Maria Salazar shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Maria, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I had a client tell me recently that he was rating us a TEN. He had never worked with anyone like us that did what we did and didn’t charge for the extra special attention. He thanked me for the special inclusions in his trip which we absolutely love doing for our clients and he also said that he would recommend me to his friends because the “art of kindness,” he felt had died out. He was so incredibly kind with his remarks and most of the time people don’t see or want to see how long planning their trip takes, the long hours, the long days, the picking out of the perfect villa, location, tours, foods, and then putting one giant bow on it. To my team the heart of what we do is the “experience” but the fact is we invest back into each client with our time, money for, and with pre-planning that is executed by my team to perfection. Days like this one, where this client recognized our work, it made me feel enormously proud.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I can give so many small interpretations of what I do and who I am, but the bottom line is that I am always evolving into a better version of myself and this brand is always evolving to be better than it was the day before. I started with a dream, now 25 years ago, which would give guests a combination of services to add to their vacation rentals. I wanted the chef services, the car services, the tours, experiences, and beautiful villa in an extraordinary location to act as one. This one interpretation of what it means to have it “all.”
Sometimes people say that is a gamble and that it involves too much time. Why not just do it the quick way and use a “click through site or automated site?” That idea albeit fascinating to some and a “quick rich” for others, wasn’t really what I wanted for my clients. I wanted them to feel taken care of, as if they were part of a family, a movement, knowing that we really cared about them and wanted to make sure they were happy, safe, having a good time and enjoying every element of their trip. Of course this same process happens with yachts, hotels, tours, it’s really all of what we do and put our stamp on. Clients who know us, they know what drives us and it’s not only their happiness but our purpose.
I’ve spent the past 25 years working up to a point where I wanted to focus on helping dogs that are abandoned, neglected, abused, and in danger of being euthanized in their local shelters. By working with the “on the ground” rescues and independent organizations we are able to help feed, provide medical care, surgery, and help those shelters run their day to day operations. We also pride ourselves on direct rescues and I have had several rescues myself and still do till this day. In every way we are a part of a bigger movement to make travel about more than just “going somewhere.” When they travel with us they give, not in a small way, but in a big way. They give those animals in need, they provide opportunity for the giving by working with us. Some may not even know how much they impact the lives of so many, but they absolutely do. I am grateful for every single client who decides to work with real people who make a real impact on the world of rescues.
In the future I hope more people will join our purposeful movement and not only experience a great vacation but also know what it means when they spend their money with a company who actually does something, not just on paper, but in the real world. Every day we have at least 2 rescue dogs in our office and that part of the story will never change.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My mother died a couple of months ago and it was and is a very difficult time for me. My mother saw my passion, gave me confidence and showed me that nothing in life is easy but that life itself is filled with color. She was the most passionate, kind, as well as stubborn woman I’ve ever known. She would give the shirt off of her back to help those in need and I know that impacted me more than even she knew. She grew up poor and was an immigrant to this country. She never asked for a dime, but instead worked two jobs almost my entire life. We didn’t have much during my younger years but she did all she could to make sure we had a roof over our heads and food on the table. She taught herself English, how to drive, how to be independent and never give up. Her faith in people was breathtaking and even as I write this I admit she had more faith than I did. She glowed for people, she cared for them beyond words. My sister had a son with a disability that was non-verbal but somehow my mother and he connected on a level I can’t explain. Her love for him and his love for her were extraordinary. She didn’t see his disability but she saw him and that brings tears to my eyes even now just thinking about it.
My mother saw in me a light, a giving, and I know those gifts were from her. It took me a long time to understand all of who she was and what she meant but in the end we are all on a constant journey of discovery. The learning never ends and I hope at the end of my life that I have impacted the world in a way that made a difference, at least that’s what my hope is.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
When was the last time you stopped to ask a person in need how they were? When was the last time someone selling flowers on the side of the street caught your eye? When was the last time you saw someone calling you that you knew needed to talk but you let it go to voicemail? These are things I don’t have the luxury of doing having grown up with so little means and so much suffering. You learn to see people and hear them in a way that is beyond the simple day to day. You see your grandmother in the eyes of people standing in line for food or your brother when you see someone who is suffering from addiction or yourself when you see a child in need of comforting. Those are things you don’t walk away from and they can either make you a better person or they can define your life with fear and anger.
I chose to be the person who gave and who saw but not because I had to. Instead I saw myself in those same people and the fact that it could have been me at some point in my life. I can’t throw stones at those carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders but instead we must as a society reach inward and help to carry those burdens. In order for a society to be better we must introduce humility and humanity as a curriculum because I deeply believe most people walk around with absolutely no feeling of empathy. I am often burdened by my own sadness at the direction of society but as quickly as I feel that impending sadness I am reminded of how to be grateful for what I have. I have a home, wonderful family, beautiful workspace with amazing friends, the ability to give to those in need and purpose to see that I can make a difference.
Suffering molded me into someone who sees what others fail to see and in turn gives me the grace and humility to be and do better. I know I can only be an example if I walk in those shoes that I have forged onto myself with time.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
There is an idea today that working less is smarter and that working hard and long hours is somehow more ambitious. You see this explosion of people working while on their “influencing” but rarely seeing the world for what it is, rarely making an impact on the world around them, rarely helping anyone but themselves. I call it this the Zombie movement of society. They are pretending to be alive in the world but they don’t actually connect with anyone outside of their social platforms. This style of work isn’t helpful in this Mass Hysteria kind of way it’s being developed. We don’t need 2 million influencers but we can use people who Fix Electrical Panels, Fly Planes, Air Traffic Controllers, etc.. jobs that are desperately in need of more people, not less.
Working builds character where it engages us to rise above the failures and to feel happiness in our successes. Those things are measured and build your foundation for the future as a human being and a productive part of society. Instead I see classrooms where we need kids to learn how to communicate with other kids, teens who are losing their lives to social media bullying, young adults we are discouraged about job hunting so they give up entirely and move in with their parents. These are not goal that are sustainable and just because we want to have family/work balance doesn’t mean we cannot put pride and time into building onto our growth through experience. If we continue to ignore this trend and we don’t start to engage young adults on building their foundation through experience we will find ourselves in a very different society. The future cannot be bright if our children are encouraged to be home, not interact with one another, not be a purposeful, helpful, kind, and act in a way that builds character.
I paid for my college education while also being the first person in my family to attend college and graduate. I wanted that for myself because I knew that I could learn about the world and people. I also wanted to be independent and take care of myself, which I did. My education was an important step in my learning process but it also showed me my deficits. If you are open to learning than you should as well be open to discussions about where you are failing, where your life can get better, and how to be a productive part of society.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I’ve been lucky to always have thought about the way I treated others, throughout my young and adult life. I hope people will remember that I gave all I had when I had little and when I had more. I hope people remember that life isn’t about what you get but about what you give without wanting anything in return.
I want to be remember as someone who cared deeply about rescuing dogs, taking care of the environment, advocating for ending the dog meat trade, donating to the rescue of dogs and direct rescue of dogs. I hope people remember that I did my best to inspire giving and kindness, protection of children and those most at risk youth. I hope that by my being alive, during whatever time that may be, that I was of value and served a purpose beyond myself. I work hard at my job so that I have the ability to do good. I pray daily to God that I can continue that impact through working hard and perseverance. I don’t expect anything for free and I ask is for the opportunity to do good and for the support of our clients in that endeavor.
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