About the Founder

Coelle Travel Storytelling Series

Coelle Travel was founded two years ago by Khadija El Barkaoui who has spent many years working in the fields of cross-cultural engagement and community service. Her inspiration for creating Coelle Travel was sparked by her upbringing—her family, her tribe, and her community—as well as her experiences traveling to and working in different continents around the globe. Through these rich experiences El Barkaoui was inspired to create Coelle Travel, a travel company based out of Portland, ME that focuses on a new approach to tourism that centers, highlights and uplifts the stories of indigenous peoples, women, and gives back to the local communities of the places travelers visit. To learn a little more about her journey to creating Coelle Travel, I asked Khadija El Barkaoui a few questions about her journey to creating Coelle Travel, her inspirations, her process, and her hopes for the future of Coelle Travel and travel in general.

Leela Marie Hidier: What inspired you to begin Coelle Travel? What was your background before beginning Coelle and how did these experiences lead you to and inspire you to create this travel organization? 

Khadija El Barkaoui: My journey to founding Coelle Travel is deeply rooted in both my academic pursuits and my lifelong commitment to community service and cross-cultural engagement. Academically, I hold a PhD in International Human Resources Management, with a focus on cross-cultural integration, alongside a master’s degree in Strategies and Human Resources Management. These studies equipped me with a strong foundation in understanding how people from diverse backgrounds connect, collaborate, and create meaningful impact, skills that are essential when working across cultures in any context, especially in travel.

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Before starting Coelle Travel, I was actively involved in various initiatives that emphasized empowerment, education, and cultural preservation. I contributed to community service projects that supported women’s leadership and education, particularly focusing on girls’ access to learning and sustainable development. These experiences deepened my awareness of how meaningful connections between people can create pathways for empowerment and positive social change. I spent several years consulting for organizations on international management global strategies, helping companies optimize talent management while respecting cultural nuances. This work further reinforced my belief in the power of authentic human connection and cultural exchange values I saw reflected strongly in responsible and sustainable travel.

Together, my academic expertise, community involvement, and professional experience inspired me to create Coelle Travel, a company dedicated to offering authentic, community-based travel experiences that honor Indigenous cultures, promote women’s empowerment, and contribute to sustainable local economies. Coelle Travel is a way to bridge my passions and skills to help travelers engage with the world in a respectful, enriching, and transformative way.

Leela Marie Hidier:  How has your identity and cultural background influenced and helped shape Coelle Travel’s mission and core values?

Khadija El Barkaoui: My family and my tribe are my greatest inspirations for getting involved in the world of travel. Growing up in southeastern Morocco, I watched my father guide travelers and researchers through our region, contributing to important discoveries and meaningful exchanges. My mother welcomed people into our home with grace offering meals, stories, and gifts knowing they would soon leave and might never return. It didn’t matter where they came from or what they believed in. What mattered was connection, kindness, and the spirit of hospitality.

Although my siblings and I didn’t travel much growing up, our home was a gateway to the world. Through our parents’ openness and generosity, we hosted volunteers, researchers, and travelers from many countries. We learned languages, exchanged letters, and created lasting memories. My father had a deep love for photography, and our moments together were often captured on film. We had maps on our walls, though not always in the most aesthetically pleasing way, as my mother liked to remind us! Still, my siblings and father would spend hours exploring the world through those maps, sparking our imaginations and curiosity.

But this story extends beyond my family. It’s about my people, the Amazigh, the Indigenous people of North Africa—who have, for centuries, been known for their hospitality and openness to others. Even in the face of colonization and forced religious conversions, the Amazigh have remained resilient, adapting, preserving, and generously opening their hearts and homes to those in need. I come from tribes that carry this deep-rooted spirit of welcome, resistance, and cultural pride.

This legacy is what drives me. Coelle Travel is an extension of that heritage—a space where travel is not about taking, but about connecting, honoring, and sharing.

Leela Marie Hidier: What is/has been your relationship to traveling and how did this impact the creation of Coelle Travel and your organization’s mission?

Khadija El Barkaoui: Travel has always been a deeply personal and transformative part of my life. Growing up with Amazigh roots in Morocco and living across multiple continents, including Africa, Europe, and the United States, has given me a unique perspective on the richness of diverse cultures and the importance of genuine human connection. My own experiences navigating different cultural landscapes have shown me how travel can be so much more than sightseeing, it can be a bridge for understanding, learning, and meaningful exchange.

This personal relationship with travel inspired the creation of Coelle Travel as a platform that goes beyond typical tourism. I wanted to design experiences that honor Indigenous cultures, especially my Amazigh heritage, while supporting local communities and empowering women in tourism. For me, travel is a way to build respect, foster curiosity, and create lasting connections that benefit both visitors and hosts.

Coelle Travel’s mission is directly shaped by this vision: to offer sustainable, community-based travel experiences that prioritize cultural authenticity and equitable partnerships. My own journey has shown me that when travelers engage thoughtfully and respectfully with local communities, the impact is profound, creating opportunities for economic empowerment, cultural preservation, and mutual growth. This belief continues to guide every aspect of Coelle Travel’s work.

Leela Marie Hidier:  If you could describe Coelle Travel in one word what would it be? And why?

Khadija El Barkaoui: If I had to describe Coelle Travel in one word, it would be “Connection.”

Because at its core, Coelle Travel is all about fostering genuine connections, between travelers and Indigenous cultures, between visitors and local communities, and between people and the deeper stories behind the places they explore. This connection creates meaningful experiences that go beyond tourism, promoting understanding, respect, and shared growth for everyone involved.

Leela Marie Hidier:  Please tell me more about Coelle Travel’s core values. Why is it important to you that Coelle Travel focuses on highlighting indigenous cultures, women in tourism, and community-based tourism? 
Khadija El Barkaoui: At Coelle Travel, our core values center on honoring Indigenous cultures, empowering women in tourism, and championing community-based tourism. These pillars are not just ideals, they are the foundation of everything we do.
Highlighting Indigenous Cultures is essential because Indigenous peoples have long been the custodians of rich traditions, languages, and ways of life that deserve respect and preservation. Too often, their stories and contributions are overlooked or misrepresented in mainstream tourism. Coelle Travel is committed to amplifying authentic Indigenous voices, ensuring that communities have agency over their narratives and benefit directly from tourism.
Focusing on Women in Tourism reflects our belief in equitable opportunity and recognition. Women play vital roles in preserving culture, leading local initiatives, and driving economic growth in their communities. By prioritizing women-owned businesses and initiatives, Coelle Travel helps create fairer and more inclusive outcomes, supporting women as leaders and changemakers within tourism.
Community-Based Tourism is at the heart of sustainable and responsible travel. It means involving local communities as active partners in designing and benefiting from tourism experiences. This approach fosters mutual respect, cultural exchange, and economic empowerment, while minimizing negative environmental and social impacts.
For me personally, these values are deeply connected to my heritage and professional journey. They reflect a commitment to travel that uplifts rather than exploits, that builds bridges rather than barriers. Coelle Travel’s focus ensures that every journey is meaningful, respectful, and contributes to lasting, positive outcomes for both travelers and host communities.
Leela Marie Hidier:  What is one of the greatest lessons you have learned through the process of creating Coelle Travel?
Khadija El Barkaoui: The more experiences we design and the more women in tourism and local communities we involve in our work the more we believe in the importance of what we do. There’s something truly powerful about connecting people back to the roots of a place, introducing them to local voices who speak for their own heritage and take ownership of their stories. The impact is lasting not only in the lives of the travelers, but in the relationships that are built along the way. 
Coelle Travel is more than a company; it’s a movement. A challenge to the tourism industry to dig deeper, to ask critical questions: Where does tourism money go? Who truly benefits from it? How can we promote sustainability and act responsibly while we travel? In a time when bridging cultures and people matters more than ever, we believe travel can be a tool for healing, connection, and collective growth.
#TravelWithPurpose is not about one person or one place. It’s global. It brings people together and reminds us that, at the core, we are more alike than different. That sharing a meal, telling a story, or giving back to a hardworking community are small, human acts but they hold tremendous power. That’s what keeps us going. That’s why we keep investing in this work.
Leela Marie Hidier: What are some of your favorite memories or stories from Coelle Travel trips? 
Khadija El Barkaoui: While deepening my connection with Wabanaki communities and creating collaborations to expand opportunities in Indigenous tourism, I’ve been reflecting on how critical Indigenous peoples are to preserving biodiversity and cultural heritage around the world.
As an Indigenous woman from North Africa, part of the Amazigh people, I felt a profound sense of belonging during a recent visit to a community in Downeast Maine. While listening and learning from the Wabanaki community, it felt like I was in my cousin’s home. There, on their ancestral lands, I felt more grounded than ever hearing stories of resilience, of deep connection to the land, of hardship, and of the shared passion for protecting and preserving our heritage. It was a moment of healing and deep recognition.
Another memory that stays with me is from leading an experience in the Sahara, in my home region. We were visiting a nomadic family from my tribe. The mother of the family and I had never met before, but we spoke the same Indigenous language one my parents made sure to pass down to me. Although I speak five languages, it was that ancestral tongue that allowed me to connect our guests to Zahra’s stories in the most meaningful way.
She welcomed us into her tent with generosity that left everyone moved. Despite having little, she ran to start the fire and began brewing tea. Her daughter brought fresh bread, olive oil, and traditional cheese made from the goats roaming around us. As we were leaving, Zahra handed me a scarf as a gift. I thanked her, unaware of its deeper meaning. After asking, I learned that the beautiful black scarf with its rare fabric and colorful tassels belonged to her grandmother. She had chosen to pass it on to me.
That moment felt like more than a gesture it was a symbol. A reminder to carry with me the strength of my roots, the ways of my people, and the responsibility to preserve and share our stories with the world.

Leela Marie Hidier:  What is your biggest dream for the future of Coelle Travel? How do you hope Coelle Travel will change people’s perspectives on traveling?

Khadija El Barkaoui: My biggest dream for Coelle Travel is to help reshape the global travel industry into something more just, inclusive, and rooted in respect. I want Coelle Travel to be a leader in a movement that challenges extractive tourism models and instead uplifts Indigenous communities, women, and local cultures as the heart of the travel experience, not just the backdrop.

I hope that through our work, travelers begin to see travel not as consumption, but as connection. I want them to ask deeper questions. Who benefits from my visit? Whose stories am I listening to? How am I contributing, learning, and growing?

If we can inspire people to travel with more purpose, more humility, and more curiosity, then we’re already shifting perspectives. My hope is that every Coelle journey becomes a bridge between cultures, between histories, between hearts, and that those connections ripple outward long after the trip ends.

I envision a tourism that connects people in meaningful and deeper ways, a tourism that gives back. One that doesn’t just pass through, but takes the time to listen, to learn, and to honor. A kind of travel that uplifts communities, respects culture, and builds lasting relationships. It’s not about consuming a place, but about showing up with humility and curiosity. It’s about leaving behind more than footprints, leaving behind respect, shared stories, and a sense of dignity for everyone involved.