Persona
Our Manifesto
Yesterday's travel industry isn't ready for tomorrow's travelers.
We are building a movement that will change the way we talk about travel.
The travel industry for too long has commoditized people — just filling seats with whoever was willing to pay. Large travel consortiums and brokers have treated travelers like we're just another butt in just another seat.
Too often, travelers have been corralled into crowded destinations, contributing to the exploitation of natural wonders, landmarks, cities, and cultures. In short, the system has turned tourists into vultures.
Our movement has already begun.
A shift toward meaningful, intentional travel decisions is underway.
The post-pandemic travel industry must prioritize sustainability alongside profitability.
Future travelers will make deliberate choices about their destinations.
The sector requires businesses that genuinely understand customers and can thoughtfully recommend destinations rather than indiscriminately market them.
We will detoxify travel.
Mindful tourism can support environmental conservation.
The industry can reverse patterns of cultural harm.
Intentional travel practices will expand where welcomed.
Direct relationships between travelers and local guides create mutual benefit.
Local experts feel valued when travelers recognize their positive impact.
We believe that every traveler can be an influencer when they are the right traveler, in the right place, at the right time — no matter their race, gender, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, creed, caste, language, or ability.
Traveler's Persona travelers seek informed experiences.
As principled travelers, we don't go:
Don't go because some social media trend told us we had to
Don't go because it was the best bargain we could find
Don't go if we know we'll feel like cattle herded from one overcrowded, overrated place to the next
Don't go if the trip is exploitative — of the land, the destination, the wildlife, or its people
Don't go if we cannot verify that safety standards exist throughout the tourism supply chain
Don't go if the trip isn't right for us, right now
Don't go if we'll be treated as anything less than the individuals we are
We are a principled class of travelers that will pursue, chase, see, and taste everything the world has to offer — without trampling all over it, without crushing it under our feet, without making every place we visit a little bit worse.
This might mean traveling less. Certainly less wasteful travel. Because we believe every trip can be the trip of a lifetime.
We are self-aware and awakened to the world around us.
The framework
We've developed the Traveler's Persona assessment — built with a leading travel psychologist — to identify four dimensions that reveal who you truly are as a traveler.
Not where you've been. Not how many countries you've collected. But how you move through the world — and why every trip feels the way it does.
A note from the founder
“I know I'm lucky to be here today, and that's why I live and travel with intentionality. Having overcome adversity as a child, I know that each day, each moment, and each experience is a gift. It's when I travel that I feel most at home, am in the best mindset, and when I feel healthiest.”
“What I've learned is that I am a particular type of traveler. I'm frequently disappointed in what the travel industry thinks I need to do on my next trip. So that's the company I'm building, with your help — a world where travelers and experience providers are linked together with stunning accuracy.”
