Are you seeking an immersive travel experience that connects you with the local community, history, and culture? With Heart of Travel, their mission is to offer heartfelt adventures that contribute a positive impact, and they are calling upon like-minded travelers to join their growing community. Read on to learn more.
When you think of a vacation, thoughts of tanning on the beach with a drink in hand, taking a dip in crystal clear water, or enjoying dinner accompanied by a live show may come to mind—but what about an adventure? One that bridges the gap between “tourist” and “traveler”?
If you find yourself yearning for more than a vacation but rather an unforgettable experience and lasting connections, Heart of Travel is the place for you.
Not just another travel agency, Heart of Travel was created with a mission to “redefine the way you experience the world,” through ethical tourism, celebrating cultures, carefully curated itineraries, tours led by knowledgeable and local guides, meaningful connections, and much more—all in Latin America. Voted as Sacramento’s Best Travel Agency 2023, Heart of Travel is furthering its reach to redefine the way people travel. And the best part? The team makes trips accessible to all and for a wide age range.
“The connections, the high standard of ethics, the fact that we’re very female-powered, and the one-of-a-kind immersion experience is what really sets us apart from other agencies,” says the Founder of Heart of Travel Chelsea Glass. The agency offers tours in Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Spain, with plans of releasing trips in Chile and Uruguay in 2025.
But she wants her company to be more than a one-time experience or simply a company you travel with a few times a year. Glass wants to create a community between travelers, guides, and the team.
Why?
For Heart of Travel, connection is the seed that fosters community strength across borders. And that starts and ends with supporting small business development and cultural connection in each destination.
“Cuba is one of the prime examples of where we have a lot of impact,” says Glass. “We also work with this recycling project that is a privately owned business in Havana. It’s a non-government business, and they gather up recycled materials and then repurpose them into different items. We also just started this new project where we’re working with the first privately owned cheese producer in Vinales. In Cuba, most food production is controlled by the government, but this small business produces organic goat cheese that you can buy directly from the farmer.”
Heart of Travel takes it one step further by prioritizing working with people and businesses who are local from the area to help them grow and thrive—while travelers can enrich their education on the culture and history of the destinations to deepen their connections.
Not to mention, the tight-knit community Heart of Travel cultivates within the team itself.
“Our tour leaders are from Latin America. Chiva is an example of our top tour leader. She’s amazing. She was born and raised in Guatemala and briefly lived in the United States, so she speaks both English and Spanish. But more than just being bilingual, she’s culturally fluent. She’s a person who can easily understand the perspective and the point of view from people on both sides and create a space that is very comfortable for cross-cultural connection.”
“I think it really does add another element for the travelers because they feel a little bit more comfortable interacting with the tour leader,” she continues. “They get a more authentic experience, and our tour leaders really open people up into their lives as well.”
Oftentimes, the tour leader’s family will even have a meal with the group or get the chance to show their home, another unique factor that sets Heart of Travel apart from other agencies.
Coming soon is a members-only club where Heart of Travel envisions an online community space where travelers can access a “travel dashboard” to see their past trips, photo galleries, connect with other members from a past tour group, have priority access to trips and discounts, and more. Additionally, Glass shares her desire to host a monthly mixer online where people can join in and connect with one another (Heart of Travel has hosted an online salsa class and other events in the past). “People can connect and maintain connection and have many doses of Heart of Travel experiences in this digital format between their trips,” she emphasizes
Glass also has plans to create an adult summer camp, with the aim of launching in 2027.
With a belief that “getting outside of your comfort zone is one of the best ways to grow,” Glass encourages the importance of trying something new and opening your perspective to the beautiful experiences and connections that can be formed when traveling with your heart.
As Glass’s company continues to foster connection, community, and education, so will its impact on redefining the way people travel.
To learn more about Heart of Travel, visit their website and join their community by following them on Instagram! Stay tuned for their upcoming trips happening in the first quarter of 2025.
