Today we’d like to introduce you to Salma Reyes.
Salma, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story starts ten years ago when I stumbled upon a flyer about an alternative Spring Break volunteer trip to Costa Rica. I was a freshman in UTSA’s College of Business wanting to learn about real-life business fundamentals and at the same time being intrigued by other cultures having spent my middle and high school years adapting to life in the USA. I joined our finance professor and 10 other students on a weeklong journey to learn about real-life “elsewhere”. I think back to that trip as a turning point in my life because it was the first time I step foot on international soil outside of Mexico (my home country) and the USA (my new home). Fast forward ten years, and I am overjoyed to share that my feet have walked through 43 countries!
Our time in Costa Rica was spent with small business owners who applied for microloans to create opportunities to better their lives. We ate gallopinto with agua de panela, harvested fruits, and vegetables with the local farmers, and interacted with the local community every day. When I returned home to Texas, I knew I needed to continue to experience the world. As a first-generation college student and Terry Scholar, I had a burning fire to succeed in my personal and academic goals. I managed to study abroad 5 different times throughout my 4-year undergraduate career: Italy, France, China, Spain, and Japan!
During my study abroad semesters, I found extended time to travel alone or with new friends I made along the way. I didn’t realize it then, but those experiences became the foundation for what is now my business: Travel Guru Destinations. I became a travel expert through my first-hand experience around different parts of the world! When I graduated with an International Business with Finance degree, I knew that I could apply my educational and personal skills to create a business to help others fearlessly travel more.
Through Travel Guru Destinations, I provide custom travel planning services using my personal recommendations in the 43 countries I have visited. Everyone’s travel style is different so I adapt to my client’s interests and take a consultative approach to curate unique start-to-end itineraries. My travel expertise and support result in a stress-free planning process for my travelers. Travel guru travelers benefit from my local tips and travel hacks, and they maximize exploration time without spending hours researching their destination. In the last 5 years, I’ve planned everything from months-long solo trips, road trips, honeymoons, family vacations, digital nomad trips, destination parties, eloping trips, and more.
My ultimate purpose is to inspire and enable others to explore and learn from the world!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being an entrepreneur means that you are willing to work the extra hours, willing to adapt to market demand, and willing to invest time in developing your brand and business connections. It also means balancing extremely busy vs. extremely slow cycles, and being there for your client at all times. I am a one-woman show and it takes a tremendous amount of time, energy, and organization to deliver my business promise. It’s a demanding journey but having a strong support system has been critical to my success.
As you may imagine, the pandemic changed everything for the travel industry. I was heartbroken back in 2020 when I had to unravel multiple trips that I had already planned for my travelers. At the time, I was living in South America with my partner and we had to emergency fly home and move back to the US. We pushed the restart button with much uncertainty about the future of Travel Guru Destinations. My travelers’ well-being is of the uttermost importance and I had to stop planning trips until it was safe to do so. I’ve had to stay up to date with the ever-changing country-specific travel requirements and stay informed to help my travelers make educated decisions.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Travel Guru Destinations?
After traveling to 43 different countries, I’ve become a passionate travel consultant, I plan out all logistics and create a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience for my travelers. Travel Guru Destination trips include the best flights available, accommodation options to fit every budget, daily activities, local cuisine recommendations, packing lists, custom maps, travel tips, and important destination-specific information. In this era of information, I cut through the noise and become a trusted advisor using my personal recommendations during the travel planning process.
I am the travel guru behind Travel Guru Destinations and I treat my traveler’s trips as if they were my own! I’ve traveled on a budget and have splurged on trips before. I’ve traveled solo through Europe and Asia and spent 20 hours on an intercontinental flight to Australia. I’ve spent ridiculous amounts of hours researching my place of destination to ensure that I make the most out of every day I spent there so I’ve created lists of must-do activities for every country I’ve visited. As an adventurous eater, I’ve done my research on local delicacies one must absolutely try. I’ve traveled on trains, buses, rideshares, ferries, water taxis, tuk-tuks… I’ve stayed at hostels, all-inclusive resorts, airbnbs, boutique hotels, glamping sites, you name it! If you have a travel-related question, I’ve most likely asked myself the same question before and have an answer for it now!
As a travel guru, I’m passionate about sharing my travel knowledge with others to help them explore our beautiful world.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
There are risk-averse people that prefer not to step outside of their comfort zones in order to minimize the possibility of discomfort or risk. I can confidently say that I am not one of those people and as a travel guru I strive to influence and motivate others to take risks! I started this business knowing that I would encounter all types of personalities and all sorts of challenges (the pandemic being one of the biggest ones). What I’ve learned in the process is that the answer is always no unless you ask and that nothing will change if you don’t take the initiative to change them. You have to choose to act. It’s not always pretty – there may be lost flights, canceled plans, and unperceivable challenges… but that is okay. It is part of the journey. Once you open up yourself to the world, to other languages, and to other cultures, you will discover both humility and self-assurance. Travel in an investment in yourself. It’s a priceless gift to be able to experience life elsewhere!
Pricing:
- $150 per trip for up to 4 days (excludes honeymoons & group trips)
- $250 for honeymoons, group trips of 4+ people, and for regular trips up to 10 days
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.travelgurudestinations.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelgurudestinations/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalmaTravelGuru
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdAFoGY-zoW_YJd24uPxW0w
Image Credits
Salma Mendez – Travel Guru Destinations
