With this, I am thrilled to now launch my own Travel Café – an extension of my travel business located in Fonthill, Ontario.
As you read this column, you might be asking yourself: why a travel café?
Well, it’s simple: coffee is global and for me it syncs and defines cultures and experiences in so many ways. It allows me to still keep the dream of travel alive as I sit in a very “travel theme space, hopefully with other coffee lovers talking and dreaming of travel.
My new Travel Café, which will open once Ontario re-opens for business, will include coffees from around the world, and let’s not forget baked desserts made by locals. Oh, the entire place is decked out with all sorts of travel-themed-art, a 7-foot gondola, cozy seating, a handmade countertop, and – yes, I need to throw this in here – the world’s most expensive coffee machine (I am exaggerating but it is expensive).
A Coffee aficionado searches for the best beans, the freshest roasts, and caffeine creations available. People want their daily cup of coffee to kick-start their day and boost their energy for the long day ahead.
Caffeine is one of nature’s best energy boosters and statistics show that coffee improves your alertness and helps you overcome fatigue and drowsiness, giving you an energetic start to your day.
If you’re anything like me, traveling is much about the café scene. The smells, the tastes, the treats and of course the people you meet and talk to along the way who are can be valuable resource when travelling: they give precious local insights to allow you to seek out more off-the-beaten-path-places and get a feeling for the local culture and atmosphere. I find I always enjoy eating in places that are less touristy and more “where the locals go”.
As a travel entrepreneur, I threw myself into my business 100 percent. I learned everything I possibly could, read something about a new opening, an award achieved or a notable resort or location I was new to. I saw it as my lifetime MBA and have taken the effort very seriously. I was known for years as the “Google of travel” as I could usually answer any question about travel faster than the world’s most popular search engine.
“Actually the truth is that this picture was taken at one of my favourite European cafés in Vienna. This is Demel. And below Demel is a museum where they talk to you all about the desserts that they have been making for centuries. I am looking forward to literally sitting at a travel desk within my own café. Sipping cappuccino whenever I want and talking to people about travel. Can’t wait,” she says on her Instagram Fan Page.
Coffee, travel, and helping others reinvent their brands
Coffee and travel have long held a deep connection for me, and again the key reason for launching my new Travel Café.
However, there is something more important going on here.
For me, reinvention has meant many things, like connecting coffee with travel, but for others it might mean something completely different.
So, let’s say you own a travel agency, have you considered doing something different – something outside of the box? How about, a Beers of the World Pub? What about Scotch on the Rocks establishment? Wait, what about a Beauty salon called Lipsticks and Lattes? Oh wait, why not a hot yoga studio with a Balinese theme?
You would be amazed at the power of innovation and positive thinking.
Stay busy pivoting and relaunching your brand. I did it and there is no looking back.
