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As today’s travellers seek more than just destinations, experiential travel companies have become essential drivers of meaningful engagement. Bespoke travel agencies that emphasize immersive experiences, local partnerships, and meticulous attention to detail are reshaping the global tourism industry. In an era while authenticity, personalization, and cultural connection matter more than ever, these firms meet a growing demand for travel that is both emotionally resonant and logistically seamless. By curating journeys rooted in place and personality, they elevate tourism into a transformational experience.
With a foundation in tourism and event planning built in the U.S., Carrie MacLean has consistently focused on creating meaningful, immersive journeys for international travellers. Carrie’s combined academic background in event planning and deep cross-cultural understanding enabled her to spot a clear gap in the high-end tourism sector across South America and Antarctica. In response, she founded Venture Experiences, committed to redefining regional travel through premium, detail-driven service design.
By leveraging local knowledge and building authentic human connections, Carrie has developed bespoke, concierge-level travel itinerates that meet, and exceed, the expectations of today’s global, discerning clientele.
Take us through the formative years of your life. What were some key influences that played a pivotal role in shaping your life’s trajectory?
My formative education in a forward-thinking North Carolina school instilled a strong foundation in innovation, thanks to my mentors, who championed critical thinking and problem-solving from an early age. My entrepreneurial mindset took shape early organizing major school events and leading a team at just 15 years old.
My proficiency in Spanish, cultivated from a young age and refined through academic and private study, has been a pivotal asset in my career. This skill has proven invaluable in my professional journey, especially within the events sector, where bilingual communication supports stronger engagement with international audiences and fosters inclusive experiences.
Women can succeed by aligning personal and professional priorities
That formative experience, combined with my studies in event management and inspiration from my mother’s love of travel and planning, guided my path toward building a business aligned with both personal and professional goals. Her love for discovery and attention to detail nurtured my own global perspective and inspired a drive for independence and exploration that continues to shape my personal and professional journey.
What inspired you to establish Venture Experiences?
Upon arriving in Chile at the age of 22, I founded my company, initially operating as Venture Patagonia and now rebranded as Venture Experiences. As a young woman entering a foreign market, I quickly recognized a critical disconnect, that Patagonia’s international acclaim was not matched by its local service standards. This insight drove the creation of a business designed to bridge that gap through elevated, globally competitive experiences.
Identifying the clear market gap, I set out to elevate standards by introducing international concierge-level experiences to the regional tourism industry. While this vision continues to drive our work across Chile and South America, it also presents ongoing operational challenges, particularly navigating cultural nuances, workforce dynamics, and regulatory frameworks that differ significantly from U.S. norms in areas such as hiring practices, accounting, and governance.
Tell us about the underlying idea and vision behind the company, Venture Experiences.
The initial vision for Venture Experiences was born from identifying a strategic gap in the market. The decision was informed by data-backed observations that Patagonia needed hospitality that met international standards. Leveraging my cross-cultural background, I built the company around four strategic pillars. It gave me the opportunity to bridge cultural expectations and deliver seamless, high-touch guest experiences rooted in both global service standards and local authenticity.
We excel in crafting customized, high-impact travel experiences based on a deep understanding of our clients’ needs. It is worth noticing that we maintain operational presence through local teams in every region we serve. A key aspect of our approach is having local hosts and guides to offer genuine cultural perspectives. Combined with white-glove, round-the-clock service and a relentless focus on every detail, this created the high-touch, personalized experiences that define Venture. Additionally, our commitment to concierge—level service includes round-the-clock accessibility to meet guest’s needs at any time.
At the heart of our business is the ability to curate impactful, personalized experiences that surprise and inspire, and this remains the guiding principle behind our company’s mission. Central to our approach is a rigorous focus on detail, ensuring every aspect of the experience is flawlessly executed.
What different hats do you wear as the CEO of Venture Experiences? What are your key focus areas to facilitate the company’s growth?
Over the years, my role has evolved from handling all aspects of the business, marketing, sales, and operations, to focus on high-level strategy, as the CEO. Today, I lead international expansion, strategic growth, oversee financial administration, and prioritize building a strong middle management layer. This upholds our core standards as we scale upward. While my primary focus is on building strong teams to support sustainable growth, I remain directly engaged with guests via dedicated WhatsApp groups, sharing personalized recommendations and monitoring daily feedback to ensure top-tier service. A strategic priority is building a strong, reliable middle-management layer to sustain our service excellence as we scale operations.
Currently, my priority lies in recruiting and empowering top-tier talent to drive our growth. I remain actively involved in guest interactions, monitoring their feedback through real-time platforms and offering tailored insights. This dual focus ensures both operational excellence and a personalized, high-touch customer experience.
What business challenges do you encounter in your current role at Venture Experiences? How do you successfully navigate through these roadblocks?
Operating from a remote location in Patagonia, talent acquisition and development are strategic
priorities to ensure global service quality. We address this by identifying local talent, providing structured onboarding, and committing to biannual training with international experts. Retaining this well-trained team is key to maintaining operational excellence and long-term growth.
A current strategic challenging we are navigating, common across many industries, is balancing a growing remote workforce with our foundational local team. As we are expanded operations across multiple countries, ensuring remote employees internalize our company culture, uphold service standards, and engage in high-level communication has become critical. Additionally, as we scale geographically, maintaining consistent service excellence across all destinations remain a core focus, with Patagonia serving a sour benchmark and flagship operations.
Looking back at your professional journey, what key milestones have you achieved so far? What is your ‘success mantra’?
Launching the company at age of 22 in a foreign country and non-native language marked the first major milestones. Since inception, the business has maintained year-over-year profitability, including resilient performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the company operates across six countries and one territory, Antarctica, signifying a new phase of international growth.
My core success principle is to continuously expand, both professionally and personally. I am committed to scaling a high-growth company while simultaneously building and nurturing my family life.
How do you foresee Chile’s business landscape evolving? What steps is the country taking towards achieving true gender equity in its corporate world?
Chile is prioritizing regulatory reform to create a more investment-friendly environment, with a clear focus on expediting foreign capital inflow. Efforts are underway to ease investment-related regulations, enhancing the pace and appeal of foreign investment. These policy shifts are driving regional development, with notable momentum in industries like lithium mining in northern Chile. The destination is shaping the future of clean energy, particularly in remote southern areas through green hydrogen and solar power. Chile has positioned itself as a global leader in renewable energy, a trend that is set to significantly shape the national business environment over the next five to ten years. It's well-established free trade agreements, including with the U.S. and its openness to international commerce positions it as a highly favourable environment for global investment and collaboration. These efforts are yielding visible progress across various regions.
Achieving gender equity in Chile’s corporate sector hinges on strong maternity policies and sustained support, crucial for empowering female leadership. At Venture, our 80 percent female workforce reflects our commitment to cultivating a work culture where women are empowered, whether they stay continuously in the workforce or return after a pause. It is vital that women have the resources to balance family life and professional growth. Chile is progressing in this area, and at Venture, we are leading by example with a predominantly female team.
Carrie MacLean, Founder & CEO, Venture Experiences
Specializes in designing customized, high-end experiences that reflects cultural authenticity and service excellence.
Carrie MacLean is known for delivering exceptional experiences crafting bespoke itineraries that blend local insights with the elevated expectations of international travelers. With a background in Event Planning and strong cross-cultural insight, she has successfully identified the unmet demand for high-end travel experiences in remote regions. At Venture Experiences, they prioritize authentic cultural immersion by ensuring guests are welcomed by local who share their personal stories and insights.
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