We offer a limited number of trips each year (we have fewer than 300 spots available) to ensure we do what we do best. This approach allows our Founder to dive deep on behalf of our travelers and keeps us aligned with our core values. It also means we attract the right kind of traveler—those who truly appreciate immersive, thoughtful, off-the-beaten-path experiences in the unique destinations we explore.

By keeping our trips small, every member of our team, including our CEO and Founder, can put real care and thought into each traveler’s experience. This is what we pride ourselves on.

Think of us like your favorite bartender—the one who knows your drink, your passions, and who you are. We want to know each of our travelers personally, becoming their go-to travel company and trusted advisor. Our mission is to ensure you’re fully prepared, provide insights you won’t find elsewhere, and deliver exceptional hospitality before, during, and after your trip.

We can only offer this level of care by limiting the number of travelers we serve each year.

For us, hospitality isn’t just a passion—it’s our profession. We take it seriously, and we want you to feel the attention, detail, and care that goes into every moment of your experience.

Our style of travel isn’t for everyone, and that’s by design. We cater to a specific kind of traveler: the curious, open-minded explorer seeking deeper connections with people and places. They venture into emerging and challenging destinations that are harder to visit solo and value experiences that respect local communities and avoid contributing to overtourism. They don’t impose their idea of “authentic” on the places we visit—they’re open to being surprised, challenged, and changed by the journey.

These travelers understand that neither the destinations nor the people we work with are perfect. And while we work tirelessly to create seamless experiences, travel can have its unpredictable moments. Those who appreciate what we do most are the ones who can embrace that unpredictability and adapt as we work together to find solutions

Katalina here, the founder, popping in, to share more about this point.

I’ve always said we have two customers—our travelers and our local partners. We aim to be the best travel company for the 300 travelers who book with us, and just as importantly, the best partner for the local operators we team up with. Over the past decade, we’ve invested countless hours into training and building relationships with our partners to make this a reality. It’s essential that we attract travelers who value these relationships as much as we do.

Our local partners are driven entrepreneurs eager to make a difference for both our travelers and their communities. They’re not looking for charity or a handout—they want someone to believe in their potential. As an entrepreneur myself, I deeply empathize with this. I remember the early days of El Camino, when I too was hoping someone would believe in my drive and determination.

As a company known for thinking outside the box, we’ve built a strong reputation in the travel industry. With that recognition comes valuable connections, which we now want to leverage to ensure our travelers have the best possible experiences, while our local partners continue to thrive.

Every member of our team puts incredible thought and care into each traveler’s experience and every trip, even for destinations we’ve visited many times before (looking at you, Colombia). We’re obsessed with what we do, and understand that destinations constantly evolve—new talent emerges, fresh experiences come to light. We stay connected with local partners and insiders to tap into these new and exciting opportunities. We only integrate what makes sense, constantly refining and doing our own deep research.

We want to ensure that those joining our trips value that level of ongoing passion, dedication, detail, and respect for our local partners. 

El Camino isn’t about catering to the masses—and that’s by choice. It’s about creating meaningful travel that empowers women, respects the places we visit, and offers truly unforgettable moments. You can’t replicate that kind of magic on a larger scale, and truthfully, I wouldn’t want to.

Truthfully, we started our membership because we were getting flooded with emails asking for travel advice and how to travel the “El Camino way,” even if people couldn’t join one of our trips. After working over a decade in the industry, we’ve built a very strong reputation as one of the most innovative travel companies in the space, and along the way, we’ve gained some serious perks and connections.

We created the membership to give our community the same level of access I have as someone who lives and breathes off-the-beaten-path travel and has been deep in the trenches planning some of the world’s most extraordinary experiences. You’ll be able to tap into our extensive network of contacts, insider knowledge, coveted lists, and incredible experts. Trust me, you won’t find this kind of expertise, direct connections, or insights anywhere else on the internet.

At El Camino, we’ve always prioritized high quality over quantity—both online and in real life—and we take deep pride in that. Our membership is no different.