Oneika dials into Puerto Rico to talk about regenerative travel with Carmen Portela and Iris Landruá of Local Guest, a tourism agency that connects visitors to sustainable experiences.

She’ll learn about the rich natural beauty of the Caribbean island and hear how Local Guest is partnering with locals to share their knowledge of the island with visitors looking to travel more consciously. Carmen and Iris give us insight into how nature and city life collide in San Juan, something they felt acutely when hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated their home island only a month after launching the business. We hear how Local Guest went from travel agency to relief organization, and how that spirit of rebuilding community lives on in everything they do.

Then, we’ll wade into the red mangrove forests that line Laguna del Condado for a reforestation tour with Coalición Restauración Ecosistemas Santurcinos, or CRES. Yvette Núñez, executive director of CRES, will share why these coastal trees are so vital to protecting Puerto Rico’s coastline and help visitors take part in planting new seeds. 

Along the way, we’ll also get turned on to lesser-visited parts of Puerto Rico, like the mountains in Utuado and Adjuntas in the center of Puerto Rico, or the great views from Pico Rodadero and the striking landscape of the Guánica dry forest in the southwest.

About the Journey is a podcast produced by Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, AT WILL MEDIA, MNTRA, and Oneika Raymond. Listen and follow the show here.

To read full episode transcripts from About the Journey and see photos of each featured destination, head to About the Journey on Marriott Bonvoy Traveler. Starting this season, you can watch full videos of each episode on the Marriott Bonvoy YouTube channel.