Life & Work with Karolina Guilcapi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karolina Guilcapi. 

Hi Karolina, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Karolina Guilcapi, and travel has always been a part of my life. We won the visa lottery when I was 10 years old, and moved from Warsaw, Poland to Brooklyn, New York. It was that culture shock which awakened a sense of adventure within me. From then on, I lived, breathed, studied, and plotted a way to make travel the center of my career. 

Since 2006, I have been specializing in Latin America, putting together unique and private experiences for my clients. I have traveled to over 40 countries and during each trip, I dove deeper and deeper into the culinary scene. I quickly realized that to understand the culture, you must eat the food. I learned that to break bread with someone creates a special moment for storytelling and memory-making. I knew food has to be the core of each trip I offer. 

I founded Sated Ventures so that I can continue creating private experiences for food and wine lovers around the world. We specialize in South America, but also have some delicious offers in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Each trip allows the clients to see all the highlights, but enjoy local cuisine along the way as part of the experience. Hike the ruins – then add a gourmet picnic. Explore a city – with a local chef as your guide. Head to a market – then pick ingredients for dinner. The possibilities are endless. And for those clients who prefer to travel with others, we organize a handful of group departures so that foodies can go together. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting Sated Ventures has been a whirlwind. We have so many ideas, plans, and events on the calendar that it sometimes becomes overwhelming! Because my focus is split between food and travel, I spend my days marrying the two topics into one business. It’s exciting and rewarding, but also exhausting. In the past, I have managed other companies where I had a team of support members – accountants, marketing, social media gurus. The challenge with Sated Ventures is figuring out who to hire for which position, and which areas I enjoy handling on my own. It’s been a true learning experience, which I appreciate. With every food & wine show I attend, or interview with a local chef that I organize, I am learning about who my clients are and what they need, as well as new morsels I can incorporate into their next trip itinerary. That’s the beauty of the travel world – we are forever evolving. The pandemic does not stop us! 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Here at Sated Ventures, we are a tour operator for travelers who love to eat. Every trip is private – you tell us what your interests are & which dates you have in mind, and we build an itinerary from scratch for you to review. The itinerary will include all your flights, transportation with our drivers, hotels that I personally inspected and handpicked for you, and of course the tours. Our day tours are unique because we like to incorporate tastings into our city tours, picnics along hikes, and cooking experiences for those who like to get their hands dirty. We love when local chefs are your guide to the market, and we always encourage places where you will get to eat and drink with the locals. Yes, you will see everything on your bucket list! But we will elevate it so that it is a delicious experience. 

Once we tweak what is needed and you approve the itinerary, we will take care of all the details, and off you go! The idea is not to hold your hand all the way, but to take care of the logistics, lean on our local team so you get a glimpse into the life of the people you are visiting, and get a good sense of the destination. 

My favorite experiences are when we are in the Galapagos and stop at a coffee farm where a sweet grandpa meets us with a smile. When we rough it by day in Patagonia amongst glaciers and return to our luxury room to a bottle of top Argentinean wine. When we hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu but have white-glove service in our tent for dinner. I truly believe we create magic. 

What I am most proud about is how we pivot here at Sated Ventures. When the pandemic paused international travel, we listened to our clients’ needs and went local. The Sated Retreats were born! We are hosting beautiful weekends for women, couples, adventure lovers, and others throughout 2021 and 2022. A taste of that delicious luxury can be found here in the States if you book with Sated. 

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
Sated Ventures is always growing! We encourage our clients to reach out to us at [email protected] so that we can start planning their trip – I have travelers on the 2022 and 2023 calendar already! It is never too early to dream up the perfect trip. 

We are also always looking for local chefs to promote. If you have a restaurant offering food from Latin America, contact Karolina Guilcapi! When a group departure to that country is put on the calendar, we would love to incorporate local celebrity chefs to join the fun! 

We believe in the community – and we take part of local events, shows, and groups. If we have not connected yet, I would love to hear from you! 2022 will be a beautiful year for travel and hope we can work together. Our website is www.satedventures.com 

Pricing:

• Typical weekend USA retreat $999 per person
• Idea of group tour to Peru $3999 per person
• Sample private tour to Chile $4999 per person
• Sample private tour to Belize $2999 per person

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.satedventures.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karo.travels.and.eats/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/satedventures