After a study abroad year in Ireland during which she went to visit the Swiss Alps when she was 13, Paulina knew she would have to share this feeling with the ones she loved the most.
So not long after she met Diego, she told him that they would go. One day.
One Day...
years passed, Diego and Paulina launched their Marketing Agency and coworking space in Mexico City, where they are from and traveling, the thing that brought them together, went down the top priority list. Running and growing the business, building a community became the focus. Then Queso, the dog joined the pack and suddenly they were a family, and life went on with more and more to do.
Covid, the coworking and the adult responsibilities, we kept finding excuses not to travel. Until one day we realized they were more excuses than real unsurmountable problems.
Diego says. So following his father's advice, they just decided to set a departure date and made it happen.
I never forgot these feelings
Of course the first stop of this year long trip would have to be Switzerland. Paulina still remembers the feeling she had looking at the Alps for the first time. More than 10 years later, here she was, watching Diego try and describe that same feeling as he looked through the train window on their way to Swiss Escape. An experience they now both share but still find difficult to explain:
There is no picture that can really tell you what it feels like, being here
Searching for something else
Beyond the mountains, the chocolate and the cheese, Paulina and Diego also wanted to experience something more than "simply traveling". That is why they applied to the Community Manager position at Swiss Escape. A place where they knew they could share, give back and build community.
After more than a month in Grimentz, Paulina and Diego have plans to visit their new friends they met at Swiss Escape, in London and even back in Mexico. They are also full of inspiration and new concrete ideas for their own business born from the many conversations with people from all backgrounds, culture and ages that came through the door of Swiss Escape this Spring.
This nature, this silence, this peace... makes you more creative, more reflective, more passionate.
Paulina notices. Everyone comes here looking for some sort of answer she says. And places like Swiss Escape bring answers in the form of people and connections.
Knowing when Enough is Enough...
We asked them about their Community Manager experience and the only challenge they could think of is knowing how to handle the FOMO* , setting your own boundaries and knowing how to express them kindly. It is easy to get excited about everything that is happening around, all the hikes, all the cheese and chocolate...but it is also essential to remember what it is that you need to stay grounded, healthy and happy!
We wanted to start eating healthy but everyone wanted to have Raclette...so we just did longer hikes.
They laugh.
Jokes aside, Paulina notes the most important skills as a Community Manager are being empathetic and recognizing the energy, within the group and also in each individual, knowing how to lead by example and not being afraid to give as you will get back so much more. Saying goodbye to each and everyone of the colivers was the hardest part of the experience for them both. And it is equally difficult for us to say goodbye to two wonderful community managers!
We wish you all the best on your travels.