There is a large amount of importance put on networking, but many individuals do not know just how important it really is. While national and international networking may seem a little intimidating, they are very beneficial in a variety of ways. Here are the top five benefits of taking a chance and networking through travel.
Olivia and her friend Sarah Herron, who appeared on Sean Lowe’s season of The Bachelor and on two seasons of Bachelor in Paradise, are coming at you from their tour bus in Morocco on an Acanela Expeditions trip! The two are talking about their trip through the country and how it came about, what an influencer trip really means, and they’re so committed to the episode that they’re taking the podcast equipment into the woods while spotting monkeys in the wild!
BYU alumna and entrepreneur Kylie Chenn loves traveling the world and learning about the people around her. During her undergraduate degree in business at BYU, Chenn spent time studying abroad, which inspired her to found Acanela Expeditions.
As the CEO of Acanela Expeditions, Chenn hopes to give others the opportunity to see what she sees.
Read more about Kylie’s story and how she curates cultural experiences abroad HERE!
I founded Acanela Expeditions when I was 20 years old, a university student, and no money in the bank. My Boutique Travel Company now takes 1000+ people on trips around the world each year, and has doubled in Revenue each year for the past 3 years. Here are my Top 10 Tips on how I grow my business (and how you can grow your business as well).
In Episode 47 of the Founder To Founder Podcast Phil speaks with Acanela Expeditions CEO & Co-Founder, Kylie Chenn. Kylie has boot-strapped her venture from a $1,000 entrepreneurship prize she received at university into an eight-person team who send thousands of people on unique travel experiences each year. Kylie and Phil talk about how building communities and partnerships can fuel efficient growth, why continuous learning is important and the three habits that founders need to be successful.
I have traveled to over 80 countries, and am a female entrepreneur — founding my company Acanela Expeditions while still a Sophomore in University. What started out as a semester abroad, turned into a year of researching, networking, and traveling that helped me build the foundation for my business. Fast-forward a couple years and my university started business is now a million dollar company.
Lehi.Space is an 8,000+ square foot coworking space in Lehi Utah featuring shared spaces, private desks, and small offices (for teams of 1–10+). Common spaces have a distinct aesthetic that will inspire your creativity as an individual and/or collaboration as team. Memberships start at $50 with access to shared office facilities and events. Amenities include Fiber Internet, Common Areas, Conference Rooms, Printers/Scanners, onsite staff, 24/7 Access, Drinks & Snacks, and unique networking events!
The Lehi Coworking Space is set to open in April 2018, and Acanela Expeditions will open up it's second office in Utah and be one of it's first tenants. Register Now for your shared office at Lehi.Space!
Acanela Expeditions' founder, Kylie Chenn, sits down with Alexa Jorgenson of Munchin' With Moguls to discuss how to have a more enriching experience when traveling. Highlights include Acanela's backstory, how to embrace the local culture, balancing life with travel, and an anecdote about sun-dried mice. Intrigued? Pull out your headphones and listen to this awesome podcast!
This past Saturday on January 14th, 2017 we hosted our first Influencer brunch called "Taste the World with Acanela Expeditions!" We started planning this event in November not knowing what would come out of this.
We wanted to make this event intimate and unique that the influencers really wouldn't know what to expect. We left details very vague and surprisingly we had a group of 7 influencers from the Los Angeles area attend our event! We invited a variety of influencers from fitness, lifestyle, and fashion/style - but they had one goal: to travel more in 2017.
Once the influencers started trickling in, we got them seated and ready for their 7-course meal they were about to dine on. Kylie created the menu months in advance and perfected it to be the best dishes from the countries that she picked. See the menu below!
Not to brag, but do the dishes sound delicious or what?! They were plated so perfect and petite that everyone (including me) was wanting more. Our goal for this event was to have multiple discussions around travel. We had everyone introduce each other, what they did for work / their blog, and where they wanted to travel to in 2017. Some influencers said Greece and Italy, or to their homeland to the Philippines, Australia, and Peru. The options were endless! Check out our recipes for our African peanut sweet potato stew and Moroccan Shakshuka!
We had several guest speakers who we invited to talk to the influencers about their travel experiences with Acanela. We had Megan talk about her time in Southeast Asia while the Pomelo Salad was being served. She also talked about how traveling can produce a happy lifestyle. Then we had Kendra speak about her time in Peru and she showed us amazing textiles she brought from Peru. Hannah traveled to Finland with our guide, Tate Drucker and raved about her experience traveling with one of her greatest role models. Thank you Megan, Kendra and Hannah for coming!
We later had a discussion on how stepping outside our culture affects us in a positive way. I loved this discussion because it showed me how where ever you travel, you will learn something new no matter what. Whether it's going to the different markets to buy local produce or new styles / fashion you can learn in a city across the world!
To conclude the event, Kylie talked about how travel can grow your business whether you are in the fitness, lifestyle/travel, or fashion/style world. We talked about how Acanela can help them make their 2017 travel dreams a reality! I keep replaying this event over and over in my head because it was such a great experience for everyone. This event was probably different from other events that the influencers have attended in the past but we wanted to make this special and unique in the Acanela way. Check out the photos below and what the influencers had to say about the event! Also, give them a follow! If you are interested in attending our future events - email me at liz@acanela.com!
Melina Nasab - @melnasab
Veronica Prince - @veronica.prince
Remi Ishizuka - @RRAYME
Meagan Kong - @meagankong
Melissa Eckman - @melisfit_
JNEL - @jnelv
Michelle Carigma - @_modernfit
Photo Credit: Remi Ishizuka
Photo Credit: Remi Ishizuka
Meet Tate Drucker and Haley Littleton - 2 amazing women who have traveled to more countries than I can think of! I asked them to share what they are excited most about being a guide for Acanela in 2017 and the inside scoop on their next trip!
Photo website: http://www.tatedruckerphoto.com/
Travel blog: http://www.theupwardbound.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tatedrucker/
Tate has been an avid traveler since she first studied abroad at 15 years old and began selling photos to keep herself sustained and constantly moving on the road. Since then, her photos have been featured in 20+ various publications and online networks, including Thought Catalog and National Geographic. She is also active with writing; and is the author of a novel and in the process of finishing her second book.
Her path has taken her to 65+ countries around the globe, on an unwavering pursuit of stories, backcountry guiding and adventure, and a constantly changing horizon. She currently lives in San Francisco in the field of environmental and conflict photojournalism, with the ultimate goal to produce something significant with her camera in hand.
I asked her to talk about her experience on being an Acanela Guide and one of her favorite trips she's excited for in 2017 -
"There is nothing more extraordinary and exciting that witnessing a group of photographers see a herd of elephants at sunset for the first time, or hearing lion calls from outside their tent at night, or watching the sunrise from atop one of the tallest sand dunes in the world. It’s moments like that, that make me so passionate about being an Acanela guide.
In 2017, I’m excited to explore and revisit my personal favorite location in the entire world - Tanzania. There is a reason why Tanzania has been the subject of novels of Hemingway and the poems of Churchill; from the sloping foothills of Kilimanjaro, to the sparkling seas of Zanzibar, to the spectacular safaris of the north, Tanzania earns its reputation as one of the most beautiful places in all of Africa for a reason. It was my first country I ever visited on the continent, and every opportunity I’ve had since my return has reminded me why I fell in love with Tanzania in the first place. I’m overjoyed to see it again, and to watch others fall head-over-heels with Tanzania, just like I did."
Mixed in with this obsession to explore has always been a deep love and reverence for words, people, and stories, which led Haley to study English Literature and Creative Writing. After undergraduate, Haley spent time living in Amsterdam before entering graduate school at the University of Denver and receiving her Master's in English. Haley has been published in various journalistic and creative writing publications but, most recently, writes for Alpine Modern Magazine.
Website: https://museumstomountains.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haley_kit/
Haley has spent the last six years writing, editing, and working as an editorial assistant on publications ranging from the outdoors to politics and literature. Haley's interests hover around environmental impact, outdoor adventure, non-fiction narratives, and ethical traveling. Whatever interesting and strange foods she gets to eat along the way the better. With an interest in environmentalism, climbing, backcountry skiing, and craft beer, Haley plans to always keep Colorado as a home base.
"As a dedicated traveler and lifelong learner, I'm excited to come onto to the Acanela team for our 2017 expeditions. My favorite part of traveling is the ability to distance yourself from what is familiar and discover incredible stories of diversity along the way. Because of this, I'm excited that my 2017 trips will focus on travel writing and the ability to help tell the narratives of the people and places we come into contact with and the ways that they transform us.
I'm especially excited for my expedition to Bhutan - a country that is quite difficult to get into but is known for their rich culture of food, Buddhism, and hospitality. This will certainly be an "out-of-your-comfort-zone" trip but travelers will reap the reward of discovering a completely different method of living! I'm also looking forward to Siberia - the Trans Siberian railroad in literary history has an almost mythical notion and beautiful, hidden things are waiting to be explored as we travel through the vast tundra."
We are excited for their 2017 trips! Check out our website for all of the trips we have to offer!
