Meet Gabrielle Kaczan | MBA & Solo Adventure Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabrielle Kaczan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabrielle, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
After fighting for my life for about two years, I knew I needed to find something more then just the average corporate job. Something that made me want to get up in the morning. Honestly, I had no idea what that possibly was, but I knew I just had to find something more. After graduating with my MBA I decided to sit down and really think about what I wanted to do. That was to be happy. So, I made it my life’s mission to not only be personally happy, but to share that with others. Again, what that would look like I had no idea.

One of the things that I always really enjoyed was traveling. I have been lucky enough to have family who loved to do it and friends, who wanted to at the time. Fast forward, I was not sure if traveling was in the cards for me. I lost many of my friends during my recovery to better health and I really did not think I was going to be able to travel alone due to my own fear.

I basically took all that fear and shoved it aside and did the scariest thing ever. Booking my first solo trips. I wanted to learn about the things that I enjoyed and not what others did. I wanted to lay around all day and then run around at night without having to answer to anyone. A light bulb then went off in my head and I knew this was my purpose. To travel the world experiencing these new and beautiful things, with or without anyone, while showing the world, you truly only need yourself and some confidence to do what you wanted.

So, I decided to start an Instagram that turned into a Facebook that turned into my website and blog. Now I am currently working on travel guides to help give new solo travelers some ideas (and confidence) on how they can do their own trips alone. My goal is to one day run my own group trips and help connect others to their own confidence to able to do anything they want, through an online course.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My professional career is one that is something I am still trying to figure out. I went to college and graduate school for one thing and am not sure anymore if that’s what I want my professional life to be. During those years I built a babysitting serve for local families in my community. It was a way to make extra money with a schedule that I can make and set while being a full-time student. This is one thing of which I am extremely proud. I was able to have a total of six different families and help them out as much as possible. I still am remarkably close with those families and absolutely loved my time with them. One of my entrepreneurial ideas is to maybe do something more children, what that would be, I still have no idea. I learned so much from my time as a nanny (patience, compassion, slowing down, managing a business, and building a personal brand) ) that I believe it changed the way was.

After my graduation from my MBA and recovery from my illnesses, I decided to take a chance on my own dreams and start my solo adventures page, trying to make a career out of it. This is probably the achievement I am most proud of in my life. It is the first time I truly did a job because it was what I wanted to do (not because of good money or time). It is probably the hardest thing I have ever done due to things like; idea create, engagement, starting from the ground up, trying to beat the algorithms etc. My growth has been slow going and at times disappointing, but the days when a video performs better then expected or I gain some followers, it gives me hope that someday I can actually be where I want to be as a creator.

At 23 years old, I do not have all the answers, but I know life is way to short to be unhappy for even a second and that’s what I decided to build my brand on. I looked around at my life and the people in it and saw how miserable everyone really was. I just knew I wanted to stop that cycle. I found that a lot of people were really unhappy because they were not living the life they wanted to or because they needed to wait for other people to bring that enjoyment. The idea of needing others to do things and make you happy always confused me. So, I took advantage of the new situation I found myself in (making lemonade out of lemons) and decided to teach people how to genuinely enjoy their lives without breaking the bank. This did not mean throwing your whole life away and traveling all the time, but maybe going out to a new restaurant you always wanted to try, taking yourself on that trip you always wanted to go on with your friends, or simply just doing the things no one wanted to do with you. You control the amount of enjoyment you have in your life (even working) we sometimes forget just how magical we are. For me, travel is one of my favorite activities, so you will find I do it a lot, I found independence and enjoyment through travel, so much so that I need to make those things apart of my daily life. This is why I go on so many adventures and hope to show others how to have their own even on a busy schedule.

What sets me apart of other creators/travel inspiration/entrepreneurs is that my goal is to teach you how to love your life, not just how to save money, or travel trips or how to gain more followers. My account evolves with the things that are happening in my life. Nothing is fake or something I have not experiences for myself. So, no matter where my professional career might go, happiness and enjoyment will always be one of my top priorities and I’ll be showing you the adventures along the way. I am very excited to see where this journey takes me and I have some guides that will be coming out soon on things like “what to do when solo traveling in X place”, “solo date night guide” and “budget planners” that I hope will bring my brand to a whole new level.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Phoenix was one of the funniest places I have been too on my travels. There are so many different places to go and things to do. I featured most of these places on my Instagram or will be showing them.

I would have to stay at the Marriott Vacation Club Canyon Villas or the JW Marriott. These hotels are only 25-30 minutes from the airport and right down the street from some delicious restaurants and stores. They are both such amazing hotels with incredible staff, pools, and gyms. I love to spend the day catching a tan by the pool and doing resort activities. Then we could head to one of the many golf courses and play a couple holes. There is one right on the Marriott property that looks well cared for and exciting to play.

I would have to spend one of the nights at Buffalo Chips Saloon. There they have real bull riding and cowboys! There is dancing and live music. The crowd this place draws is amazing to see, people both local and visiting stop by the check it out. It is just a fun place to hang at.

The next day I would have to head to the Phoenix zoo, the Botanical Garden and hole in a rock. All of these things are right by each other and only require a couple hours to explore, but are all worth seeing. The zoo has so many beautiful animals and interesting exhibits to look at. It is fun for both kids and adults. You can even pet a goat while there. Then I would head over to hole in a rock to show them an incredible view. It is a hole in a rock that is up on a mountain, overlooking beautiful scenery. It makes for a cute photo shoot. Then I would finish it up with a trip to the botanical gardens to see some of the beautiful plants growing in Arizona.

To eat that day on the way back to hotel, across the street is an In-N-Out Burger. This is an iconic staple out in the west that people who live on the east coast do not get to experience. No trip near a place with an In-N-Out is complete unless you get one burger.

The next day I would want to have to wake up early and go on a hike. I really enjoyed the one I did at Desert Vista Trail. It was easy enough that I could finish the whole hike, but also gives you options to take harder trails if needed. The walk is breath taking, in a good way, all of the scenery is just delightful to see. We would then hang out at one of the many pools on the Marriott property, finishing the day heading to High Street to Blue Martini for some good drinks, live music and dancing. This place is another local favorite and gets packed, even on a Thursday night.

I would also love to try to squeeze in getting to the House of Comedy. This is a comedy club with local comedians and some better known ones. I went two different times and only saw local comedians, but thought they were all hilarious and should be famous. It is also located on High Street and serves great food with yummy drinks.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Everything that I am and have been is due to my amazing parents. They not only support every crazy idea that I have, but my dream for a different life. I can honestly say, the only reason I am alive today is because of their love for me. They literally nursed me back from death and gave me the courage to purse this dream. My Dad always helps give me content ideas and any advice I could possibly need. My Mom is the “like” queen and spelling champion. I really would not be here without them, thanks mom and dad.

Website: https://vipadventurestravel.wixsite.com/vip-adventures

Instagram: _vip_adventures

Facebook: _vip_adventures

Image Credits
I took them myself with a tripod or my mom did (Sherry Kaczan)