Exploring Life & Business with Joao Donadel of Elite Wanderings

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joao Donadel.

Hi Joao, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My passion for traveling and for the world and all aspects of it is something I was born with. My first words were names of countries while pointing them on maps. Languages, history, aviation, and geography have always been on top interests, and I always knew I was made to see and explore our incredible world’s extraordinary beauty and diversity.

Traveling is my fuel for life. I was born and raised in a tiny city in the countryside of Brazil, where the closest airport was ten hours away. Unfortunately, traveling abroad is a big challenge for most people. Salaries are low, flights are expensive, and the currency is weak. Having that in mind, every step of my life was calculated to prepare myself to have travels as an essential part of it.

I started by studying English when I was ten years old. I loved it so much, and I was so good at it that I started teaching English when I was twelve to pay for my Spanish course; one year later, I was also teaching Spanish to pay for my French course, followed by Italian. When I turned fifteen, I was fluent in five languages. I consider that one of the most precious achievements and assets of my life. The ability to communicate gives me the opportunity to connect on a deeper level with people around the world, allowing me to have a unique approach and perspective on people and cultures, creating memories and friends for life, despite being a super cool thing.

As a reward for my efforts, I was able to take my first international trip when I was sixteen. My teenage dream was to take my high school abroad, but because my parents couldn’t afford a year and my savings were not enough, I went to Paris for a month for a French specialization course, and I extended two weeks to visit Rome and London to practice my other languages. I will never forget the day of that trip: January 10th, 2008. That experience changed my life.

I started studying International Affairs still in the countryside, but my insatiable desire to travel made me get a job as a flight attendant when I was eighteen. I moved to Sao Paulo for the position, and the combination of living in one of the largest and most vibrant cities on the planet, working in aviation, and traveling every single week to somewhere in the country made me feel like never before, however, just increased my desire to travel more and more. My airline would only do domestic flights, and of course, I wanted to see the world. When I turned twenty-one, I applied for a cabin crew position at Emirates, which I didn’t pass. But I didn’t give up; I participated in the selection the following year and was finally accepted. I was ready to move to Dubai and see the world.

The job came at a great time because the airline I was working for was going bankrupt, and we experienced mass lay-off. One month after my acceptance at Emirates, I got fired. I was waiting for my Golden Call, which could come anytime. The call would inform my training starting date. I was so excited to move to Dubai that after getting fired, I decided to move to Dubai prior to my starting date to experience the city and start making friends. Three months after moving to Dubai I, I had not received my Golden Call yet, and my funds were going low. It was when I started helping people plan their trips.

Something that was supposed to be temporary became my main income quickly. I embarked on a tour of Asia, where you don’t need much to live. The more I traveled, the more clients I had; it was also the moment when social media started booming, which really helped. Ten months after I left Brazil, I still had not received my Golden Call, but living around the world became the most incredible experience I have ever had. About one year after my approval, I finally received the Golden Call, but I refused the job as a flight attendant and opened my first online travel agency, based in Brazil at the time.

That was a hard decision to take, but I don’t regret a thing. I lived around the world for five years; I had no home, just luggage, a backpack, and a carry-on. Before the pandemic, in the last ten years, I have never spent more than a month without jumping in an airplane and going somewhere in the world. To date, have been to 46 counties.

As I like to travel, I like to learn. The United States has always been the country I most fit in and wanted to live in, so why not study here and fulfill not only my teenage dream but the top of my bucket list: learn how to fly? I got accepted into the Aeronautical Science program and a flight school in Los Angeles and moved to the city two days before the lockdown. Just as too many people, that was a difficult year. Nobody was traveling, so I was not making money; my school closed, I couldn’t fly, and neither traveled. There are things we can’t control in life; we just have to accept, be optimistic, and do whatever we can to overcome whatever challenge we have; never forget to be happy because happiness is a choice around us, even in small things.

I stopped the operations of my old agency, but I reinvented myself and my business during that period. I’ve acquired even more knowledge through courses and certificates; I rebranded and restructured the entire company to better conform with my client’s needs, establishing it in Los Angeles with new goals and strategies.

I couldn’t be happier and more thankful for who I am, for the roads (and airways) life took me, and for the extraordinary people I met along the way. I’m also extremely excited for all the next steps and experiences I will live.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Life is a rollercoaster. We all go through ups and downs, and it is just how it is. I can’t say it was a smooth road because I overcame a lot, but I can’t tell that life is hard because it is not. I believe we create our own reality, and we decide what weight we give to things and situations. I’m very practical and resilient, and I prefer to deal with any challenges I have in the best possible way.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Elite Wanderings is a boutique travel agency specialized in curating travel itineraries based on the client’s personality, tastes, needs, budget and more.

Whether our clients know or not know exactly where they want to go and what they want to do, we focus on identifying all their points of interest. We take the time to understand our client’s true desires to turn any dream into reality.

We are experts in creating memorable experiences giving an exclusive unique access to our clients wherever they go. We ensure the clients always stay in the best location and will have a selected list of restaurants, bars, rooftops, and clubs. They will receive an expert recommendation of activities, places to go, things to see, and experiences to take, and, of course, the best recommendations on flights by someone who takes flying very seriously. One of the points we really value is providing tools for our clients to something new every time they embark on a journey.

Everything is delivered in a beautifully designed document and app to easily access all the details and travel documents anywhere in the world.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Everything happens for a reason, and everything happens at the right time.

Pricing:

• Easygoing (1 destination): $500
• Adventure Pro (2 destinations): $800
• Global Lust (Up to 5 destinations: $2,000

Contact Info:

• Website: elitewanderings.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joao.donadel/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Elitewanderings/?paipv=0&eav=AfZvNv8F5_xOa8kwtgGdoD2IHr88PcW-9fN0VeTloKUwaZleCOMVgY6lHzAFau3NsgM&_rdr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaopaulodonadelzaziki/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FreshLifeOn/videos, https://www.youtube.com/elitewanderings