We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kika Claude a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kika, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
I was raised by people who are among the kindest and most generous people I know. And I am not just saying that because they are my parents. Growing up, I saw countless true examples of my parents going out of their way to help friends, family members, and even strangers in need. And everyone in my family is kind of the same way. I grew up in Haiti, a country where the financial inequalities are evident. I was blessed to have parents who could not only support us and provide us with the best, but also always reminded us not to take our blessings for granted, and to always share with others who may be less fortunate. My parents did not keep me sheltered in some ivory tower. Instead they took me around the country, where they encouraged me to participate in charitable activities.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
It may sound simple enough, but I help people plan trips. As a travel curator, I specialize in planning and booking all sorts of trips for my clients down to the last detail. Everything is customized and tailored specifically to the tastes of the individuals or groups that I work for. My goal is to help them create lasting memories.
My blog is a way to inspire people to travel more, and also share my travel memories. I hope my anecdotes and real-life experiences encourage people who look like me to explore more and go see what is out there. I always get really excited when a reader mentions that they decided to visit a certain city of country based on my recommendations.
As for interpreting, it’s something I kind of fell into. I am passionate about languages and happen to speak four fluently, and one more without much difficulty. I find that interpreting pushes me outside of my comfort zone because I am forced to learn and use terms that I may not have learned in normal every day conversation. It’s a great way to keep my mind sharp while also providing such a beneficial service to others.
At its core, my brand is about helping and providing a service to others.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Problem-solving, patience and perseverance, the three Ps! I had problem-solving skills before working in hospitality but I found that I have been able to truly sharpen those skills while managing spas and hotels. When others depend on you to run the operations smoothly, you have to learn to come up with solutions quickly for whatever issue you may be dealing with. And ideally, without ever letting the guests see you sweat. I have learned to remain cool, calm and collected when dealing with guests in various different moods. My goal is always for my guests to be happy after interacting with me.
As for patience, it did take some years for me to truly learn patience. It is the ability to wait and take a step back in any given situation. I have learned that many misunderstandings and problems can be avoided by simply giving it time. Being impulsive can worsen a situation, when simply being patient and letting it fully unfold leads to making better decisions.
Perseverance has paid off for me in my hospitality career. Once I knew this is what I wanted to do, I became focused on being great at it. This has led to me receiving many awards in the workplace, and also gaining many mentees.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal client is someone who is excited and curious. I like working with people who trust that I will deliver on my promises, people who understand and appreciate the amount of time and effort I put in helping them. One of my best repeat clients tells me that she knows whenever I create an itinerary for her and her kids, they will have a blast on their trip. So she’s a little more hands-off than some other clients. She has also referred so many of her contacts to me, without me even asking!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sometimeskikatravels.com/
- Instagram: @sometimeskikatravels
Image Credits
Owner of photographs: Kika Claude. All Rights Reserved. Used with explicit permission for this article and its promotion.
