Sadie, our founder, is a proud Afro-Costa Rican ‘Tica.’
Arranging travel experiences focused on Afro-Caribbean Costa Rica and designed by and for Black and Brown people is part of her life’s purpose, as they’ve been integral to her personal journey. With over 10 years of experience in the travel industry, she is our fearless and fiercely passionate leader. We think she’s pretty inspiring. So, we sat down with her recently to dig a little deeper. Read on to learn more about Sadie’s story, how Soul Life Travel came to be, and her thoughts on inclusion in tourism.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE TOURISM INDUSTRY?
In 2007 I had a life-threatening car accident. At the time I was a lost young woman, who after years of trauma was left near death on the side of a dark Georgia road. I was airlifted to the hospital; my mother was told I had a 50/50 chance of walking again. Thankfully I did walk again, and it was a trip to Costa Rica a year later that changed the scope of my personal and professional life. During the planning stages of this trip, I found that websites, forums, travel books, and backpacking communities seemed hellbent on attracting affluent visitors who were void of diversity and quite frankly, White. None of them seemed to be speaking to me or for me. I set out to change that.
Since that initial trip, I’ve explored Europe, South and Central America, Southern Africa, and Asia. I leveraged my travel resume and was hired by some of the most well-known travel companies in the world. I have done everything from building complex itineraries for those looking to travel to remote destinations, to advocating for travelers with disabilities and queer & BIPOC travelers, who are particularly underserved in the tourism industry.
WHAT IS SOUL LIFE TRAVEL?
Soul Life Travel arranges customized travel experiences for individual and group tours that emphasize Afro-Caribbean heritage and culture in Costa Rica. We offer multi-day tours that include all ground transportation in Costa Rica, hotel accommodations, and select meals and activities. Our mission is to create a truly sustainable business that focuses on the integration of the local community. To accomplish all of this, we work with the best locally run providers in Costa Rica. They offer high-quality unforgettable experiences curated on their own terms. Our community partners and I are deeply rooted in Costa Rica and committed to promoting ecological and cultural preservation, with the shared priority of ensuring every traveler is exposed to an insider’s view of the country.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE SOUL LIFE TRAVEL?
During my first solo trip to Costa Rica, I would post pictures on Facebook of my adventures. They included running barefoot through lush jungles, riding horses through remote villages, and spending days on beautiful beaches. I also fell in love with the small oceanside town of Puerto Viejo, where I was introduced to the area’s Afro-Caribbean culture—which had never been discussed within my mother’s Costa Rican family. Upon my return stateside all my family and friends asked me about travel tips, planning advice, and the “Black side” of Costa Rica. I realized my knowledge, experience, and passion for helping my community live their best travel dreams could go much further. Thus, Soul Life Travel was born!
WHO SHOULD GO ON A SOUL LIFE TRAVEL TOUR? WHAT WILL THEY COME AWAY WITH?
Our clients book our immersive tours because they want something unique and less predictable than what is on the typical Costa Rica tourist circuit. The Afro-Costa Rican experience is often left out of mainstream narratives about Costa Rica and, likewise, out of traditional itineraries. While our expertly designed private tours feature destinations throughout the country, Soul Life Travel’s specialty is the Caribbean Coast—the heartland of Costa Rica’s African diaspora. Our itineraries provide clients with awe-inspiring, affordable options. After amazing experiences of river rafting, rainforests, pristine beaches, culture, and wildlife, they are left knowing they received something authentic and organic.
HOW CAN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY BE MORE INCLUSIVE?
A lot of Black folks like myself have been doing work to have our voices included in travel industry events, marketing initiatives, and storytelling. In primarily White travel spaces, I have been met with fierce resistance when discussing how a lack of representation and recognition impacts us not just as tourists, but as Black people.
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and The Black Lives Matter Movement, the mainstream travel industry is being forced to recognize the Black travel community and simultaneously realize that for years we have been traveling on our own terms without them.
I do this work because I am personally and relentlessly invested in creating spaces where our clients don’t have to culturally be on guard. With Soul Life Travel, I want to make sure we provide experiences in which our clients don’t have to do more work on top of the work it already takes to look for the unique, authentic activities and communities that speak to them.
For me, it has always come down to what the mainstream travel industry’s values are. Soul Life Travel speaks up about and lives by our values every day. Black and Brown people’s customs, cultures, and communities are not just a trend or good PR. I believe it’s crucial for all travel companies to constantly ask themselves, “Can someone look at our overall presence and know that we are unquestionably, unapologetically in the quest for real change?”
*SNAPS*…Here at Soul Life Travel we don’t just talk the talk. We back it up with real action. Click to learn more about Soul Life Travel and our team.
