Today at the head of Quimbaya, which has 16 agencies located in 11 different countries, Claudia Terrade has found everything in Latin America: her professional path, love, but also an inexhaustible source of wonder and encounters...
Today at the head of Quimbaya, which has 16 agencies located in 11 different countries, Claudia Terrade has found everything in Latin America: her professional path, love, but also an inexhaustible source of wonder and encounters. For COTAL, she tells about her atypical career, talks about her profession and shares her many favorites across the continent, between Aztec pyramids, extraordinary museums and natural paradises still intact.
Claudia Terrade: I do not come from tourism or the business world. My professional life started in Parisian hospitals, where I was an intensive care nurse. While working at the hospital, I did a master's degree at the Institute of Higher Studies on Latin America – IHEAL – devoted to all aspects of Latin American societies, from pre-Columbian history to the economic system of each countries. I am of Colombian origin, which binds me closely to Latin America.
Claudia Terrade: Quite quickly, I also had to go to Ecuador and its mysterious islands to satisfy a demand for a Colombia-Ecuador / Galapagos combo. Then something exceptional happened in my life: I met Jean, a tourist, traveler and adventurer, who became my husband. He fell in love with my project (and me!) And joined me in Colombia to work alongside me.
Claudia Terrade: From the start, my goal has been to ensure the perfect functioning of each of our agencies in order to meet the requirements of our customers and their passengers. We have chosen to work exclusively in B2B and that requires a particular organization.
I like to discover, create trips, establish procedures, organize, train teams, negotiate, check that the trip promised on paper corresponds to the one that each passenger expects on the ground. Knowing how our clients react to our work has always been essential for me.
In Latin America, I put my suitcases in Panama, a very pleasant country where life is peaceful and simple. Panamanians are warm and welcoming, they have always lived with people from elsewhere and this is not a problem for them. Communities of different origins, cultures and traditions coexist in harmony and without conflict.
All the sites that recall the pre-Columbian heritage of the continent, such as the Aztec and Mayan pyramids of Mexico and Guatemala, the Inca site of Machu Picchu, Easter Island or the archaeological park of San Agustín in Colombia, belong to me unmissable. Latin America also has formidable museums, such as the Gold Museum of Bogota, the Larco Museum in Lima, the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City or the National Archaeological Museum of Bolivia, in La Paz.
You know those travel moments that stay with you forever? At Quimbaya Latin America, we’ve always believed that a true journey isn’t measured in kilometers traveled, but in human connections and shared experiences.
Learn More
At Quimbaya Latin America, we have always been dedicated to offering unique travel experiences, respecting local cultures and minimizing our environmental impact. Today, we are proud to announce a new milestone in our commitment to more sustainable tourism: the achievement of the TourCert Qualified certification.
Learn More
Today we're going to ‘Talk Philosophy’, a great subject that's close to our hearts! Since 1987, Quimbaya Latin America has embodied the passion for travel in Latin America with an authentic, warm and deeply human approach.
Learn More