Rethinking How We Travel Latin America — With Melanie Marsell, Co-Founder of Explore the Americas (Part 1) | #144
Latin America accounts for just a fraction of global tourism—but Melanie Marsell believes travelers are overlooking one of the most diverse regions in the world. As the co-founder of Explore the Americas and Dive the Americas, Melanie has built her career around helping people experience the region differently. Born in Costa Rica and raised between Costa Rica and Florida, her journey took her from hotels and travel consulting to scuba diving and eventually entrepreneurship. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we talk about what travelers actually value, responsible tourism beyond the buzzwords, the misconceptions still holding Latin America back, and what it takes to build a travel company around the places and principles you genuinely believe in. Next Wednesday, Melanie’s business partner Kathleen Hall joins us for Part 2.
Show Notes
keywords
Travel, Latin America, Sustainable Tourism, Dive Travel, Costa Rica, Adventure, Travel Business, Ecotourism
key topics
Melanie's background and childhood influences
The evolution of her travel career and business
The importance of sustainable and responsible tourism
Building a trusted network of dive operators
The challenges and rewards of scouting locations
Balancing luxury and authenticity in travel
The perception of Latin America as a travel destination
Lessons learned from saying no to opportunities
Future plans for Explore the Americas
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Melanie Marsell and her travel background
01:00 Growing up between Costa Rica and Florida: How travel shaped her
03:04 Early career in hospitality and tourism industry insights
04:59 Expectations vs. reality in the tourism industry
07:07 Costa Rica's eco-tourism and sustainability values
08:55 Bird watching and biodiversity in Costa Rica
12:07 Starting Dive the Americas: Identifying a market need
15:00 Meeting her business partner Kathleen and their journey together
16:50 Adapting during the pandemic and exploring scuba diving
20:59 Transition from dive trips to broader travel experiences
28:58 Core values: Responsible and sustainable travel
35:12 Perception of Latin America as a travel destination
36:58 Being an ambassador for Latin America and cultural identity
39:02 The importance of saying no and maintaining values
42:07 Expanding to explore other destinations in the Americas
44:09 The realities of scouting and vetting travel providers
45:54 Favorite travel experiences in Latin America
49:01 How to decide when a destination is ready for the portfolio
50:03 Balancing luxury and adventure in travel experiences
51:58 Advice for travelers planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip
53:59 Business partner rapid fire: travel preferences and insights
58:04 Follow Melanie and explore the Americas online
58:59 Upcoming episode with Kathleen and future plans
resources
Explore the Americas - https://exploretheamericas.com
Dive the Americas - https://divetheamericas.com
guest links
Instagram - https://instagram.com/exploretheamericas
