Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalia Ordonez.
Hi Natalia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started out working in tourism pretty much “by accident” when my cousin called me up to help her out for the summer when I was still in college. She was the leader of a well-known incoming travel agency in Lima, Peru, and needed a person she could trust to join a team of 5 in the operation of shore excursions for a few cruise companies that arrive on the Peruvian Coast, every year from November through March.
It was by far the most exhilarating job I’ve had. Early mornings, and long nights. We needed to be at each port before the cruise arrived, and well after passengers had embarked back. That triggered something, as I was studying translation and interpretation, which I found super boring. You’d understand if you knew me personally, I’m the type of person who cannot stand still, and multitasking is for me the only way of life.
After the summer, I finished college, got my degree, and returned to the same travel agency for a “permanent” position. I went through several positions actually within the same company. I was the Assistant Manager, then moved into Marketing and then Sales. Little by little I fell in love with tourism. It was dynamic, every day was completely different, and there were many ways you could innovate and keep moving.
I had other jobs in other travel agencies for a few years, and back in 2012, I realized that there was room for something different, so I started my travel agency Be Part of the Journey (B2C). We organized tailor-made trips worldwide, and then also founded a tour operator SUR Travel (B2C) in partnership with a company in Argentina, focussed on developing tailor-made trips in South America, mainly Peru, Chile, and Argentina.
What you need to know about me. I grew up in a creative-entrepreneurial environment with my grandparents both business owners, and my parents both artists. My mom is a ceramic artist and my dad was a music composer. They were both born into traditional families but were the alternative siblings, the ones who did things differently. My grandmother used to sell vacuum cleaners door-to-door when she first started after divorcing her husband at the time, a very brave move in the 1950s.
She founded a catering company that had one huge client, a cement fabric one hour outside of the city. She was in charge of that company for 30 years and was an inspiration for her team, which she built from the ground up, and for me. My grandfather, who had a mechanical workshop that was inherited from her father, was a bit different. A lot more chill than Grandma (she was a force), but solid, trustworthy, and lovable.
Just observing all of them going through the ups and downs in each one of their paths helped me figure out what I wanted to do. At first, I was determined to get into art school. Then, I changed my mind because, at that time, that was too ethereal, and thought architecture was my future. I kept that idea for years, and when I was in college I took sculpture classes, did some collage, and also photography.
Not being sure of exactly what to do, what I was sure of was that I wanted to create my world. The field was not important then, I just wanted to create something. So, when I decided to go into business with my tourism companies, I was sure I was taking the right route. Tourism is an activity that is everything BUT boring. 11 years later, I’m happy with the community we’ve created, the team that I have, and the connections we have shaped through the years.
Last year we doubled the size of the company in all respects, and I have been preparing for that for a while now. We’ve implemented a new CRM and made a lot of important, structural changes that now allow us to grow even more, without losing our essence: tailor-made trips that put quality first, with seamless customer service and on-site logistics.
For the future, we are looking to expand our Product Portfolio with our Curate Collection of trips, our small group departures focused on a particular interest like design, art, architecture, wine, and gastronomy and led by a specialist in the subject, to destinations like Morocco, South Africa, Peru, Turkey and many more.
In the future, we will hire more Travel Experts to join a business model that is motivational and fair. All our Travel Experts join as associates earning as much commission as the agency. We provide the platform, administrative and back office support, access to tourism congresses, trip opportunities, technology, and the most important thing: connections with incredible humans and professionals in the industry, who help us achieve our daily goals, while they take the time to know each traveler, and focus on what they do best: organize trips that will remain in our clients’ memories.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
COVID-19 was terrible for the industry, but we made it through by selling virtual experiences. We started working with a few universities in the States.
They booked virtual safaris and virtual city tours, all done LIVE from each destination. We were able to do this alongside our local partners, whom we trained to develop the format we wanted: documentary-style live sessions.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a tailor-made travel agency with headquarters in Miami and Lima, with 10 years of operation in the Latin American and US markets.
Together with the best agencies in the world, we are part of the exclusive Serandipians community, providing our clients with Exclusive Benefits such as Upgrades, complimentary breakfasts, VIP Check-in and VIP treatment, Spa credits, VIP amenities, courtesy dinners in over 1,500 hotels worldwide.
To say we’ve been around is an understatement! We’ve traveled to every continent in search of the best routes, hotels, and specialists to be able to offer you the very best, and with the contracts and benefits we can offer, rest assured that we will design the best and most memorable trip for you.
We’ve organized over 5,000 tailor-made trips. From honeymoons to business retreats, our range is broad, but our essence is the same: tailor-made amazingly detailed experiences and journeys worldwide.
This year, we launched the first issue of our travel magazine, holding the same name as the company Be Part of the Journey. 1,000 copies, 2 covers in both English and Spanish with around 15 articles on each side, with different content, showing the stories behind our trips, and curated information that you can use for your next trip.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
We put quality first. We prefer not to sell something even if it’s a great sale, if it does not meet our quality expectations, and we are picky!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bpjourney.com
- Instagram: @bepartofthejourney
- Facebook: @bepartofthejourney
