Hi Natalia! Tell us a bit about yourself and your life before AltruVistas.

I was born in San Jose, Costa Rica, and as a child I studied at the French School in San Jose. When I was a teenager, my parents made the move to the US, and French was left behind and replaced by English. I always knew that I wanted to do something with cultures and languages—so after college, my path led me to pursue teaching. Once I got out of grad school I was fortunate to begin teaching at the International French School in Portland. I spent the next several years teaching Spanish, planning and coordinating trips for my students, and raising my daughter. Traveling became a consistent part of our lives.

After 15 years at the same school I decided that it was time for me to move on from teaching. I looked forward to being at home more with my teenage daughter, as well as traveling to new places.

How did you come to work at an ethical travel company?

Before I left the French American school, I knew I wanted my last trip with my class of 8th graders to be epic. Cuba had always been a place of curiosity for me. A friend of mine, who is also a friend of Malia’s, told me that Malia could help me make this trip happen…and she did! And it was indeed one of the best trips that I had ever taken. My students agreed.

Somehow after this journey Malia and I stayed in touch, and in February 2017 I naturally transitioned into working for AltruVistas. At this point in my life, to be working with Malia, who deeply cares about what she does and the journeys she creates for her travelers, is exactly what I was looking for.

What do you do for AltruVistas, and what’s your favorite part of your work?

As Operations Coordinator, I work with each group to build their manifest, put together registrations, and make sure they get all the info they need, such as orientation packets, liability forms, affidavits, invoices, etc. I field phone calls from individuals who are interested in more information on our upcoming “open” journeys. I’m a main point of contact for journey leaders who have questions regarding their upcoming tour, and here in Portland, I’ve met with some local groups. I support Malia when she’s traveling, and in March, I’ll be going to Cuba and meeting with AltruVistas partners on the ground.

As the Educational Journeys Coordinator, I’m currently working on creating a program with St. Stephens School, a private middle school in Houston, Texas, for their travels to San Francisco. They’ll visit landmarks, do a walking tour of Muir Woods, visit Missions, and go on a Central Valley farm excursion. My part is working on curating experiences for them related to immigration and the Bay Area Latinx community. I’m working on getting a panel of Latinx kids to talk to these 8th graders and about their experience. We’ll be talking about gentrification, doing a murals tour, and visiting an LGBTQ community center. Previously, I’ve coordinated and co-led AltruVistas school tours to Boston. AltruVistas has many strong relationships with colleges and universities; now that I’m on board, I’m looking to expand our partnerships and programming for middle and high schools.

What’s your best travel advice?

The best advice I can give any traveler is to go to a new place with an open mind. As humans, invariably we compare the places we explore to the place we live in. Yet we need to have a conscientious attitude toward understanding that all cultures differ in their way of life, that they all bring positive aspects and something to teach us. When I travel I want to immerse myself within the community. I want others to know that I come with an open heart and mind.

Where did you travel that made the most life-changing impact on you personally, and why do you think it made such an impact?

I’ve been very fortunate to travel a lot throughout my life. I’ve been to Panama, Mexico, Ireland, England, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Malta, and Morocco. I’ve been to France many times—my daughter attends a French school, and has traveled there since she was a baby; Italy lots of times; and Spain lots of times (I used to do many school trips there with host families, and when I was younger, I studied in Barcelona to get my TOEFL degree).

A place that I hold dear is Dubrovnik, Croatia. I was lucky to have had the chance to go there twenty years ago when it was still a diamond in the rough. The old city surrounded by a sea wall, with pristine cobblestone streets and wonderful people opening their doors to visitors—these are things I will never forget. I also got to travel to some of the islands, and back then there were no other tourists in sight. The people had a true curiosity to know who you were and their friendliness was contagious. I believe this place had a big impact on me because of the simple elegant beauty of the country and its people. I appreciate meeting people in my travels who hold a rich cultural heritage alongside a humble attitude.

Where would you like to travel to that you’ve never been? Why do you want to go there?

India has always been in the back of my mind as a place to visit. I’m not sure if it’s because of the colorful culture that differs so much from my own, or maybe the spirituality found there that again is not like any other place I know. I would love to be able to take my daughter there, and to experience with her the beauty of the country and its people.