Launching one of the largest travel news websites, I chatted with Travel Off Path founder and CEO, Kashlee Kucheran. Entrepeneur, traveler, digital nomad, and innovator, she’s paving the way for nomads and sharing helpful tips for travelers wolrdwide.
“Solo travel gives you a superpower in many other areas of life, so the sooner you can do it, the better.”
Can you tell us a little about yourself and where your story begins?
I always find these part the hardest to write. If I had to summarize myself , it’s a plane-obsessed flight hacker, retired gamer, geeky girl who somehow blossomed into the CEO of a leading travel news enterprise.
I was born in Canada to very open-minded, freedom loving, extremely entrepreneurial (and a bit crazy) parents. It was definitely through them that I learned not to take life at face value and everything is negotiable. They even let me negotiate dropping out of high school so I could focus on running my first business as a teenager.
After many failed businesses and crazy adventures, I now find myself exactly where I believe it’s my destiny to be. Running a travel company, promoting the digital nomad lifestyle, and inspiring others to live a life my design.
Is there a standout travel memory that encouraged you to pursue a career within the travel industry?
It wasn’t a travel memory that inspired me to make a career in the travel industry, but instead one of monotony. I was in a corporate-type career with a great six figure salary, a new house and a new car, and I was completely and utterly miserable. There was something about living the same day over and over again, in step with someone else’s wishes, and feeling ‘stuck’ in the same small town, that made me want to scream.
Growing up with hippy parents who always took us here and there, I knew staying in one spot wasn’t in my blood. I used the pain of monotony to fuel my transition from full-time employed to full-time traveler.
Starting anything new can be a huge challenge. What were your biggest obstacles you’ve faced along the way?
I’ll be super honest, the biggest obstacles I faced were:
- Being consistent when I wasn’t seeing any progress
- Not earning any money from the site for years
It takes a special kind of person, or immensely stubborn kind of person, to relentlessly pursue a dream without any signs it’s getting closer to reality.
My dream was to be able to support myself and travel the world, sharing my experiences with others along the way. The only problem was it wasn’t profitable until the third year, which put 30+ months of financial stress into the mix. I even moved to Vietnam, a country I could live in for under $1000 a month, to keep costs as low as possible while I tried to make the site a viable business.
I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but it was through those mistakes I was able to find the RIGHT path. Now, I don’t have to live in Vietnam on $1 noodle bowls to survive. I’ve been able to grow the 1 site into 5, open a registered non-profit charity, and welcome more than 50 people onto the team.
What do you think sets Travel Off Path apart from other companies out there?
There are a few things that sets TOP apart from other travel brands and sites.
We are still indie, meaning we’re not owned by a big company with a stuffy office and a bunch of editorial rules. This means we can publish what matters most to our readers and we can easily pivot based on their demands.
Before we create any article or blog, we always ask ourselves “how does this help travelers?”. If we can’t easily answer that question, we don’t publish it. This way, we can stay as helpful as possible for our readers.
We publish the latest travel news, every, single, day, without fail. We haven’t missed one day in over 7 years. People count on us for the latest travel information and we won’t let them down.
Can you share anything that’s new or in the works with Travel Off Path this year?
Travel Off Path PREMIUM, a new members-only club, is launching this spring.
We listened to our readers and it turns out they want more community and more one-on-one customized travel advice.
The membership is a minimal charge at $89 a year, but gives our travel-obsessed readers way more value than we’ve ever been able to deliver in the past.
They get a travel savings card with tons of discounts on brands they already know and love, access to our community chat, reading the site ad-free, alerts for cheap hotel and flight deals. My favourite perk though, is that they get a travel advisor with unlimited custom trip itineraries made based on their budget and wants, or just to ask questions they can’t find answers to on the internet.
I’m really excited to be able to offer a deeper layer of value for people who really want to travel more.
What’s one piece of advice you can give the solo travelers out there, or those looking to take the leap into traveling alone?
It’s not as scary as you think.
Many societies frame women traveling alone as some extremely dangerous event, like diving with bloodthirsty sharks without a cage, when in reality it’s 99.9% the same as your normal life.
Let’s say for example you live in Charlotte, NC and you usually walk around your neighborhood alone, getting coffee, running errands, etc. Now, let’s transport you to Athens, Greece as a solo traveler. It’s really the same thing. Here’s why: Athens is full of ‘you’, or in better words, women who are also alone carrying out their daily lives, without fear or issues.
Most places are full of people who are extremely helpful and if anything, they want to be an ambassador for their country, giving you special treatment as a visitor. After traveling around the world full-time for almost a decade, many of those trips solo, I am convinced there is way more good than bad out there.
Solo travel gives you a superpower in many other areas of life, so the sooner you can do it, the better.
Read the next Women in Travel interview featuring founder and CEO of Wanderful, Beth Santos!
