Honoring people’s culture is essential for sustainable tourism.
WHO: Carolina, aka Caro the Tour Guide
WHERE: Miami, Florida
WHAT: Tour Guide, Creator of Miami Monday’s
I got to catch up with Carolina, AKA Caro the Tour Guide, and what a pleasure it was talking to her. Living in Miami, Carolina has an incredible passion for her city and has turned that passion into a thriving online presence with big plans for the future. Read on to find links to her social media accounts, hear stories about Miami, and find a little inspiration next time you decide to head to South Florida.
(Want more Miami? Check out The Worst Things to do in Miami)
Me: How did you come up with Miami Monday’s?
Carolina: Well it was during the first covid shutdown and I was bored, I had nothing to do, but I was exploring things around Miami and thought, Iβm artsy and I like being creative, I need an outlet. So I came up with Miami Mondays because I wanted to show the deeper meaning of Miami. My first video, I ran down to city hall with my camera and started recording, and now a year and a half later and Iβve been enjoying it, getting more creative, and showing people my city.
Me: You are very passionate about your city, and post often about wanting to be the best ambassador to Miami. Why is that important?
Carolina: I grew up in Miami, but people around me didnβt really like it. They talked about the traffic, they said people were rude, etc. Well one day I found a job posting to be a tour guide and I wanted to lose the fear of talking in front of people, and I wanted to up my skills, so I thought itβd be fun and itβs a job that I could do to support myself. But once I started, I found that being a tour guide changed my own view on the city I grew up in. I was a tourist every single day, and it really sparked my interest in showing people how cool Miami is.
Me: There is a video on YouTube where you go in depth about how you started. I want to know, what were you expecting when you started? Did you ever think it would lead to where you are today?
Carolina: I had zero expectations. I donβt think about things too much before doing them and I just jumped in to it. Iβm not reckless, like I do make informed decisions, but Iβm also willing to take leaps and jump into things headfirst. So when I became a tour guide, I wasnβt expecting much. It was a way for me to get out and be around other people, because my job at the time, I was basically alone all the time. I didnβt think it would ever lead to where it is today. It was a way to perform, because I like to perform in a way, and I like when people laugh at my jokes. And I get paid for people laughing at my jokes!
And I get paid for people laughing at my jokes!
Me: What do you have planned for the future?
Carolina: I want to start my own tour company, focusing on training really great tour guides. I want guides who respect what they do. I want people who put passion into what they do. I definitely want to create a tour company that fosters more love and passion towards the city, and have a bigger goal in mind other than just making money. Obviously you have to make money but that shouldnβt be your main goal.
Carolina: I also have other big goals of building my social media platforms because there is a lot of power in influence. But I also want to use that platform to foster the love for the community. I find that you protect what you love, you love what you understand, and you understand what youβre taught. Miami is very environmentally beautiful. Weβre the only city to be surrounded by two national parks. But Iβve seen a lot of people not respecting [what we have here], but it really stems from a lack of knowledge and a lack of love, and I want to create a community in Miami that truly understands it and can protect it.
Me: What big goals do you have for your social media platforms? For Caro the Tour Guide? Tell me more about that.
Carolina: I think that if you want to win, youβve got to play the game, but do it the right way. So I want to grow my community as organically as possible and just continue that engagement so that people love Miami. And it is work at the end of the day, but if you want to be at the top, you have to put in the work. You canβt just expect to change culture and society spontaneously, we have to work together and put in that work.
We should celebrate and honor the individuality of different cultures.
Me: You mentioned culture and preservation, talk to me some more about your thoughts on preserving local culture so that it’s true and real.
Carolina: Ok thatβs a great question that I actually just did an episode on! I did an episode on the Legacy Thrones [in Margaret Pace Park]. The Legacy Thrones were created by the 3 main ethnic cultures that settled in Miami. Students from the New World School of the Arts got together with elders from nursing homes in the area to shape these sculptures, and the whole goal of creating these art pieces was to celebrate and honor these individual cultures, instead of just mixing them all together in one. And I think that is very special and important. Itβs great and wonderful to learn about other cultures, but we should celebrate and honor the individuality of different cultures. Its what makes travel so great. I mean, why would you want to travel if youβll just get the same thing back home? Honoring peopleβs culture is essential for sustainable tourism and a sustainable future.
Carolina: I also really like to highlight all the different Hispanic cultures and diversity, especially cause thereβs so many different Hispanic cultures. I donβt want them all mixed into one. We need to embrace that and celebrate and embody that special uniqueness. Get yourself intertwined with other cultures, celebrating it. Join in a dance of another culture, value their uniqueness. That is truly celebrating another culture.
Me: I feel like we could talk for hours. I totally agree.
Carolina: I know. I feel like we’re friends now.
Live Lost is all about meeting tour guides and adventure guides, people with passion for the things they do. It was a joy talking to Caro the Tour Guide and you can definitely hear the passion in her voice when talking about her city. If you want to follow her, or want to learn more about Miami, you can follow her on Instagram by clicking this link.
You can also watch every Miami Monday on YouTube by clicking this link.
