“Una Boricua en Madrid” is a travel agency registered and headquartered in Madrid, founded by Kathy de Jesús Claudio, a Puerto Rican entrepreneur who followed her heart to Europe, and stayed.
“I have been a traveler for years, ever since I was 20 years old, I loved immersing myself in other cultures. I eventually married a Spanish man and ended up moving to Spain. I combined my communications degree and other talents with my husband’s academic formation as an art historian and archaeologist. Just like that, our tourist company began to form.” said the founder of “Una Boricua en Madrid,” Kathy de Jesús-Claudio.
The company designs tours personalized to those who partake in them. “Una Boricua en Madrid” allows the visitors to live an experience with a more local point of view.
“We began around five years ago, and initially we offered private tours to small groups. However, our goal was always to show tourists, specifically Puerto Rican and Latino communities, how Spaniards lived their lives, taking them places that aren’t necessarily tourist attractions,” said de Jesús.
With time, the company has been able to cater its services to bigger groups, offering larger excursions all around Madrid. One of their best-selling excursions is inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ novel, The Route of Don Quixote.
The Route of Don Quixote consists of visiting La Mancha towns of El Toboso and Campo de Criptana. In the tour, those participating will get to see the windmills, castles, and towns that inspired the events that take place in the epic novel.
“In The Route of Don Quixote tour, we offer services related to gastronomy, history, literature, and even wine growing. It definitely caters to all age groups and different forms of interests. It remains the most solicited tour since we first introduced it,” said de Jesús.
“Una Boricua en Madrid” offers other tours, with more specific directions. Among these, is a winery tour called Vendimia, which lasts four days and three nights and instantly sold out upon being announced.
“We do different activities all centered around wine and wine lovers. We participate in manual picking and crushing of the Grapes. We visit wineries, wine tastings, wine bars, medieval towns, and more,” added de Jesús.
When asked for advice on how to build a business, she summarized it all in one word: Determination.
“Determination is essential. What do you want? Where do you want to go? It doesn’t matter if your goals are big or small. You must have passion for what you do and what you want to achieve. This way you achieve remuneration that is not only monetary but also self-gratifying. That is the key to pursuing success and achieving it,” said de Jesús.
