Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Clements.
Hi Kate, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I was originally born and raised in Reno, NV, and although I love the area, I have always known that by the ocean is my true home. As I began to travel, I way always drawn to places like Thailand, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and of course San Diego.
With a life-long interest in wellness, personal development, and meaningfully connecting with others, I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to “do.” I subscribe to the idea that variety is the spice of life, and I never wanted to find myself “stuck” in a job or path that didn’t excite me. After moving to North County San Diego in 2012, I started my career as a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant and got my Pilates + Yoga Teacher Certifications. Although I found a lot of satisfaction and meaning being able to connect with so many people and offer support and knowledge to help improve their health, something still felt like it was out of alignment. I started to feel the itch… the itch to not have to request days off, spend hours on insurance documentation, or to follow guidelines and rules that didn’t make sense to me. Why couldn’t I just like move to a beautiful, tropical place and spend my days doing a mixture of all my favorite things, creating experiences for people that promote love of the ocean, adventure, perspective, wellness, growth, enjoyment, and connection?!? So in 2017, I did just that: quit everything, moved to the Dominican Republic, worked at an oceanfront hotel teaching yoga and Pilates in Cabarete, the home of a large watersports community; however, since long-term planning was/is not my personal strong suit, this endeavor ended just 4 months later, where I came crawling back to my old job, kinda disheartened that I hadn’t achieved more out of that opportunity.
But the seed had been planted, and a fortunate meeting with my business partner Chance in 2019 added the missing piece to making this lifelong dream a reality. With our shared love of the ocean and surfing, Chance’s business + real estate background, and my passion for health, wellness, + connection, we decided to start making moves. We like to refer to 2020 as the Year of the Pivot because the pandemic shook things up so much we figured… why not just do it now? So, we made the plunge, quit our jobs, and moved to Nicaragua in 2020 to develop our company, Room to Roam. A little over two years in, and I can say that damn! It feels good to see the seed growing into something so great. I have manifested a life full of so many of my favorite things…and it doesn’t require a request for time off anymore:)
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Haha!!! I forgot what a smooth road looks like! I am halfway kidding because there have been (and continue to be) many amazingly easy and “in-the-flow” opportunities, connections, and developments. However,… when people think that I just live some perfect, ideal life in paradise, they aren’t privy to the daily challenges that arise when starting an international travel business during a pandemic. It can be simple and obvious things like power outages, tropical storms, and overall reduced infrastructure challenges. But some of the real struggles were understanding how to create the best people-first company culture within an entirely different overall culture. The strain that starting a business places on all aspects of your closest relationships. The financial discomfort of investing in something you wholeheartedly believe in but can’t guarantee the success or return in advance. While I am so happy to be on the journey and seeing the success of our vision come to life, startups are not for the faint of heart.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Room to Roam?
Room to Roam represents the magic that happens when people are given a chance to explore, adventure, and experience new things. So often the joy and freedom of “roaming” gets clouded by our day-to-day routines and deterred by the amount of time it requires to plan out all the details of a vacation.
Room to Roam is our creation of a brand and service that takes all the hassle of travel logistics off your plate and curates experiences that infuse activity, fun, wellness, adventure, community, and support of the local economies. Whether you are a solo traveler, group, family, or company, we offer and curate all-inclusive experiences year-round. We preserve the creature comforts that the modern traveler wants and promote authentic and cultural experiences that make travel so special in the first place.
We currently have destinations in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Bali. Whether surf, wellness, adventure, or relaxation is your style, Room to Roam creates amazing + unforgettable experiences in beautiful places.
Additionally, we have a specific niche in our curated retreat hosting services.
Room to Roam’s concierge-level support and service is what sets us apart from other retreat hosting spaces. Not only do we provide beautiful accommodations, all transportation, and delicious food, we handle all of the back-end logistics for both you + each of your guests. Additionally, in our model the retreat leader does not have to put down a deposit to secure their dates on our calendar. Without this initial burden, the retreat hosting opportunity becomes much more accessible and supported by Room to Roam right off the bat.
The details of marketing + coordinating international travel, meals, activities, transportation, lodging, payments, and more for a larger group of people entails quite a bit of time and management to properly execute. We understand that those responsibilities can take away from the fun, flow, and freedom of hosting a retreat. With these logistics taken care of for you, your energy can stay focused on creating the retreat experience that you yourself get to enjoy.
You will also have the confidence in knowing that R2R will support the entire travel process for your guests from start to finish, including personalized flight recommendations, transportation arrangements, dietary restrictions, and all travel preparations.
One of our core values is supporting the local economies in which we roam, promoting travel that has meaning, connection, and mutual benefit for the travelers and locals alike. Hosting a retreat with us supports a collective vision of making small (and big) ripples that make a positive difference in the world….one human connection at a time.
Alright, so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We are all about the power of community + making meaningful connections with other rad people and businesses that share our vision. There are several awesome ways to collaborate, support, and join our team!
-If you want to host your own retreat with our unparalleled support, reach out directly to me kate@room-roam.com to get more info and set up a call!
-If you want to go on your own amazing trip (solo, group, surf trip, retreat, family, etc.)-visit our website at room-roam.com to see our available packages, and never hesitate to reach out with any customizing questions. Our goal is to give you the most kick-ass trip of your life!
-Join our Sales Ambassador team and make commissions on any referrals for either retreat leaders that host with us or guests that come on one of our trips! Email hello@room-roam.com
-Interested in a work-trade opportunity? We are accepting applications for 2023 opportunities! If travel and doing amazing things with amazing people is your jam…we would love to hear from you. Email your resume and interest to hello@room-roam.com.
-Have an amazing boutique hotel/property that we may be able to partner with to add to our destinations? Let us help you sell your rooms with our curated experiences; everyone wins! Email chance@room-roam.com for more info.
Contact Info:
- Website: room-roam.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/roomtoroam.experiences
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/roomtoroam.experiences
Image Credits
Andres Weishaupt
Sadie Simonis
