From blogger to tour guide

Nice to meet you, I'm Thaís Carneiro.

In January 2016, I began sharing my experiences as a female traveler on the blog Cafezim e Prosa. A dear friend pointed out to me that there was some confusion regarding names and how people might remember me, as the blog had one name and there was a column titled Mulheres Viajantes.

The story of Mulheres Viajantes began as a hobby of a history teacher, who outside of the classroom shared her stories and travel tips, as well as compiled around 300 stories from women traveling alone and/or among women.

These 300 women entrusted me with their stories, their loves and frustrations, their adventures and misadventures both domestically and abroad, challenging themselves and putting themselves out there. We have stories of varying styles, from a Brazilian woman sharing a five-month backpacking trip through Southeast Asia, to an Italian woman living in São Paulo, to a Brazilian woman going on a ten-day silent retreat.

In 2019, I felt the need for a career transition, leaving the classroom and returning to my studies to become a tour guide. This process was valuable in helping me think about the work I offered for free to my audience and how I could monetize it so I could dedicate myself professionally.

As an experiment, Mulheres Viajantes' first itinerary was born, as an experience agency: The Center Through the Eyes of Women. With little money in my pocket and ideas in my head, I decided to explore my backyard, the República neighborhood. From this impetus, I created an itinerary that reflects the trajectory of modernist women in the first half of the 20th century.

On this walk, we passed places like COPAN, the Municipal Theater, Roosevelt Square, and the Mário de Andrade Library. With this itinerary, I had the opportunity to be included in the Heritage Journey for four consecutive years, with the last edition in 2023 featuring sign language interpretation. I also had the pleasure of leading this event for undergraduates in the Leisure and Tourism program and members of the USP 60+ program.

In this column, I will share in the upcoming articles the challenges and possibilities of creating experiences for tourists in the capital of São Paulo.