A Leader in LGBTQ Travel
By Denny Patterson
Do you love to travel and dream of seeing the world? Whether it’s visiting the Great Pyramids of Egypt in-person or discovering the mysteries of Machu Picchu, the possibilities are endless with Source Journeys.
Previously known as Source Events, Source Journeys was founded by Craig Smith and began with an invitation to dream and a willingness to go beyond what has been to what is next.
“I was an attorney in San Francisco and I was basically looking for a big life change,” he tells OutClique. “I realized I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life doing law, so around that time, I went on a trip to Miami and met up with a group of friends. They really encouraged me to find work that I love doing. I then went on a trip to New York and met my life partner, Rafael, and he was in Florida. So, I decided to make the jump and moved to Florida, and I knew that I wanted to do work that made a difference in the community because I’ve always been driven by making a difference.”
Smith envisioned producing events that would bring people together while raising money for good causes.
“I started a small community foundation in the late 90s in Miami called Communion, and we did house parties to raise money for HIV/AIDS. That then led to producing Winter Party. This was an all-volunteer organization, and they wanted to grow, so I ended up becoming their first Project Director.”
Source Journeys came into the picture after Smith talked with a life coach.
“The life coach was very intuitive and could sense that I was ready for a new adventure. She said, ‘Close your eyes. If you could change anything in your life, what would be your next dream?’ I thought about it, and I said I would love to travel the world and take the positive of what I’ve learned through these events and keep this sense of camaraderie, but I’d also like to learn from other cultures. I’d love to experience different places and see if we can form a travel family and go to all these different places that I always dreamed of as a kid. She responded, ‘Let’s get started!’”
Through conversations with like-minded friends, and a shared vision of crafting unique and inspiring experiences, Source Journeys was born. Since 2001, Smith and his team have created amazing travel experiences on all seven continents.
They also built a family of travelers who share a passion for exploring global cultures, encountering the unknown with a sense of fun and excitement, and a commitment to giving back to the community.
“Source Journeys is about experiencing the world in a new light. We grew from one tall sailing charter, and these charters were aboard Windjammer Barefoot Cruises. They had been in business for over 60 years, so we had a lot of confidence working with them. Unfortunately, Windjammer closed their doors, but we found that when one door closes, another one opens. We had many loyal travelers, and many of our alumni were already requesting luxury ships, so we pivoted to tall luxury ships. Three years later, we chartered and filled Windstar’s Wind Surf with over 300 travelers sailing from Rome to Venice to celebrate Source Journeys 10th Anniversary. The newfound resilience truly benefited us.”
While Source Journeys continued to grow and evolve over the years, Smith would regularly ask guests for their input as to where they would like to travel to. Current and past destinations include India, Bhutan, Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands, Morocco, Vietnam, Peru, Ireland, and a journey along the Rhine River, which begins in Switzerland and visits France, Germany, and Holland.
According to Smith, an area they are starting to specialize in is Africa.
“We recently announced another trip to Kenya for safaris and Rwanda for this mountain gorilla trek. This is a life changing trip. Everybody loves it, and it sells out very quickly.”
Like any other travel company, Source Journeys has encountered its fair share of challenges, COVID being the most recent.
“The world shut down unexpectedly two years ago, but that really gave me the time to question, where do we go from here? COVID allowed me time to revision and reimagine what the world would look like when it reopened. For everyone in the travel industry, it took a lot of work and resilience to make it through those times because everything was uncertain, but believe it or not, we’re all on a hero’s journey. My vision for Source Journeys is to inspire the heroes of the world to take epic journeys of mind, body, and spirit with us. We do this by creating fun and friendly journeys for the LGBTQ community, each intended to be a force for good in the world. That belief that travel can be a force for good in the world is just so integral to our mission. Travel is life changing because it changes the way we see ourselves, our outlook in the world, and it develops connections with people. It’s no longer just a place on a map. It’s someplace that we feel connected with our mind, body, and spirit.”
Coming back from COVID, Smith found that people aren’t only more grateful and appreciative to travel, but they don’t want to wait anymore.
“You never know what’s going to happen next, and people are seizing the moment. People are ready to travel again, but I think the question is, how do they travel and who do they travel with? If people are looking for a more intimate experience, but still want to have fun, then Source Journeys is the perfect choice.”
Guided by the spirit of adventure, Smith hopes guests take away several aspects from a Source Journeys experience.
“First off, I hope that their dreams are coming true. For example, if they do the gorilla trek, maybe they were wondering one day, ‘when will I be able to do that?’ I love when we’ve made these dreams possible and real. I also want people to know that the places we go to, we can and will guarantee their safety. We go to places that are not known to be the most welcoming to LGBTQ people, and guests might feel a little uncomfortable. We only work with operators that are LGBTQ friendly, and everyone is with a like-minded group of friends going to these world heritage sites that I believe we have a right to visit.”
For Smith personally, one of his favorite parts of Source Journeys is working alongside his life partner, Rafael “Rafi” Rodriguez. Although he has been a part of the company since the beginning, Rodriguez joined the staff on a full-time basis in 2010, where he oversees customer service.
“It’s been amazing working with Rafi because he is the heart and soul of the company. He knows everybody by a first name basis, and he handles the operations and reservations, while I handle more of the production part of it. He just has this love of people and travel, and he’s bilingual, which is definitely a plus. Since Rafi joined full-time, Source has really evolved and elevated itself as a brand.”
As for the future, Smith aspires to continue growing in terms of supporting more LGBTQ causes, such as supporting LGBTQ youth internationally and supporting individuals that are still in countries where it’s not safe to be LGBTQ.
“We’re looking at causes like the Underground Railroad for LGBTQ people who don’t have the funds to get out of their country, and when we do travel to these countries, we are always raising awareness. I see that as being integral to our mission, and I want to grow in that regard. I also want to continue to listen to our travelers and find out what their dreams are in terms of both other destinations and what they’d like to experience together.”
Smith will also be announcing another brand under the umbrella called Source Retreats.
These will be luxury retreats in beautiful places around the world, where we focus on growth and transformation. As mind, body, and spirit is so ingrained in our approach to travel, we knew creating retreats, where we could be still, would be a logical next step for us. These retreats will be small, intimate experiences with 15-20 people. It will be like a mixture of work and play, where people can leave the retreat energized and learn something about themselves and about the places that are hosting us. There has been a lot of interest in retreats, and again, it goes back to the idea that travel can be more than just a vacation.
For more information and to stay up-to-date with Source Journeys, follow them on Facebook and Instagram @SourceJourneys, or visit SourceJourneys.com.
“I encourage people to go for their dreams. If you’re willing to work for it, it can come true, and if that dream is to travel, Rafi and I would be honored to welcome you on any Source Journey.”
