Globelle Gal In Focus: Interview with Molly Brown, Founder of Monarch & Swift

1) Hi Molly, and congratulations on being featured as a globelle gal in focus! Can you tell us where in the world we'd currently find you?

Thanks so much, and I’m glad to be here speaking with you! You can currently find me in Denver, Colorado, USA!

2) What inspired you to first start travelling?

I grew up in a neighborhood in Atlanta where the Centers for Disease Control, Emory University and the International Rescue Committee fed into the same school system. The combination of these international organizations contributed to a massively diverse student population (80 languages were spoken at my high school!).

In first grade I had a classmate from Mongolia and I remember learning about Siberia from her family and thinking to myself (at six!) “that sounds realllllly different.”

That experience, paired with similar experiences growing up, motivated to seek out and appreciate “reallllly different”!.

3) What does travelling mean to you, and why?

Travel reminds me that it’s GOOD to walk away from monotony and it ignites my desire to explore. Travel is the way through which I challenge my perspectives, change my perceptions and really grow my appreciation for the diversity of the world.

The Street Art of Cartegena, Colombia (Molly’s favourite place she’s been so far!)

4) What's been your favourite place to visit, and why?

My favorite place to date is Colombia.

Colombia is culturally rich and its natural beauty is unmatched. Colombia boasts gorgeous coastline, lush jungle, sprawling coffee fincas, and a desert that recedes into the ocean. There is awe inspiring architecture, captivating street art, and endless historical sites. I can’t wait to return to Colombia to experience more of the country!

One place I visited on my first trip to Colombia that sticks with me more than the others, though, is La Guajira. La Guajira is a department in Colombia, on the Caribbean Sea, bordering Venezuela. Historically, there was no enforced border in this region, as the area straddles Colombia and Venezuela, and the Wayuu, the biggest indigenous nation in Colombia, who live in this territory have moved nomadically across the region forever.

With continued unrest in Venezuela, Colombia closed the border in 2016, putting additional strain on already impossibly severe living conditions. As a visitor of a few days to the region it was honestly mind boggling how anybody could survive out there -- and I think about the region all the time still (5 years later!) If you’d like to learn more about this region I highly recommend reading this piece by Nicolo Filippo Rosso. (note: we are sharing Molly’s recommendation here!).

5) Obviously life on the road is about fewer possessions and more moments, but what is the one thing you can't travel without?

Without hesitation, bags to separate my clean and dirty clothes! I like to consider myself an easy going traveller, but when it comes to keeping my cleans and dirties separate, I am ANYTHING but!

When I travel, I’m typically outside all day walking, sweating, getting dusty, and more often than not find myself in a market where there are a litany of smells sticking to me and my clothes. None of this permeates my consciousness over the course of the day but the MINUTE I walk into my BnB at the end of the day, and then it’s a race to how quickly I can get showered and get my dirty clothes out of sight!

6) You're starting your own travel business, Monarch & Swift. How did you get into this? What would be your advice for others starting out?

How did I get into this? Prior to founding Monarch & Swift, I worked a corporate sales job where I travelled extensively. I spent more time researching where I could stay, eat and visit than I would preparing for client meetings (oops!). Friends, colleagues and folks in my network were constantly reaching out asking for tips, recommendations and itineraries based on the experiences I shared.

Through these conversations I realized how intimidating AND what a hassle other people find planning trips. Honestly, the prospect had never crossed my mind because itinerary planning is something that brings me joy, and even a sense of calm.

People are eager to explore, but they’re disheartened by the prospect of planning and are thus missing out on truly unforgettable adventures. Facilitating meaningful travel for others was my inspiration for starting Monarch & Swift and is the reason our mission is to make extraordinary travel simple.

Advice: You have to START! Improving a business demands experience and you don’t gain experience by working and reworking everything in your head. You learn by doing and by getting feedback. It’s intimidating, but it’s the best and fastest way to get better.

The plane Molly took while in Costa Rica

7) What was your first trip post Lockdown?

My first trip post vaccination was to Costa Rica! I chose Costa Rica because it is accessible to US travellers and fell within my personal risk profile of how and where I’m comfortable traveling in a COVID world.

First, flying from Denver to San Jose, I didn’t have to transfer planes, or transfer in another country which is paramount considering regulations are ever changing! My advice to clients is wherever you can eliminate uncertainty, even if it means making sacrifices, do it! People don’t want to hear this, but the international travel environment is unpredictable right now...and it will continue to be... so set yourself up for success by simplifying and streamlining!

Second, I could base myself in one town (simplifying and streamlining!) and still get ALL of the adventure and relaxation I was seeking!

I stayed in Montezuma which is a small town on the Nicoya Peninsula where I was surrounded by stunning beaches, scrumptious food, lush jungles, pesky wildlife, waterfalls, horse riding, snorkeling...you get the picture!

The beach of Montezuma, Costa Rica (HQ: not a bad first trip we think with views like this!)

8) How do you think we'll see travel (and travel planning) change & alter in the post Co-vid 19 era?

I predict citizens will be much more discerning about what they’re willing to tolerate from the travel and tourism industry.

If a place is “doing tourism right '' an equal exchange between the community and the traveller is achieved. I believe an 18 month break from over-tourism in places like Venice and Hawai’i made it clear just how unequal these exchanges had become, and communities are not willing to go back.

If we aren’t intentional about the way we travel, our dollars have very little positive impact on empowering the people of the communities we’re so eager to visit!

Tourism is only an agent for good if dollars and decision making power is given to those living in the communities. This past 18 months has made travellers more aware and tolerant to this mindset, and citizens of highly touristic places less willing to return to normal. This, paired with increased global attention on climate change, means the travel and tourism industry will have to make adjustments.

The beaches of Italy in summer captured by Molly

9) If you could offer one piece of advice to those travelling for the first time, either as part of a group or solo, what would it be?

Do some level of advanced planning, let go of what you can’t control and make sure you’ve communicated what you would be really bummed to miss.

If there’s a museum you really want to visit in Mexico City, look up the hours of operation and reserve a ticket in advance. So often people tell me they knew they wanted to visit an attraction before their trip but didn’t research the details in advance. When they arrive, the attraction is closed, or sold out!

Flights get delayed, rain storms happen and rental cars get flat tires. It is infuriating, but ultimately out of your control. Go into a trip knowing inconveniences will crop up and rather than fuming, think about how you pivot.

Finally, if there’s an attraction or activity you’d be really bummed about missing, structure your trip around that, or those, things!

10) What are your plans for the future, and what do you hope to achieve through all of your hard work?

Personally, my hope for the future is to lean into the remote work travel sphere more! Both my partner and I work from home full time and I would love to shift our mindset from “take PTO so we can go experience X for a long weekend!” to “I can work from anywhere, so why don’t we go to X for 2, 3, 4 weeks” so we ultimately have more time to experience the place, while also maintaining our lives!

Professionally, my goal for Monarch & Swift is to provide value to our clients and in an ever changing travel world that can, and will, mean so many different things. Ultimately, our goal is to help people have extraordinary and memorable adventures and so long as we’re helping to facilitate that, I’m happy!

11) And finally, how can globelles get in touch with you, and keep up to date with where you're exploring next?

You can follow me personally on Instagram at @mollydoingthingss and you can follow Monarch & Swift on Instagram at @monarchandswift