Our Story

We founded Offbeat Travel after becoming friends while working for more than a decade at an industry-leading student travel company. Our CEO Ricardo was running the company’s Costa Rica operations when he hired Harry (COO) and Wainer (Chief of Staff) as seasonal program leaders way back in 2008.

Over the years, Harry and Wainer joined Ricardo as part of the company’s operations leadership, which allowed all of them to witness and contribute to the company’s rapid growth. That work included creating systems that facilitated more sustainable operations. We prioritized the student learning experience, our impact on local communities and safety—helping to elevate the company as an industry leader in all three areas.

Service Learning

We tested the value of international programming and determined that programs help students grow across a range of learning outcomes. Having to navigate through different languages, cultures and daily realities promotes grit, empathy and a sense of community. These are the values that students (young and old) develop when they participate in a homestay, contribute to a community impact project or simply visit a new place for the first time. We challenge students to push their boundaries because we learn the most at the edge of our comfort zones. We teach students about the value of community and the benefits of cross cultural collaboration. 

Community Impact

Our impact on the communities we served dramatically improved over the years. We established three-year service plans, monitoring and evaluation indicators, sustainability goals, community-centered processes for project selection of projects, and a follow up process to ensure the long-term success of those projects. 

Safety and Risk Management

We raised the bar on the industry standard when it comes to safety and risk management through the creation of comprehensive risk management plans, activity standards and a thorough vendor vetting process. 

Forming the teams that implemented these improvements to student learning, community impact and safety and risk management dramatically impacted the trajectory of what would become Offbeat Travel. With this base of knowledge and our own personal experiences, we established Offbeat Travel in 2019, transitioning from employees of this company to their exclusive travel provider. 

We have partnered with local providers around the world to empower them and give them a voice at the table. Who better to guide a group of tourists in the Dominican Republic than a Dominican-American. Who better to explain the horrors of the Khmer Rouge than the grandson of someone who was a victim to the genocide, and who better to teach us the rhythms of Ghana than a native daughter. We value these experiences and are doing the work necessary to assure that those folks who are key components of our programming have a voice in its design, implementation, management, and the economic benefits of its profits. In doing this we are taking the first steps toward decolonizing travel.