Starting as an idea formed in the Wharton MBA program, Eugena Brown and Andrea Vidler found themselves relocating to Santiago, Chile to develop LocalAventura last September. Just six months later, the booking platform is officially launching with an array of passionate Local Guides, including a marine biologist, an expert mountain climber, and an internationally recognized photographer. The platform currently offers more than a dozen unique tour options, and an additional 18 guides have recently signed up and are expected to start listing tours within the month.

With extensive travel experience in Latin America, Gena and Drea created LocalAventura when the two noticed how challenging it was for locals to gain economic empowerment and for travelers to find authentic experiences. The dynamic web platform was designed to connect open-minded travelers with passionate Local Guides who have each been personally interviewed and vetted to ensure quality tours.

“In Latin America in particular it’s tough to find authentic, trustworthy, and unique experiences, because the market is fragmented with tons of individual guides of varying quality. Yet, these are the kind of tours that travelers are really looking for nowadays,” explains co-founder Eugena Brown. “The goal is to fill that gap in the market while giving guides the business resources they need to help their tours succeed. It really is a win-win.”

“It’s been incredible to see how much interest we’ve had,” Chilean-American co- founder Andrea Vidler adds, “In a month, we’ve received over 250 emails from interested guides across Latin America. It shows that the need for this sort of platform in the region is really there.”

LocalAventura is currently expanding its operations throughout its existing countries as well as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panamá, Bolivia, and Uruguay. As they continue to expand, the startup is committed to interviewing and vetting each of their tour guides to maintain their high standard of quality. Current offerings on the platform span a wide range from Peruvian sailing excursions, Patagonia treks, to Argentine asado cooking classes.