The Journey to the Conscious Nomad Collective

Camila exploring the Sacred Valley in Peru, 2021

Evelyn and I met 5 years ago, but our journeys to this point began many years before that. My personal and professional life was, and continues to be, heavily impacted by my parents and their life experiences that shaped and guided me. 

My whole life my father has run Rights Action, a Canadian/American non-profit that works to support indigenous resistance movements primarily in Guatemala and Honduras, and largely in conflict with harmful and exploitative Canadian and American mining companies. Growing up we moved often for his work. This nomadic lifestyle became my norm, and my love for exploration flourished.

My vacations growing up were not to Disneyland, they were to Guatemala to spend time with friends and colleagues in the struggle against the global order that oppresses so many. Through this I grew up seeing an alternative type of tourism. Tourism to me didn’t necessarily mean sight seeing, museum hopping, or hitting top restaurants. It was an a-typical type of tourism. A tourism of local markets, community meetings, and of solidarity. Don’t get me wrong, as an adult I have done my fair share of sight seeing foodie tourism, and it is so fun. 

But is it possible to have both? To have fun tourism full of adventure and exploration, while also connecting with local life in a meaningful and impactful way?

At university I studied political science, then for the next 5 years I gravitated increasingly towards non-profit work primarily focused on grassroots and activist movements within the US and abroad. I moved to Guatemala in 2018 to continue on this path and eventually heard about Operation Groundswell (OG), an educational tourism company dedicated to global group travel that is sustainable, responsible and always in solidarity and support of local initiatives. I joined the team as a Program Leader for trips to Guatemala and Peru, so proud to be working with an organization that was shifting the group travel game in such a positive way, and had been doing so for so long.

I realized quite quickly at OG that I had found an answer to my question…It is possible to have meaningful, impactful and responsible tourism that is still exciting and full of adventure. 

It was while working at Operation Groundswell I met Evelyn. Evelyn had been working with OG for a few years already at this point, leading backpacking trips in India. After studying International Development she continued to work in social impact and experiential education spaces and has truly dedicated her life thus far to understanding the complex impact of travel.

When we weren't leading trips we collaborated closely on the marketing, strategic planning, facilitation, and campaign management to keep our programs alive and thriving. Through this work, we deepened our expertise in the nuances of successful educational travel.

In the immediate post pandemic time, the landscape of this style of travel was shifting, and we saw opportunities to evolve and fill new gaps in the world of responsible educational tourism. When Operation Groundswell began to undergo its own shift structurally, and after all the years and experiences we had under our belt, the decision to found the Conscious Nomad Collective together with Evelyn was easy and obvious. 

This collective was born from a desire to continue on the journey of educational and sustainable travel; to move beyond simply minimizing negative impacts, and aim for actively creating positive change. 

This means first and foremost building a strong and trusted network of local partners, fellow tourism operators, educators, and all folks deeply rooted in their commitment to sustainable practices especially in tourism. And it means working to understand the true impact of our choices and embrace more responsible ways of exploring the world. 

Our story isn't just about a love for travel; it's rooted in a shared conviction that travel can and must be a force for good. We are so heartened at your interest in our work and our mission and welcome you to the collective!

Evelyn at the Taj Mahal in India, 2016