CEO and co-founder of El Camino Travel and co-owner of guesthouse Casa Violeta in Granada, Nicaragua
We first heard of Katalina in our Condé Nast Traveler days, when her company partnered on the magazine’s Women Who Travel trips. Their in-depth approach to local culture made small group travel—something we admittedly haven’t done much of—sound really appealing, with visits organized around local artisans, chefs, and other creatives in places like Cuba, Oaxaca, and Cartagena, Colombia, Katalina’s homeland. El Camino has grown a lot since, with trips in nearly a dozen countries, and they have just announced a partnership with Coveteur for the launch of a series of design-centric trips. —A.P.
Tell us about you and your company.
At El Camino, we are passionate about empowering women to travel boldly and off the beaten path. We specialize in hidden gems, ungoogleable travel advice, and exceptional small group trips. I never meant to get into the travel industry. A quick conversation (about drug cartels) with a taxi driver in Guatemala in May of 2014 dramatically changed the course of my life and veered me from international development to hospitality and tourism. El Camino Travel is the culmination of my experiences working extensively throughout Latin America for over a decade, and my creative side that’s obsessively on the hunt for unforgettable people and places that make a destination tick.
What’s the entry level to talk to you?
Our small group trips are on average $3,400 a person to join and we travel to places like Colombia, Cuba, Oaxaca, and Bolivia. We recently have expanded beyond Latin America and have added trips to Morocco and Greece. We also have an annual membership that is $100 a year, where you get access to a travel forum moderated by top-tier destination experts, two extensive travel guides a month, and a community of other bold women travelers.
What is the sweet spot of your expertise?
We like to go to destinations we think are often misunderstood with a global audience and showcase a dynamic cultural and creative lens that is often not written about at large. We want our travelers to walk away from our trips inspired and energized by these destinations and at times have their own preconceptions of the place challenged.
A favorite experience/trip you’ve planned that best represents your travel philosophy…
In creating our itineraries for our small group trips, we always leverage the power of group economics to make experiences that are usually deemed “luxury” or that you would not be able to get on your own more accessible. For example, on our Bolivia trip, we plan a gourmet picnic lunch in the middle of the salt flats (the Salar de Uyuni) of Bolivia, with no other tourists around, where we feel like we have the whole Salar to ourselves.
A favorite hotel/lodge/house you love and go back to again and again…
I am not just saying this because it is our guesthouse, but I could go back to Casa Violeta over and over again. It is a tropical sanctuary where you feel like mother nature is taking care of you. You wake up in the morning to the chirping of tropical birds all around you, and in the evening, there is nothing more relaxing than being on the terrace with a passion fruit margarita in hand, watching the technicolor sunset drop over Mombacho Volcano to the South. I also love that it is located in the wildly colorful colonial town of Granada, Nicaragua, which is filled with so many characters who have become close friends.
The most memorable meal you’ve had while traveling…
Mosquito Supper Club in New Orleans, hands down. Five years later and I still dream about their homemade fried soft-shell crabs and etouffee. I also love that it is served family-style, it is BYOB, and it is located in a stunning home in the Garden District. You truly do feel like you are being welcomed into a home and not a restaurant.
A not-to-be-missed favorite experience in your region of expertise…
Floating in inner tubes down the Don Diego River in the jungles outside of Tayrona National Park in Colombia. It is absolutely blissful, and you will often pass the Kogui indigenous community walking down the banks and fishing.
What is a place we should consider traveling to that could really use our dollars, and what is a place we should put on pause because, even though we love it, it sees too many tourists?
If you’re considering Costa Rica, I highly recommend checking out Nicaragua. It has over 300 miles of emerald coastline, amazing surf, volcanos, jungle, lakes, and colonial towns. Basically everything you would want in Costa Rica, plus more, and a quarter of the crowds.
Underrated Location, overrated location, personal favorite, recent discovery?
Underrated: The community in Granada, Nicaragua
Overrated: Sayulita, Mexico (head to San Pancho instead)
Personal Favorite: The white adobe homes and colorful doors of Barichara, Colombia
Recent Discovery: The wild coastline, jungles, and hot springs of Choco, Colombia
The one thing you always pack…
A bold lipstick. It can quickly dress up any outfit.
What is something you wished we all knew or were better at as travelers?
Push yourself to not follow the crowds and only go to the places you see all over on Instagram, i.e. do not travel for the ‘gram. This quickly leads to overtourism and has a negative impact on the local community. What has unfortunately happened in Tulum, Mexico, is a perfect example of this. Instead, focus on places not on your radar, where you can still have an incredible experience and where tourism continues to be a net positive.
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