We recently connected with Salma Reyes and have shared our conversation below.

Salma, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My mission is to break down cultural barriers by encouraging and exposing others to learn from travel experiences around the world. When I was 8 years old, I moved away from my home country and adapted to a multicultural life in a new country. This established the foundation for my never-ending curiosity about other languages, customs, and traditions. I strongly believe that being “elsewhere” is key to self-discovery, growth, and affirmation of the goodness of humanity. The more we see, the more we learn, and the more we understand and advocate for cultural awareness and diversity.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Salma, a travel guru and founder of Travel Guru Destinations. I’m a passionate world traveler, a citizen of the world, a UTSA business graduate, and a Terry Scholar alumna. I’ve stepped foot in 44 countries and I leverage my personal experience to help others travel and explore the world!

Travel Guru Destinations creates custom travel itineraries using personal recommendations in the 44 countries I have visited. I adapt to my client’s travel style 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. I specialize in solo trips, honeymoons, family vacations, romantic getaways, and more, and support travel guru travelers with flight, train, hotel, tour reservations, and destination guides.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

As a travel guru, I strive to continue to add new cities and new countries to my destination list. As of June 2023, I’ve visited 5 continents, 44 countries, and 130+ cities. Even then, I continue to travel and explore to experience additional destinations to be able to provide personal recommendations from my time there. I’ve lived in Mexico City, Paris, and Madrid, and spent two years living as a digital nomad in the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. Having first-hand experience and knowledge of these destinations has been the most effective strategy for growing my business. I’m a walking representation of my brand and share my experience through social media with the goal of inspiring others to travel more.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I followed a traditional pathway post-graduation with a corporate career in business operations for a technology company. At that point, I had already traveled to about 30 countries as a result of five study abroad programs, solo backpacking, volunteer trips, and personal vacations. Friends or acquaintances would often ask for my advice about travel and I’d offer to meet for coffee to discuss travel plans and provide my input and recommendations. Eventually, this evolved into a travel consultant side hustle, and during my free time, I developed a business plan, launched my website, and established a social media presence. Over time, I realized my true passion is helping others make their travel dreams come true. After two years in my corporate 8-5 job, I decided to take a leap of faith, pack up all my belongings, and take off on a two-year digital nomad lifestyle with my partner and our dog throughout South America. During this time (pre-pandemic), I devoted my full time and energy to scaling Travel Guru Destinations as my full-time business and adding new countries to my destination list. Now, we’re settled in Austin, Texas, and work 100% remotely to continue to support clients from all over the world!       

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
• Other: https://goo.gl/maps/Gh9BsEVk1fjXyk4B6