometimes the younger generations will be drawn to the allure of cities or a faster paced life, and those cultural practices then are slowly being lost. I think as travelers come with a curiosity about those things, it encourages hanging on to those practices and adds a different layer of value to them. I just think that is really important both for the travelers and for the communities where you're traveling so that they can preserve those things that I think, especially now we're seeing are so important, whether it's an agricultural practice or a handcraft or medicinal practices, like all of those things are so important and the thought that those are slowly disappearing in all of these quiet corners all around the globe, whenever I see that really breaks my heart, and I wish that there was a way that we could place a modern value on those really important traditional practices.
So I hope that tourism is something that can help to facilitate that.
Fernanda: Yeah, absolutely. I agree. And it also enabled us to raise pride of who you are, because when you get to see other foreigner people getting amazed when you tell them your stories, your traditions, and they also say, yeah, this thing that we are is unique and shouldn't be missed. So I think that also that's quite important.
Christine: Yeah, yeah. I've talked with other guests about that too, how they see that happening as well, and that is a really important part of that process. Well, I would love to talk a little bit more about the transformational part of travel. I know that's something that's important to us, and then also kind of connecting more fully to the travel experience. And so I really feel like travelers when they're traveling need to understand both their own travel values and their own travel. Why? And I'm actually playing with this next year of creating a course to really help people identify their travel values and their why, because I think when you lay that out, you can really understand who you are as a traveler, what you need out of the travel experiences, and you will pick and choose things differently. And then I think you'll also, because you'll be more deeply connecting, all of the ripple effects of travel can happen at a greater level.
I would love to talk a little bit about an experience that you created when you were participating in the TTC Designer program, and I actually would love to just read a post that you shared. I hope that's not too awkward, but when I read it, I was so excited I was dancing in my seat. So I just want to share this with our listeners and then we'll talk a little bit more about this deeper way of connecting to travel. But Fernandez's Post shared? Yes, please. Okay. Self-awareness is empowerment. Traveling and exploring the natural world is one of the most effective ways to reconnect with who you are. As someone who has experienced feelings of uncertainty and vulnerability, I can say that my quest to achieve balance, identifying and embracing my elemental self, air, water, earth, and fire, has not only opened my eyes to possibility and wonder, but it has been a source of inspiration and purpose that must be shared with other fellow women.
This is an invitation to women to discover one of the most biodiverse and amazingly natural places in the world through water, air, fire, and earth experiences. Ecuador will unfold the magic to reconnect and transform. And when I read that, I was like, I 100% want to be a part of whatever that is. But I also loved this idea of really allowing people to look at who they are and how travel can really intentionally connect with those facets of themselves. So I would love for you to share a little bit more about this project and what your inspiration was behind it and how you think that focusing on travel this way can really help deepen the experience, especially for women who are traveling.
Fernanda: Yeah, thank you for sharing it. I think that after this massive event that we all lived, that was the covid and the pandemic. It has impacted us on different ways. And at that time, I think that it was like a call to rethink on what we want from life. So that project that was part of my capstone project when I took the course of the TTC of the Transformational Travel Console has, I've been already thinking on how to deliver what we are currently doing as a tour operator, but on a more proposed full way with a clear mission on what we want to get from people and the fact that we want to get on our guests. So through the time of the pandemic, I got the time to do many scouting trips on the field to look for new experiences, to try to find new local partners.
And it tended to be that the things that I was finding were related to local women led entrepreneurship and to women experiences. So as a woman, I felt this shaking moment that we should create something and a safe space for women travel. You can be more vulnerable when you can feel safe, where you can feel safe, where you can nurture yourself from having faced these awful and challenging times. And that's how I got a way to integrate all the things and the research that I have done through different tools and framework that I got from the TTC. So that's how I decide to create this menu of experiences for women trouble. So AOR is a place of huge natural biodiversity, a small country that reach on experiences.
It felt so natural to relate everything that we do to the nature elements, to air, to fire, to water and to the earth. So it just naturally shows up. And it's like I started to think that all of us, we embody nature elements and especially women are more open to this type of experiences and concepts. So it is like if you are woman of air, that's quite related to being more creative, to seeking for more knowledge. And then we can have integrate things to our visits that are related on developing the creative side, like taking naturalist, aqua class, naturalist illustration experience as you go hiking in the Koi National Park. And you get to see these impressive nature scenario and you are led by a local artist that will show you how to create your own aqua, picking up an element of nature, or if you feel that you are more like a passionate woman and you are the one that transforms, that creates something new that's related to the fire element.
So something that can be more attached to you. It's like experiencing Aman ritual that it's related to cooking under the earth, that it's a very ancient ritual and tradition that we have in our Andes. And you get to integrate the fire element and you get to learn and experience about this Cosmo vision of our people and get this super tasty food that was cooked for several hours under the ground with hot stones. But before you make a talk for giving thanks to the PAMA, to the mother earth, or if you're a woman that it's more fluid, that it's more intuitive, then your element must be water. And there's nothing more natural than exploring with that sea kayak or doing a rusting trip because water is your element and that's going to be your safer sun and where you will be more fluid. So at the end, I think that we all have these elements, and what is important when it comes to travel design is to get the time to know who our guests are and to get to understand them better as you set to understand their why, what are their passions, their motivations, what they're looking for, so then you can really get to deliver and create this amazing journey, fill it with experiences that at the end are going to be very powerful and transformational ones.
Christine: Thank you for transporting us all with you. I think for a brief moment, I just think this is such a powerful way to look at travel and connection and personal growth. And then of course, all these other things that you have already mentioned are going to be a part of this with connecting with community, the kind of transformational power of adventure, the ways that this will create an understanding of all of the unique ecosystems and people of Ecuador. I think it's a really powerful experience. So I love getting to know more about that. So thank you so much for sharing it with me. When we are talking about Ecuador and all of that, it has to offer, it really does seem like it's the perfect destination to focus on not only sustainable travel, but regenerative travel and conservation. You've mentioned a little bit about it, but when you're designing experiences, how do you work to ensure that you are really creating more responsible experiences, and how do you think that these type of travel experiences really grow travelers who become global ambassadors for the region?
Fernanda: Yeah, I would like to share an example of one of our trips that is a land-based experience in the Galapagos that I think that by definition is one of the most sustainable, notable ways to visit the islands because you will get all these amazing natural history and get to see all the wildlife and the nature that you have to see in the Galapagos, but you also integrate visiting the local people and getting to know and understand who live in the islands. And also as you do that way, most of the incomes and profits generated by these type of experiences remain within the local people. As there's a huge change of suppliers and actors through the logistics that we provide, not only guides, but the people that own the restaurant, the drivers, the assistance, the ones that help us with the kayaking, these local entrepreneurship that we can find along the way like these ASAs and Finca in the Highlands.
I like to mention a place that we try to integrate as much as possible when we visit the Highlands in the Galapagos. You get to see the giants of choices in their natural space, but also we make a stop at this Finca that it is a project women led that where we can share with our guests about agriculture that is produced in the island as a way also to integrate the sense of conservation that comes from decisions that we make on things related to food. Because at the end, also we do have to understand that conservation, it's not only following National Park rules or only related or to not touching the animals work just in the past or to when you get limited number of people that get allowed to visit specific places, but also conservation is about reducing your footprint on the things that you do.
So we encourage these women of this finca to keep their work producing their vegetables, their fruits, and to educating the local people and our passengers to prefer to try these local fruits, the ava, the Marquia, the things that they produce locally rather than asking for Ian Grape or Ian Apple that may come from the continent because an impact in the carbon footprint. So when you get to see conservation from a whole holistic vision, then things start to really change. And we like to encourage these people to keep on with their work and to share their stories and to take these new elements and new visions to get to see the islands and everything related to conservation. So that's one of the things that we try to share or sharing a dining experience at the table of a local angler that has switched into tourism and now is one of our local guides.
And he has arranged his patio at his home to share this dining experience that perhaps it's not like a super fancy place, but it's an authentic place, a real place where you get this very tasty Crayola food and share with his wife that it's a great cook and if you want, you can put hands on and try a cooking lesson and learn to make a ceviche. But he starts sharing his stories about how his family became settlers in the islands and why they move there and how they are doing alive from tourism and how he's educating his girls with the incomes he gets from tourism. So there are these other sides of the stories that can be integrated overall when you get to visit a country, not only seeing the places and the wildlife and the nature that it's fantastic and amazing, but also getting to know the people, the culture, those are part of the main differentiators of any country and any experience. So that's transformative also.
Christine: Yeah, I mean for me, those are a hundred percent the experiences that stay with me. I mean, the beauty of someplace is impressive, but the things that I can never kind of let go of is that feeling I feel when you get to have a unique connection with someone where you're traveling like that and where they really share their life and what they're doing. And then like you said, the impact of what tourism maybe means for their family. For me, that's something that I think is really important for travelers to witness because for instance, during the early days of the pandemic when people were seeing that tourism was shut down, what we first think about or what many travelers might first think about is, oh, I can't get a flight or hotels are closed or my cruise was canceled or those things, but I know what so many people who I work with industry, were thinking about this person you just described and his daughters who were going to school because of the income he was earning as a guide or a cook or all of these people are so integral to the tourism experience and sometimes become invisible behind it.
And so when you have the opportunity to really share space with them, that brings visibility to them within the industry and they are, I think you would agree, the most important parts of what makes tourism work. And so I really think that those are really powerful experiences
Fernanda: And travelers get truly impacted when they return to their homes. I've seen that many of the people that have traveled with us still stays in contact with these local people that they met. And sometimes I have felt very happy when I see that they want to keep helping them and finding ways on how to deliver major incomes, and they spread the word with their friends, with the people that they know, and then we get more referral passengers and guests. So it's a whole change of positive outcome.
Christine: Well, kind of staying with that theme a little bit, but talking about family travel, how I think again, Ecuador is a place that's really magical for children. I haven't been there, but it's someplace I've wanted to go since I was a child. And certainly now having children to be able to experience it with them and through their eyes I think would be really transformative. But what do you think is the importance of creating a foundation of travel for children and allowing them to see the power of nature and wilderness and how that brings joy to them and healing? I think children really see that when they travel, but I'm wondering what you have seen through family travel experiences and why you think it's important.
Fernanda: Yeah. I think that since I became a moms, it is like my vision also changed on the way that I wanted to run the business because I think that I made my mission to try to look over these authentic and real thing experiences that can be delivered through families as well. And I can share something that I personally lived with my kids because I get the chance to see all these amazing natural places. And I do recall that I took my first kid, Nicholas to deep into the rainforest when he was turning three years old. He was very little at that time. We were going deep into the jungle and doing these rainforest hikes led by a local Kera guide standing over there on these remote scenario. And it was like, are you bringing a kid over here? Are you sure on that? And I said, yes, because I want to expose him to the natural world.
And it has created that experience, has experience has created such an impact on him that nowadays when you ask him, what do you want to be when you're an adult? He says, I want to be a biologist. And he loves insects, all sorts of insects. He's not afraid of that. And children tend to, how can I say to surprise you? Because sometimes you think that maybe he's not going to be okay doing these hikes, but yes, they have the strength to do it and to keep moving and going on. They really feel amazed by nature always. I think that they have this connection with nature that we don't know and we don't see that they have, but they do have it and they do feel honest interest when it comes to nature. So I think Ecuador provides a natural playground for adults and for kids.
And there's so many things that you can do over here because distances are short. So you can get to see or four words that are the Amazon, the Highlands, the Andes, the coast and the Galapagos on a very easy way and get to see a lot. There are many changing ecosystems and a scenario, and that creates these rich biodiversity all over everywhere that you go that I think that kids never will get bored. And always, of course, you have to add these little details to keep the things more fun. For instance, if you are in the Galapagos doing these hiking excursion to Tortuga Bay that ends on this amazing beach, why not doing a sand casts castle's contest or joining a boogie board lesson with a local serve shopping store? Because there are things that can be integrated on that way. And if we do these boogie board lessons, there's an opportunity to share with the local kids and to invite other local kids that maybe will not have the money to pay for these classes. But since we pay for our guests also, we invite them to join and to play with these kids as they are taking this surfing lesson or doing a stargazing thing in Isabella Island that it's quite a remote island where you get to see these amazing sky and get to see do these stargazing. So also when you provide these family experiences, you get to see the place, but it's important to think on these small details when it comes to families, then the experience will be complete for them.
Christine: Yeah, thank you for sharing all of those. And I do think as you were talking, you were kind of explaining some of the favorite moments that my children have had as they've traveled. And I was thinking about one of my daughters who was really nervous being around the ocean. We haven't been around the ocean a lot, and we ended up going in and getting snorkeling gear, and she was so nervous to go under the water. She didn't even want to walk really close to it. She's like, anything could be under there. And she put that snorkel on and she came up the first time, she was like, it's magical. Do you know everything that's under that water? And honestly, we were probably in a place that it was interesting, but not super wowing, but just that first glimpse for her of what could be underneath the water was so impactful.
And then she just wanted to be in the water all the time. She now understood what is under the water. She didn't really have to have the fear that she had of that unknown space. And then another experience connecting with kids when we were traveling, when we travel, oh my gosh, they love that so much to be able to play with others, which is just something they want to do anyway. But then to have them be like, oh, come meet my grandma and she has this really cool cat or something. All of a sudden that will be their most memorable experience. So similar to me saying that moment of really connecting and hearing someone's story, they feel the same thing when they get to connect with one of their peers and share one of their important life experiences. So I love that you're trying to facilitate that at a level that speaks to who they are as travelers, because I think that will set them up for wanting to engage that way when they're traveling in the future.
Fernanda: And what's magical when you look kids playing with others, that there's also no language barriers and it's so easy for them to gather and to join, and that also nurture yourself as a part when you're traveling and you look over these things.
Christine: Yeah. And you see them growing and being really strong and capable and curious. Little adventurers. Well, before we end our conversation, Fernanda, I really wanted to talk a little bit more about more in the personal leadership and development area. And I know that when we start working in transformational travel and understanding and examining the power of it, we kind of quickly find ourself on our own inner journey. There's no real way to think about creating these experiences for others without kind of navigating that within ourselves. And so I think it's really important to become mindful and compassionate leaders that we go through that process. So I'd love to hear a little bit about your thoughts on that and if you have any personal practices that you've developed along the way that you lead to allowing you to be a stronger leader or achieve your professional goals if you have anything that you incorporate into your life now.
Fernanda: Yes. Since I took the transformational at first, I started to do some things that I was already aware of, but I didn't practice. So for instance, I tried to create some spaces for being mindful for meditation, even if it's two or three minutes to make a pulse and to deeply breathe and try not to think on anything, but to focus my energy, just trusting on what's going to happen. That's something very powerful that provides me balance. And also something that I'm doing for a while is journaling. At the beginning it was kind of hard to try to write down what happened through the day, but now it tends to be more natural. And those elements are also part of the things that we are now integrating in our journeys and in our trips because when you do these first initial welcome briefing for our guests, it's like if we are in Galapagos and we are at this amazing natural space, let's create a moment to honestly unplug and to breathe and to be prepared for the amazing days that are coming ahead because you are at this unique space that that's also a gift that you give to yourself.
Okay, I'm going to calm down to breathe, to be mindful and to prepare for what's on.
And the journaling also, it's not for everyone because not everyone is ready for that or interested in that, but if we can and if we see that the group is open to the idea, we share these practices as well. So those are kind of new elements that we are now integrating that I think that are very powerful ones because also when you get back to your home or as years go by and pass, you get to see your journals and you get to read those are nice memories, not only the photos, but also to read what you have felt in any certain moment. So I would say those,
Christine: Yeah, thank you for sharing those practices. And I think those, like you said, they sometimes can be small steps that you can incorporate every day that really just change how you show up and the presence that you have. And even as I was waiting for you to join our conversation today, I actually, I had my eyes closed and I had some essential oils and I was just taking a few breaths. And this is typically my practice to kind of set this space for whatever conversation I'm about to have with one of my guests and kind of just let the universe know that I'm ready for a great conversation, that whatever needs to be created in this space is welcome. And I think that changes the dynamic. When I first started the conversations, I was really nervous and I had all of my notes and I was wanting to be really controlling of the outcome because I was uncomfortable still in this space.
So kind of much like any of the adventure travel experiences we're talking about, you might start by buying the right tennis shoes and the right sweater and all those things that you think you control, and then you actually get out there on the trail and you're like, oh, none of that. I mean it matters, but didn't really matter. I had to evolve as a person to have the experience. And I just think it's really important to think about these practices and realize that while they're so helpful in the moment, they also are the next thing for shifting how things happen in your business and in your life. And then like you said, now you're sharing it with your guests. So this is something, a gift that you're giving to them that will help them to continue to expand and bring that impact out and forward. So I appreciate you sharing that.
Fernanda: You too.
Christine: If you have one last kind of, I guess, pearl of wisdom, I'm asking all of my guests this season, if there's something that you really rely on, like a saying or a quote or a mantra or something that a mentor told you that is something that you would love to share and add value to our listeners, I'd love for you to share that with us.
Fernanda: Yes. I think that a quote that really resonates me, it is one that says that we don't inherit the earth from our ancestors, but we borrow it from our children. So that's super powerful for me. And as we've been talking about family travel, about women travel about transformative, I think that that has to do a lot with every decision that we make on not only the travel industry, but on everything that we do. It has to be wise in terms of trying to develop this sense of care of our earth, of our worth, to make sure that it's still there for our future generations. Because it doesn't matter if we are big company, as small company from which country we are, Ecuador, Europe, whatever. At the end, we are like particles of the same universe. So it's super important to be very mindful and conscious on our future and the way that we protect our land and the place that we are living.
Christine: Thank you. And I think particles of the same universe is going to be the one that I'm going to take forward with me. So thank you for giving me that gift. To end our call, we always end with a few rapid fire questions, so I would love to jump into those with you. The first is, what are you reading right now?
Fernanda: I just started a few weeks ago this book that is called Women That Run With Wolves. Yeah, it was a gift of my husband and haven't read it in long time, and I just started. So it's an interesting book. It's related to these wild and savage nature that all women have. And it's interesting because it's narrated through these tales and legends that are gathered and representing the different women archetypes as well. So it's different from any book I have read before, but so far it's good. It's interesting.
Christine: Yeah, it's such a good one. We read that during the pandemic. I was running a monthly book Sojourn, and that was one of the books that we read together, and it was a really powerful experience to read it with a group of women and try to work through a lot of the stories and understanding those archetypes and what they might mean and how we can use those to find our strength within those stories. So thank you for sharing that. Excited. I'd love to hear from you when you're finished, what you think of what is always in your suitcase or backpack when you travel?
Fernanda: I have to say that I always try to carry with me not only in my backpack, but in my purse. It's like a printed photo of my two kids always.
Christine: Oh, that's so good. I used to always have notes from my girls, and now that they're older, they don't write them for me anymore, but I think on my next trip I'm going to make them do that again. I would pull them out, and it is a very great way to stay connected when we're traveling to sojourn is to travel somewhere as if you live there for a short while. Where is one place that you would still love to sojourn?
Fernanda: I will say that Italy, but the countryside. This is small Meial villages on Tuscany. I feel that that might be the place. I've been there many, many years ago and I stayed there for some months learning Italian, but I think that that's the place I want to go back, like a magical place where it seems like time has stopped. So I would like to get again that experience of low life style and this low pace weight of living.
Christine: Yeah, thank you. What is something you eat that immediately connects you to a place that you've been?
Fernanda: I like this question very much. I think that food is very important related to the intangible heritage of cultures. So I have to say that here in Ecuador, soups are very, very popular. One that brings me childhood memories and that I think that it's absolutely the soul of the Andes and the flavor of the Andes. It's the soup that is called LoRa, and the LoRa is a soup of potatoes that you have to try. It's super, super tasty and it's pre pan recipe, so it comes back from a long way. So I would say the local soup.
Christine: Thank you. Who was a person that inspired or encouraged you to set out and explore?
Fernanda: My dad? Because he has this profound knowledge about the world, about the human history and evolution, not because he traveled by himself on a physical way, but through the books that he read. He was an avid breather and he shared with me and my brothers and sisters all that he knew about the word.
Christine: If you could take an adventure with one person, fictional or real, alive or past, who would it be?
Fernanda: Again, I have to say my dad because he already passed away some years ago. But I think that I really would to have the chance to experience with him a trip abroad with him.
Christine: Yeah, it hasn't been in a while, but I have been able to travel with my parents and it was such a great experience to kind of one, be an adult with them out in the world and to see them being childlike actually, and their curiosity and seeing them explore and being out of the routine that I knew them in as parents. So I think it's a real gift. I think multi-generational travel and family travel has so many important qualities. So I love that you shared that with me. The last question is, soul of Travel is a space for really honoring and recognizing women in the industry. Is there one woman that you admire and would love to recognize in this space?
Fernanda: Yes, there are many because I think that there are many empowered women in our industry, but as I have to mention one, I would say I really admire her, admire her since I've seen how she has evolved into becoming an independent entrepreneur, and I really love the work that she's doing right now, helping other women to grow up and to evolve with their own businesses on their initial stage. So I would say hair.
Christine: Thank you so much, and I love that you brought her into the conversation. Our listeners can go back. I interviewed her last season. She was the first guest and women's work. The program that she has created to support entrepreneurs is, I think so important and is also one of our allies of the podcast because I really believe in the work that she is doing to empower other women to become leaders in this space, but also to become, I think, really well-grounded, well supported, and healthy nourished leaders too. I think it's a really unique space. So thank you for honoring her, and thank you so much for being here. This was a really lovely, beautiful conversation, and I.
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