CulturaGo, Welcome to the World!

 CulturaGo is thrilled to open its doors to the world.

Through online cultural preparation courses, CulturaGo is paving the way to richer, more meaningful travel experiences. 

In this blog post, the founders offer you a deep-dive insight into what it’s all about, what you can expect from the courses and where things are headed in the future.

CulturaGo, Cultivating cultural awareness

CulturaGo exists to educate the world about culture. The thoughtfully curated and carefully considered online courses have been created to prepare travelers, exchange students, digital nomads, interns and the like for life in a new culture. 

The courses offer insight for a more meaningful experience in a chosen destination, allowing travelers to engage on a deeper level with local culture and people.

“Whether it’s hiking between rural villages in the Venda province of my home country South Africa, or marooning myself on near-deserted beaches in Sao Tome. The moments I've had the confidence to take a cultural leap have been the most rewarding. 

That’s what CulturaGo is about for me: Inspiring connections and making wild experiences come to life.” - Liam Kelly, co-founder and COO

Deeper, richer travel: Embracing empathy, encouraging understanding

Traveling is an incredible way to see different parts of the world, but the value can go far beyond tourism: It’s the immersive intercultural experiences that offer life-long benefits. 

Deeper world experiences like living abroad or heading off the beaten track of tourism; towards the local community require one to engage a lot more with local people and the country’s “real” cultural environment. It’s that dive into cultural authenticity that we aim to embrace. 

Our company’s key focus comes from the self-reflection of the co-founding team’s personal experience of culture and results in the driving desire for the company: To offer more cultural understanding in the world and to embrace greater empathy for those in different environments.  

“We want travelers to have more authentic experiences exploring their destinations in a way which offers value to both them and local communities. - Stewart Brown, co-founder 

Addressing the absence of cultural resources in tourism

There is a growing interest in deeper cultural types of experiences, but while the intrigue increases, the resources to better equip travelers are still scarce. 

Too often, travelers are not adequately prepared for the foreign cultural environment they’re stepping into, which are usually significantly different from what they’re accustomed to. More often than not, this results in culture shock and limits the ability for reciprocity; where both travelers and local communities benefit from the cultural exchange. 

We believe that this can be solved through effective cultural preparation.

Our short online courses help travelers absorb the culture shock and step into a new environment with everything they need to embrace the experience. The course content guides travelers through the ins and outs of a particular culture and prepare them for what to expect.

“I travelled extensively through Europe at a young age and spent several months in Thailand. I saw the value in new and foreign cultures and know that my own experience could have been greatly enhanced if I had a greater understanding of each destination’s culture. - Brown 

Passionately bridging the gap between travel and culture

CulturaGo is born out of passion and a deep desire to preserve cultural authenticity. The heart behind the mission is integral to the founding team and exists from personal experience and a love for travel and culture.

“I have a deep love for travel, exploration and connecting with people. I’m an entrepreneur at heart and have been lucky enough to be involved in some fantastic organizations. CulturaGo has brought together skills and interests that I’ve gathered along the way." - Kelly

What to expect from the course content 

The courses are designed, created and audited by experts in each region, and contain quality-focused multi-media content. The content is researched and collated by a cultural expert and is supported by a collaborative approach of both local and ex-pat opinions. 

The courses comprise of the fundamental elements of life in a new culture, such as understanding the different cultural perspectives of the country, the geography, climate, life in the land, addressing the difference in etiquette and considering how cultural friction can be mitigated.

 Currently, we offer a course on Korean culture, with a course on Japanese and Spanish culture launching soon. There are five modules in the Introduction to Korean Culture course with a sixth module for the TEFL edition, geared toward those going to Korea to teach English.  

An exciting look at the future

With cross-cultural experiences increasing as the world becomes smaller and as travel opportunities expand, there is a strong pull towards helping travelers of all kinds and nationalities embrace the celebration of diverse cultures. 

There is tremendous room for growth in the future for both the company and culture-rich travel, with global partners, affiliates, course content creators and universities showing great support in the initial steps of CulturaGo’s launch.

 “It’s a daunting thing, starting a new company. In the future, I see us constantly building on our successes, expanding our team, diversifying our course portfolio and ultimately getting closer and closer to the ‘perfect’ mix of learning for those taking our courses.” - Kelly

Getting involved with CulturaGo

Up until recently, we have been funded solely by the founders. In August 2021, we concluded the pre-seed round, giving runway to expand the team and course offering.

In this stage of a venture, it is still crucial to connect and network with a wide range of people, across all types of countries and sectors. Currently, there’s an active target list that you can access via our Partner with Us page.  

This page lists the main collaborations and partnerships we are seeking. Currently, we’re seeking course creators, interviewees, a marketing team member, advisors and investors interested in our first seed round which will begin raising in the first quarter of 2022.

If you are interested in getting involved or want to know more about the courses, collaborations and content opportunities, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

CulturaGo, for culturally minded travelers.