Meet Nicole Bushhouse | CEO & Founder of Unruffled Travel

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Bushhouse and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve been a traveler for my whole life and ramped up my international traveling over the last decade or so to more off-the-beaten path destinations like Cambodia, Mozambique and Peru. I found that while I love the excitement and novelty of traveling, I also have a lot of anxiety and hyper-vigilance surrounding the experience of travel. Over the past few years, via social media, alongside much of the general public, I am learning more about lesser known traits and expressions of ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and see myself reflected in those traits. As a cis girl growing up in the 80s and 90s, we were not diagnosed with ASD or ADHD at the rate boys were, so many of us have only come to the realization recently that we are Neurodivergent. Learning that I’m Neurodivergent has been transformative in terms of self-understanding and self-compassion. I’m also gaining insight into my needs and limitations and making sure they are communicated and respected.

I started Unruffled Travel, in large part, because I want to share my travel experiences with others to hopefully help them learn from my successes and failures. I’ve started cataloging some of my intuitive strategies for managing my sensory sensitivities, check-lists and other planning tools I use and sharing them on my website or via my newsletter. My desire is to create a community of Neurodiverse explorers to learn from and to create safe spaces out in the world for each other.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m at the very beginning of my entrepreneurial journey, it’s been fascinating, exciting, joyful and at times overwhelming, challenging and confusing. One of the things that helps me is to know that I have a support system of friends and family who are encouraging, help me strategize, problem solve and are my cheerleaders and promoters. Back in January of this year, I hired Rani Cheema of Cheema’s Travel as a business coach to guide me early on in my journey and I think that helped me avoid some common pitfalls and build industry connections.

One of the exercises that was recommended to me early on, was getting clear on the ‘why’ because this informs the ‘how’ of your business. My core values for this business, which I have posted up in front of me at my desk, are Respect & Accessibility, Re-Investing in Women-Identifying Persons, and Creating Enchanting Adventures for my clients. Taking Respect as an example, in terms of travel, this means respect for the places we visit and for other people and cultures. One way I demonstrate respect when traveling to another country, is to learn a few polite words in the local language(s) such as hello/goodbye, please and thank you and to say them often. Another way to offer respect is to spend money in a local community, that could be through eating local ingredients, supporting artisans or engaging local guides to provide information and tours.

I want to help you immerse yourself in a culture and place when you visit it. By using my services, my clients have access to my extensive destination research and knowledge base. I have traveled on 5 continents and spent significant time studying to become a Certified Destination Specialist for some of my favorite places, including South Africa, Morocco, Amsterdam, Italy & Hawai’i. As part of my bespoke itinerary creation, I include recommendations for media like books and playlists to begin engaging with the place(s) you’ll be traveling to ahead of your adventure. In addition to sharing some basic language tips, I provide tips for destination/culture specific etiquette to help you integrate and travel with intent. Traveling is an experience you’re spending significant time and money on and I want to help you get the most out of it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I just wrote a guide on my 5 favorite hikes less than an hour drive from Denver, including some local restaurants and breweries to refuel at LINK: https://www.foratravel.com/guides/KNY3GL/5-best-hikes-near-denver-nicole-bushhouse

Outside of exploring the hiking trails, Denver has a vibrant art and music scene. Scope out your favorite indie bands at tiny venues like the Hi-Dive (also serving excellent vegan food next door Sputnik), Globe Hall or the Lost Lake Lounge, or mid-size venues like the Bluebird Theater and Ogden Theater or the new, larger Mission Ballroom. If you happen to be in Denver on the first Friday of the month, don’t miss the Santa Fe Arts District where you can pop into numerous galleries and grab street food and wander around checking out (and buying) works from local artists. Or visit the newly renovated the Martin Building and its new Anna & John J. Sie Welcome Center at the Denver Art Museum and grab a bite at Leven Deli Co.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have been tremendously inspired by several of my dear friends and fellow Coloradans who started their own business ventures in the last few years. They have been a super supportive, generous group and I’ve learned so much from watching them build and grow their businesses.

Michelle Simpson of Otherworlds Seed Co. transforming unsustainable grass lawns into native pollinator meadows. In her first year of business, folks in Denver and the Front Range planted over 20,000 Square Feet of native meadow habitat.

Alison Meyer of Indigo Communicationsa marketing and communications wizard specializing in Content strategy, planning and writing. She is on a mission to boost your business’s credibility and visibility by helping you win coveted business awards.

Jordan Bagus of Larapin Design Studio is preserving architectural gems in Denver and beyond. Website: https://www.larapindesign.com/about

Vanessa Reeves (alongside her husband, Ian) of Pirate Chef Catering – I’ve been fortunate enough to be a taste-tester for some of their delicious creations. Website: https://www.piratecheffood.com/#/

Elise Fabricant of Wild Precious Life Therapy & Coaching – she’s been my coach for over 5 years now and keeps me challenged and on track. She recently started her own private practice Website: https://wildpreciouslifetherapy.com/

Website: https://www.unruffledtravel.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unruffledtravel/

Image Credits
Abby Chmil – for photographs of Nicole Nicole Bushhouse for all others