You are mixing your heritage, your past, and a little bit of pain into your mission. Let's talk about your why. What is your why? It always comes to my family. It's always like you're broken into so many pieces when you are torn apart from your family and then you're trying to figure out how to get back together. Shayla Paz is a Cuban-American entrepreneur, travel expert, and the founder of Shayla Adventure Travel. Through her work as an award-winning film producer and A.S.T., a verified travel advisor, she creates transformative journeys that connect people with cultures around the world. Life in general is an adventure. You're doing one thing today, tomorrow you're going in a discovery mode or something else and my whole life has been one adventure after the other one. What are we going to learn from your episode? Resilience sometimes is a tool that you can use to move forward and not giving up too soon. Don't give up before you reach a goal. Stay persistent, stay focused, create a vision for, don't just think about your goals, just write it down and write down the steps that you're going to pursue to accomplish your goal. It spans the globe like a super-high's cold into the eldest, ready for a victory. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the past. It's not over until I win. The Living Your Legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy. It's a story. It's an impossible one. Oh, that is sensational. Open. Chicago with the lead. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream. Welcome back to another amazing episode of the Legacy Makers podcast for Insight Success. I'm your host, Ray Gutierrez. Joining me today is quite an adventurous soul that also enjoys the color red and is dear to my heart because we're both very much Cuban. Shayla Basz, how are you, my love? I am doing wonderful, Ray. It's such a pleasure to meet another fellow Cuban. Oh, over here. It's two Cuban ships crossing through the night going, hello. So welcome, welcome. You are in the chair, the nice green chair, which I'm going to brand now, the Legacy Maker chair. We literally finished your interview. We finished filming your episode. How do you feel? I feel amazing. I think it was wonderful. I have some tears. Some tears. A little tears, but a lot of happy moments. It's always like amazing to share my story with other people and tell them where I come from and what I stand for. And it's always an adventure. Right on. Let's talk about where your adventure begins. You are mixing your heritage, your past, and a little bit of pain into your mission. Let's talk about your why. What is your why? It always comes to my family. It's always like you are broken into so many pieces when you are torn apart from your family and then you're trying to figure out how to get back together. And we're still not together. I mean, they are in Cuba. I got family in Italy. I got family in Canada. I'm here, so we are spread. And I always tend to figure out how to bring us together. And that's always like the mission impossible. You know. Right on. Let's talk about your artistry and have you merged your culture into your adventures. First of all, why adventures? Adventure. I was correct. There is no answer to adventure. It's just la ventura, your adventure. Talk about the name and the philosophies. Because life in general is an adventure. You're doing one thing today. Tomorrow you're going in a discovery mode or something else. And my whole life has been one adventure after the other one, from being a kid, from being from one house to the other one every week, every day was different. And and the first time I remember the first time I got on a plane was because I had to go to Havana to have a knee surgery. And that in itself was an adventure because I've never been on a plane before. And I was traveling by myself with a knee injury. I didn't know anybody in Havana. And a stranger on the plane Cuban helped me and I was like, oh my God, I hope that he doesn't do something to me. My mind was going through the worst of course. But he was so nice to me. He took me to his house and the next day he helped me find a distant cousin's house. So I could stay there. And that the distant cousin treat me like she know me for life. And that's the essence of Cuban people. You know, he's like, oh, welcome. This is your house. It's you know, whatever. And that in itself was the beginning of my adventure because that led to other moving around and traveling. The moving around and traveling is what I want to focus on because this is how you developed your your traveling agency. But you're beyond a traveling agency. I forgot what the what the terminology we used. It was essentially a wealthy adventure or a wealthy spiritual, a wealthy guide for immersive adventure or something like that. Remember we said it towards the end? It's a discovery trip. What you go to immerse yourself in other people's culture is a true adventure. Correct. You go beyond just getting off a cruise ship and going through the touristy, you know, exit through the gift shop. No, you're really immersed in exploring what makes the island or the world tick. Talk about how you developed this adventure from from onboarding. Actually, no, from the clicking on the ad to getting to meet you to getting on the ship. Because you said it yourself. You're planning three trips. Yes. Right now I'm planning as in three trips, the trip you get off to before the actual vacation and right after it. That's right. Oh, your philosophy. Okay. So when you're going to travel, you experience the destination three times. Correct. That's what I meant. Before you travel, because you're talking to me about what is it that you want to do? What is your dream? What is it that you want to accomplish on that trip and why you're going on that trip? So I want to learn from you so I can match it with the right destination or the product that you will to accomplish your dream. Then when you are on the trip, then you are dreaming, you're already going through that destination, the dream and station become a reality. So you're leaving your dream. And then when you come back, every time you look at your memories and you talk about that trip and everything, you're reliving that dream that you accomplished. So you travel three times. That's amazing. Yeah. Do you see the transformation, the big four and after? Yes. What are your clients? Are there folks that are lost, that are looking for a new adventure, purpose? Some folks like to go to retreats and do ayahuasca. Some folks like to go to Antarctica. You're a little more tropical. What do your clients look for when they come specifically to you? Sometimes it's just like they have like a bucket list item. Oh, I always wanted to be there. Oh, that's a dream of mine. I said, well, let's talk about why is a dream of yours? Why did you want to go there? What is it that attracted you to that destination? That's what I want to know when they talk to me about their trip. For Cuba specifically, people were like, oh, I always wanted to be there. It's like the forbidden apple, you know? So, okay. And they said, well, it's a shame that you cannot go there. I said, why not? You can go. People think that Cuba is closed. I still don't think I can go and I live in Miami and I'm Cuban. I'm like, Cuba, that doesn't sound safe. Absolutely, you can. It's so easy. I take care of everything so you don't have to. Yeah, but the way you say that sounds a little sketchy. I'm just joking. Because people go to Cuba, they go, well, you gotta leave Miami, go to Mexico, and then from Mexico. Aha, teach me your ways. No, you can fly from Miami. You can fly from Tampa. You can fly from New York. You can fly from Atlanta. Oh, yeah. What's the airline? Delta. No. American Airlines. No way. Yes. American Airlines just lands in Cuba like no big deal these days. Yes. Yes. That's news to me, bro. That's what I'm here to tell you. Thank you. It's already working. I'm ready. And this one's for free. Yes, you go to Cuba under a specific license, general license. The one that I work under is the support for the Cuban people. So you have to have a full itinerary and you have to certify that you're going under that certification. And I create that document. I already have that taken care of. Oh, you have to do it. Sign it. I take care of the orisa. You write itinerary. What are you going to do every day? Who are you going to meet with? Your tour guide, your transportation, your meals, everything. I plan everything by the hour, pretty much. That's amazing. That's so important because I don't go on vacation because I hate the planning for the vacation, but that's how I'm done with it. I'm like, I'm not going to do half these things because I just want to just be still and be at peace. Someone else should do this for me. I need to find myself in these adventures. So it's amazing that I'm going to a place like Cuba with purpose, not just go meet them as they say. You can curse on this podcast. I always tell people that don't go on a trip with expectations. Yeah. Okay. Well, yeah. You need to lower your expectations because a lot of countries don't have all the sophistication and all the tools and all the technology and all that fancy stuff that people in the United States are used to. Yeah. So when you go to a Latin country, they go into a chalk and they expect to have like a five-star service. Well, if you're booking a luxury travel, a luxury hotel, of course you're expecting that, but if you're going to immerse yourself in the culture, don't be expecting like a five-star service when you're trying to help the people. Sure. How do you meet expectations then? Like I'd say lower the expectations, but how do you meet folks' expectations? What are people expecting when they go to Cuba? Like trees, like besides trees, but what are they expecting when they get there and what happens when they don't get that? How do you deal with that? I always tell them to go open-minded because once they come back, they are like, wow, it's like an eye-opening experience. Because they go with this scene in their mind of what they see on the papers or seen in the media and what they get there is a different reality. And I always tell them, bring enough money so you can buy souvenirs from the locals, give some money to people that you may want to give to for tipping. You don't have to overtip if you don't want to, but they will appreciate it. Now, you can be honest here, I hope. Always honest. As honest as you need, are you able to bring tourists into the more high-end areas of Cuba? Are you still going through the small towns that are suffering? Where do you navigate this vulnerability where it's beautiful sights and sounds versus suffering? I always take people through the heart of Havana, where they can see the beautiful old buildings that are still standing. You can see a beautiful restored building and you can see one that is falling apart. So they can see the contrast. You can see that in all Havana. And then I take them to a place that is called Muraliano. That is a community art place where people go there to learn about the locals and they can get hands-on workshops. They can make a plaque, they can make paintings. They have a hands-on experience with the locals and then they have artists there that have their own art and they can buy from the locals. They can learn how to dance with the local and they can dine right there. They can have lunch with the locals. So they can have that local experience immersion. That's what I'm talking about. Being with the locals, getting off the beaten path. So they saw all Havana where he's been fixed up and this is history here. And then you go off into the neighborhood and then you see the contrast. And then I take them to Vinales, which is two hours from Havana by car. And it's not a pretty road. You're going to be like a bumpy road and they're going to be in a taxi on a car or something. And it's going to be hot. It's not going to be pretty. But I want them to see that. I want them to experience what a real Cuba is like. I wanted to see the people standing on the side of the road, high-shiking and trying to get it right. And you wouldn't see that here. You see it sometimes. But that's how you move around Cuba. Just asking people to give you a ride. And then they get to Vinales and they were like, wow. Yeah. The Wizard of Oz. You follow the Yellow Brick Road and you finally get to the Big Green Palace. My question to you is, let's see. Let me go through my nose. Security, how do you keep your clients secure? Is there security checkpoints? Do you already know that these zones are less violent? Because I brought that question up on the interview. But I want to make sure we brought up in the podcast because a lot of folks don't like to venture off from comfort because of security of the unknown. Yeah. Well, it depends on the destination. Cuba is a very secure place. There is no violence. There is no guns and people are very welcoming. It's always safe to go to the state website. I don't have the name from the top of my mind. But I always put it on my clients itinerary to go on there and open a profile and submit their travel dates and what country they're going to. So they get alerts if there is unrest on that destination. So they stay within the area that are safe. Obviously, if I'm working with a tour operator in another destination, the tour operator have an 800 number that they can call if there is any emergency. And they are there on my behalf, taking care of my clients. And I'll always have transportation provided for my clients. So they always have to stay within the parameters to stay safe. Now, let's talk a little bit of business. How do you ascend a client? When you get off a cruise ship, they're already asking you to book the next cruise ship. And then they're asking you to book the photo and book the dinner, the dinner with the group and the cocktail. And how do you keep the clients part of your ecosystem and go, did you like Cuba? Well, let me show you Puerto Rico. And if you like Puerto Rico, there's a 241 still in Costa Rica. How do you keep the client in your flow? Follow up, follow up, follow up, follow up. So every time the client travel, I always send an email while they are in destination, just checking in, just checking in, make sure everything is okay, you have any good time, whatever. And they always respond, oh, we're having an amazing time. Or if there is a little complaint or something, I have to take care of that. And then when they come back, I send them three days later a welcome email. I want to know how the trip went and where do they want to go next. And that's how I keep them engaged. Right on. When you are on site, do you have videographers, content creators? Is that something you supply or is a very intimate, quiet? It's very intimate. I try to take pictures myself when I travel with clients. Or if they're not with me, I try to get the tour guide to send me pictures. So I can have that as a testimonial and share on social media. My clients have a great time in ex-destination. Right on. Or when they come back, I ask them under the review to send me a couple pictures so I can share it. How are important are Google reviews? How important is the feedback from a client? That is the number one source that I get a lot of people coming because they can go in there and post a five-star review of what my agency did for them. And also as an ASTHA Verify Travel Advice, there is a website that they can go. It's called VeryVacation, that they can go and read the reviews from my clients that I have posted there. As a Verify Travel Advice, it is very important that people know that I've been vetted by one of the most trusted agencies in the world. Yes. Very cool. And that I've been certified and that I took the time to learn and gain knowledge about the industry and that I'm always going to be there for them. That's amazing. Let's talk about what we accomplished today. What are we going to learn from your episode? They're going to learn that resilience sometimes is a tool that you can use to move forward and not giving up too soon. Don't give up before you reach a goal. Stay persistent, stay focused, create a vision board, write down your goals. Don't just think about your goals, just write it down and write down the steps that you're going to pursue to accomplish your goal. So let's say people are watching or listening to this podcast. What should they prepare before they come speak to you? You mentioned a vision board. A vision board is very important to you. Explain that. And why is that so important to your onboarding process? Because when you do a vision board, you're visualizing what you want to accomplish. Man, it's fasting. Yeah, manifesting. And we talk about my little green book. Yeah. I have a law of attraction book that I write down my goals. And I write it down by day, by week, by month, or by three months. I'd have my five year goals also. But to get to the five years, I must start at step one. You're going to start running before you start walking or crawling, right? So I always see my vision board. I have it on my wall in my office. So I see it constantly. As a reminder. What's the goal? The north start. That's your guidance. That's what you need to follow. So it is very important to have that taken care of so you can stay on path. So folks that are scrolling through our app and they land on your thumbnail and they say, oh, a travel agent, I want to become like her. Where do I start? You have to start by going to travel school. Mm-hmm. There's a school for traveling. Yes, there is. I think it's called geography, ma'am. Yeah, no, it's not geography. It involves geography. You must know geography. But I actually didn't start by going to travel school. I started because my passion of Cuba and giving back and because I had the knowledge of business from a previous business, I was like, oh, I know how to launch a business. I'm just going to start creating these packages and put a price on it. And I'm just going to go and talk to people about going to Cuba. That's what I did. And then when I went to become a member of the American Society of Travel Advisor, and I heard everything and saw everything and everybody told me, oh my God, I can be in trouble because there are so many laws. Sure. You know, they're always constantly changing the laws and regulations for travel. And you have a big responsibility when you're booking people on a flight or you're booking people on a trip on a cruise or you know, you are liable. So I didn't know that I could be liable. I was just like, you know, I'm going to take people who give us what just went on and did it. So having learned that, I went on and immediately got into travel school. Of course, yeah. Amazing. But that was already two years in business. Wow. So what's next for you now? Next for me is trying to get. I am going to get. No, I'm not going to try. I am going to get 40 people on board of my Norwegian Jewel for the adrenaline Latin dance cruise. Latin dance cruise. Yes. 40 people. That will be my first big group. And then I'm taking a group of 16 to Ireland. Okay. Why 16 and 40? Why are those numbers? 40 because the people who are working with at the Atlanta South Side Congress, they did two of these cruises previously. Got it. And it was about 40 people is 20 cabins. Okay. So they did about 16 cabins. And I said, okay, let's add some extra ones because you need to have room for the professors, the instructions. You just put them in the kitchen. Just. Just see. Right. Isn't that that works? Or flows the kitchen. A couple of conference rooms. Just put here to sleep in the conference room. So you need to have some extra in case, you know, people decided last minute to join. So you have to have some extra. Okay. I was just hoping you give me like, oh, 40 is like a numerical number that I use. No, no, no, really. I would love to charter a cruise, but you know, that would be like, well, how many cabins? Like 300, 500 cabins? There you go. I think that it will happen. Give me your hand. Give me your hand right now. Oh, no, I'm going to smack it. It will happen. Don't smack me. You gave me high five. It will happen. You're going to launch a cruise with 500 gas. Done. Yeah. So you just, you cannot, some people bark more than they can chew. Yes. That's very true. So you have to start small. But you have to be ambitious when you start small. Exactly. So this is a big step for me because I have never done that. But it took me two years to get to that. So people are booking and I'm very excited. I'm excited for you. And 16 is because, is the smaller, well, they actually, they have another number. I think it's 12. The group is 12, 16, 24. And then it goes up. They have different offers for the amount of people. So I thought, well, I'm going to go the second step instead of the first one, because I get a bonus commission. Nice. And I get to go for free. Oh, look at that. So 16, it was the magic number. So I said, okay, I'm going to do it. So all the perks, nice perks. You want to get the perks too. You know, travel with the people, get to meet your clients in person. A lot of my clients, I don't know in person, but I know them because I talk to them. I plan their trips and I know what they want and what they don't want. Whether they like coffee or tea or, you know, the architecture. So all those things you need to know about your clients. So I want to get to know them a little bit more intimate when I travel with them. That's awesome. And then I'm doing a trip to Italy. It's 10 nights in September. And I'm setting that up. I know that I want to do it, but I already talked to my tour operator about that. Beautiful. Do you have any trips straight to the Ferrari factory in Italy? I don't, but I can make it happen. Please make it happen. Very VIP, just me and make sure Charles Leclerc and Louis Hamilton are there. Okay, great. Thanks. On that note, we're going to conclude this amazing podcast. Shayla has been such an honor. I've quite, I'm happy to be part of your adventure today. And I hope that you feel like you're truly creating and building a legacy when you have the lights and the cameras on you. It's very much deserved. And I'm happy to be part of your adventure. Oh, thank you so much. And I hope that your adventure take you to Cuba with me. Yes. I went very much enjoy that because I've yet to go. Yeah. And I need the right, I need the right guy, the Norwich Star to show me. The stars are always guiding us. I'm going to take us there. Right on. And to conclude my, what is next, Cuba was always going to be my number one destination, even though that I spend it to other destination is always going to be there. Bring it back to the source. Yeah. All right. And with that, keep building a legacy for Insight Success. I am Ray Gutierrez.
