Meet Valerie Russell | Solo Adventurer and Travel Agency Owner

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

Hi Valerie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I studied for a career in law enforcement, and worked in local law enforcement in New York, where I’m from, for a number of years. However, I was severely sexually harassed by my colleagues and decided to leave the job behind. That left me with a big question: what was I going to do for a living? The skills weren’t super transferable, and I’d dreamt of being in law enforcement since I was a little girl. However, I had also dreamed of living abroad again (I studied for my Master degree in the UK), and I started brainstorming things to do, places to go, and how to make a living. Of course, there were logistical issues (immigration, visas, having the capital to start a business), but I did a LOT of research and planning, settled on Guatemala, and off I went! When I look back on it now, maybe I was a little crazy, but it’s worked out, so I can’t complain.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Due South Travels was born out of my own love of travel, my desire to help that love of travel grow in others by making travel exciting, accessible, and affordable. I came to Guatemala with the intention of starting a business here although I had never been in the country before. I spent my first 6 months traveling and doing all the things that my potential future clients would want to do, so I could provide the best insight possible, and make it a comfortable experience for all.

Honestly, when the pandemic began, I looked in the mirror and said “Oh no, what did I do!?” I wasn’t sure what the future held, and I was scared. How would a small, new tourism business survive this? I worked a second job for a few years until Due South could hold its own, and then as we grew, I slowly brought in team members, but it wasn’t easy. I can’t say I ever wanted to give up, but there were times when I felt that might be the only option. I made mistakes, some of which were costly, but each week a lesson is learned, and we move forward.

Before coming to Guatemala, I used to work a lot, and I really valued having a fair work/life balance. In fact, it was one of the reasons I decided to start my own business – I had dreams of having more free time to do the things I loved. However, it didn’t quite pan out that way until just recently. After the pandemic, as tourism took off, I found myself losing that balance. There hasn’t been a single day out of the last 3 years that I haven’t spent time working for my business, however, that’s slowly changing as we’ve grown enough and I now have two full-time team members who are helping alleviate my workload. I was incredibly burnt out at the start of the year, coming off a few months straight of 16 hour/7 day work weeks. We’re now finding a rhythm that has helped me remove myself from the day-to-day to free up more personal time so I can enjoy the things that inspired me to begin Due South Travels… specifically, traveling!

More than anything, I’m passionate about what I do. Its extremely rewarding to me when someone tells me how much they’ve enjoyed their trip or how it has opened their eyes and inspired them as well. It keeps me motivated to maintain fair pricing, create beautiful, custom experiences for travelers, and to be available to them during their trip, which is something I constantly receive positive feedback about.

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?
Guatemala is a vibrant country, and its most important to me that visitors get to know the beautiful indigenous culture that makes this place special. We would start in Antigua, arguably the most visited location in Guatemala, learning about the history of the town, visiting the local market, and participating in a local cooking class. Guatemala’s number one adventure activity is also based out of Antigua, and that would be conquering the mighty Acatenango Volcano! This 1.5 day hiking and camping experience is a once-in-a-lifetime activity, and although extremely physically strenuous, it’s definitely worth it to see Fuego Volcano erupting up close. Perhaps after that, you’d need a relaxing few days at Lake Atitlan, the deepest lake in Central America, ringed by three quiet volcanoes and a variety of villages with a beating Mayan culture. One of my favorite activities is meeting a local guide to participate in some intimate home visits where you learn about the process of making corn tortillas (a Guatemala staple), enjoy a temazcal sauna, and make tamales with mushrooms grown in the village (through a new sustainable tourism initiative). If you need a relaxing soak in a hot tub, I’d suggest Casa del Mundo hotel’s lakeside, wood-fired tub for your sore muscles. Although a week doesn’t allow for much, we’d take a quick trip up north by plane to visit Tikal National Park. This massive site is a must-see for visitors to Guatemala, with beautiful and sacred classical era archaelogical remains of what once was a grand Mayan city. Truly, visitors are blown away by the geography, culture, and beauty of Guatemala, and a week is just enough to scratch the surface.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I was reading a lot in the years 2011-2014 and came across Tim Ferris’ 4-hour Workweek and the parable of the Mexican fisherman, and it really rang true. Although I had been working hard to achieve my career goals, I thought to myself, “If I were to die in a year, what is the ONE regret I would have?” and truly, it was that I wanted to live abroad again! (I moved abroad to the UK for my Master in Forensic Anthropology degree 2005-06). I wasn’t quite sure when, where or how I would make it happen, but when the time came that I decided to leave my career in law enforcement, I took the leap!

Website: www.duesouthtravels.com

Instagram: duesouthtravels

Facebook: www.facebook.com/duesouthtravels 

Image Credits
All of these are from my iphone, so not the best quality. Let me know if there are any issues, sorry!