Intentional Tours: Guided Trip to Ecuador for Women Who Want to Travel with a Purpose

I am so excited to share my blog today with the best guest blogger ever- my good friend from college, roommate in the Dominican Republic and New York City- Joy!!  She's one of those people you are proud to call one of your best friends.  She's well-traveled, adventurous, hard-core, athletic, bilingual, and one of the most kind, compassionate, selfless people I know.  She currently lives in Ecuador- Matt, Dylan and I came to visit her way back in in 2015 and we LOVED seeing Joy and the unique, vibrant culture of Ecuador.  Joy is sharing today about a wonderful opportunity for women who want to take the plunge into travel- and do more than sit bored on the beach, but actually see and experience a new culture, grow outside of your own comfort zone and expand your worldview- this is for you.  Here's what Joy has to say:

While Sarah and I first met through college, it was the experiences we shared while traveling that caused our friendship to take root and blossom.  Our first big trip was four girls packed into a rented PT Cruiser driving nonstop from frozen Buffalo snow straight to Florida sunshine.  After college, Sarah gave me my first lessons on how to fall in love with Latin America: how to buy fresh bananas off the side of the road, how to navigate old colonial streets, and especially how to appreciate the beauty of building friendships with people from other cultures, sharing stories and sunsets. 

For this reason, I was especially excited to get to show her and her family some of my favorite places in Ecuador, which has been my home for the past eight years.  Together we sipped locally-grown coffee from the balcony of a converted monastery. We hiked to waterfalls in the cloud forest.  We were dazzled by glass-winged butterflies alighting weightlessly on our fingers.  I love playing tour guide, and showing people the special, hidden places.

If you're reading this and think “I would love all that too!” - this is your chance!!  I have paired up with another of our dear college friends (also on that crazy PT Cruiser road trip!) who started the travel company, Intentional Tours, to create a week-long travel experience in Ecuador this September 25- October 2, 2021.  Come join us!

This is a trip for women who want to travel with a purpose: to explore a place beyond the crowded tourist sites, to push past their comfort zones by embracing cultural differences, and to come away with a new sense of wonder that only arises from the magic of  the unexpected.  This is an opportunity to travel together with a group of similarly-minded women wh

to share these core values.

We will sit alongside artisan groups to learn their craft, talk with female business owners who launched their own micro-enterprises listening to their challenges and successes, and be inspired by women who are leaders, driving social change in their communities.  We’ll cook meals together. We’ll make traditional handicrafts together.  We’ll talk, reflect, and  challenge one another.  And hopefully, we will  grow, coming away with a new understanding about  society and how we as women can actively shape the world in which we live.

Why Ecuador:

This tiny Andean country has it all: vibrant culture, transformative history, and nature so lovely it will make you want to quit your job to paint tiny portraits of orchid blooms.

You’ll wander cobblestone streets built by the hands of indigenous stonecutters from the 17th century, and be amazed by the architectural materwork of colonial Spanish plazas, stone-faced monasteries and cascading flowers spilling down from the delicate wooden balconies of restored historic mansions. 

Then we’ll leave the activity of the city behind to roam the pastoral patchwork fields of the Ecuadorian countryside. Folded into tight valleys, junting up against imposing volcanoes, Kichwa villages are known worldwide for their talented artisans and sprawling markets.  Finally after days of high-mountain adventures, we’ll go down to the misty cloud-forest of Mindo to relax in its calm, lush tropical foliage and perfect waterfalls. 

Come Join us!  

As an all-women’s travel group, we will explore this South American country of Ecuador with the goal of learning from and celebrating the successes of Ecuadorian women; women who are defying the odds to create their own businesses, nonprofits, and social movements. Be inspired, make new friends, and get out exploring!  

Dates: September 25- October 2, 2021

Read here for the full itinerary and more details 

Place your deposit now to save your spot!

Special bff rate: sign up to share a room with your sister, mom, best girlfriend or any other lovely woman in your life and you both get $100 off!