Meet Luciana Barbosa Moço: Co-founder of Travel Company and Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Luciana Barbosa Moço and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Luciana, what do you attribute your success to?
I believe that the main defining factor for the success of my business is knowing how to balance the formal with the informal. It is to offer my clients an extremely structured trip, planned very seriously, but with the right dose of the atmosphere of a fun trip with friends.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I have a tour operator that receives tourists in Iceland to live experiences in Icelandic nature with us. Our trips are made in 4×4 cars, which help us to face the Icelandic weather, and reach the most beautiful spots of this fantastic island. We host and present an absolutely fantastic Iceland for our customers, mainly because our differential is to go beyond the ordinary, beyond the obvious, and of course, always respecting nature, which is a great concern of ours. In our itinerary, in addition to including famous tourist spots, we also include secret places, places far from the tourist route, places that very few people know, and so we make our itinerary ultra special and offer an experience beyond the ordinary. FF Expeditions has been improving over the years, we work hard and finally today we are a reference in Brazil when it comes to tourism in Iceland. Nothing in life is easy! When it’s easy, be suspicious! Everything always comes as a result of hard work and dedication, and with us it was no different. It took years on the market to reach our place. I am an architect and worked as an architect, but parallel to that I always had the dream of entrepreneurship, of living a free life, I always loved photography and I always loved to travel to photograph. Photography was already part of my life. I always tried to travel to exotic destinations, looking for photography and culture, and when I first set foot in Iceland in search of photography scenarios, I was absolutely in love with the nature of that place. There I was sure that Iceland would be part of my life in some way. So the things were happening! When you have a dream in your life, you have a wish, you must set it as a goal and make plans to achieve that goal. I decided that I wanted to work with photography and travel, I undertook, I studied a lot about business and tourism, we bet on our potential and it worked. Of course, it was not so simple, not so fast, and at first things went slowly, but I can say that things happened at the right time and at the right time for me. I soon quit my job as an architect and was able to dedicate 100% to my own business. I can say that everything in my life had a certain meaning, and made it possible for me to get where I am, even my graduate as an architect that contributes a lot to my artistic away at photography and my passion for this art. Even my career as an architect, working as a project coordinator, gave me support to manage and organize my own company today. The whole base was built, even though I didn’t know back then that one day I would apply all this learning to make a big dream come true. The lesson I learned from all this may be a little cliché, but it is the truth. Never give up on dreams. But mainly, dreaming with your feet on the ground, believing in yourself, and working to make that dream come true. Today we live on our own business, working with what we love and I manage to have something in my life that for me is the greatest good I have achieved in all this time, my freedom! I can live anywhere in the world! Because my company works 100% online when we are not operating in Iceland with our customers. Now we are starting the same travel project, opening a second company with a focus on Bali tourism. We will take some of the spirit of FF Expeditions to Offbeat Experiences, our new tour operator that will receive tourists to experience a differentiated Bali. We are currently living in Bali and doing a lot of study to create a solid base for our new business. One of the main pillars that guide our companies is that we have a deep concern for nature! We think a lot about the impact of tourism on nature, so we always propose activities that educate, activities that do not explore nature, but that create a good relationship between man and our planet. Our goal is to do our part in the world, and show people that tourism can be done without exploring, without degrading, with responsibility, with affection. Perhaps this is the great legacy that we want to leave, it is to teach that tourism must always be done in a conscious way. Always understanding the impact that your presence in that place can cause, and working to minimize any negative impact, either on nature or on the culture of the place. Good tourism is embracing the local customs, I mean the way of life. It is to know and understand the place, the people, the environment, the nature, and above all, respect.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Here in Bali, where I am now living, there are some places that are my favorites. Because they express exactly what Bali is through nature and culture. Then the tour around Ubud and interior would certainly begin, where you can still see the real local culture, without so much interference from the western. Ubud and its surroundings have beautiful temples, waterfalls, forests, rice fields. Truly Balinese scenery. It would also include a few days in the center of the island, where through trails through the forests we find cinematic and monumental waterfalls! And to get to know beaches and crystal clear waters, I would certainly include a few days through Nusa Lembongan, Ceningam and Penida Islands and Gili Islands.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Certainly my partner and husband, Fellipe Moço, who is on my side building a dream. And my sister, Daniele Barbosa, who has always been with me, supporting and encouraging me.

Website: www.ffexpeditions.com.br
Instagram: @luciana.travelphotos
Other: @ffexpeditions www.otbexperiences.com @offbeat.experiences

Image Credits
Photographers: Fellipe Moço e Luciana Barbosa Moço