Built on the belief that travel can heal, inspire, and build bridges between people and cultures, Heart of Travel is a community-driven travel agency that champions human connection, celebrates women, and leaves footprints of positive change.
Speaking over Zoom from her home in Sacramento, California, Chelsea Glass bubbles with excitement. Akin to the anticipation of stopping by your favorite cafe on your way to work—warm and effortless, she radiates the passion that has fueled Heart of Travel’s mission since its inception in 2016.
As the Co-Founder of Heart of Travel, Glass has long been driven by a passion for empowering local communities in Latin America. Born and raised in California, Glass first fell in love with Latin America when she began studying Spanish at the age of 19 while living in Guatemala and working in the tourism industry.
Her immersion in the language, coupled with post-graduate studies in Spanish at CSU Sacramento, led her to become fluent in Spanish and an experienced language instructor. From 2012 to 2016, Glass worked in both tourism and language education, all while pursuing her M.A. in Spanish. In 2017, she returned full-time to Guatemala to co-found Heart of Travel alongside Ana Castillo.
Since then, Glass has dedicated herself to building a travel agency that not only uplifts local communities but also creates an inclusive and supportive environment for women to thrive—especially working moms.
Committed to creating opportunities for women to thrive professionally—whether that means advancing within Heart of Travel, balancing motherhood with a career, or pursuing personal goals outside the company, Glass is a champion for women in the workforce.
Sharing that the current job market in Latin America “is not so great,” for women and that the tourism industry in Latin America is very male-dominated, Glass prioritizes providing her employees with support and schedule flexibility, better equipping them to lead a balanced lifestyle, managing both work and family without having to worry about sacrificing one or the other.
“We have seen a shift in moms having partners who are more supportive of their careers than traditionally would have been the case,” says Glass. “I think offering schedule flexibility and a welcoming culture for kids really makes a difference. At the office, people aren’t afraid that their motherhood is going to negatively impact their employment, and I think a lot of people still tend to feel that way sometimes,” she adds.
“I actually just hired a woman who is pregnant. And she said to me, ‘I didn’t think that you would want to work with me right now because I’m about to have a baby.’ And I told her that as long as we can make this work, this is a plus for me on a personal level because I know the reality is that a lot of people maybe wouldn’t hire her at this stage in her pregnancy,” Glass shares.
Acknowledging that hiring a woman who is pregnant “may not be the most beneficial thing for a business to do from a dollar and cents perspective,” Glass believes that business is not the only thing that’s important.
“Children are literally the future of this planet,” she elaborates. “If parents can’t be present and available and also have satisfaction outside of being parents in their professional lives, I don’t think that’s good for anybody. If Heart of Travel has to sacrifice a little bit of its profitability in order for the people who work here to produce humans who are going to go into the world and do good things, that’s fine with me,” she says.
Heart of Travel is a whole lot more than just a travel company—it’s a community-driven, female-powered movement redefining the way we experience the world.
On a mission to create journeys that go beyond sightseeing and lead to deeper connections with people, cultures, and places, Heart of Travel currently offers multi-day group tours in Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Spain, and soon will be offering tours in Chile and Uruguay as well.
Glass shares that Heart of Travel is also currently partnered with a non-profit organization in the US called the People and Pets project and coordinates an annual trip to Guatemala where they bring a team of doctors and veterinarians to do pop-up health clinics in a few different communities that their tour guides are from.
“We believe travel can heal, inspire, and build bridges between people and cultures. When you join Heart of Travel, you become part of a diverse and inclusive community that champions human connection, celebrates women, and leaves footprints of positive change. Whether you’re a solo adventurer, family traveler, or part of a group, we welcome you to explore the world with us—together, we’ll rediscover the extraordinary in every destination,” she concludes.
To learn more about Heart of Travel or book a tour, be sure to visit their website today. You can also follow them on Instagram or Facebook to stay up to date on their exclusive membership program that’s set to launch next year.