Discover Beautiful Places with Secret Romania

Corina Preda, Founder/Travel Wizard of Secret Romania, designs tours and customizes trips for travelers who want to discover the secrets of Romania in a unique way.

Corina is a part of the Bucharest Travel Massive chapter and is working hard to build a brand that will help encourage travelers to visit the beautiful country of Romania.

So, why should you travel Romania? Take a look at what Corina had to say.

Tell us about Secret Romania.

Secret Romania was created in order to greet and guide travelers interested in visiting Romania’s well-known attractions as well as all of the secret gems that make this country so beautiful. Our customers are curious travelers who like to be surprised, to feel the flavor of a country, to have a flexible schedule, and a customized trip to their needs. All our tours are custom made and include secret touristic gems, that are very hard to find on your own.

What inspired you to create this Secret Romania?

My husband, Florin and I created this start-up after a few trips in the country with friends. We were responsible for the itinerary, and our friends always asked us how we managed to find wonderful places that they had never even heard of. So we figured if it was so hard for even a Romanian to discover the secret locations in their home country, for a foreign traveler it must be even harder.

How did you build your startup?

We started in 2014 and slowly did all the legal arrangements necesary to have a travel agency in Romania. In December 2014 we received our travel license and began to promote our start-up. Clients started to come and by word of mouth, they helped us grow. Since then, every day we are learning new things about this exciting industry of travel and about what being an entrepreneur really means.

Do you have any tips for new entrepreneurs who want to create a successful startup?

• Follow your passion – open a business in an industry that facinates you.
• Start with a plan – first, think about what you want to achieve (as detailed as possible) and then act.
• Network – connections are very important in the business enviroment and they will help you grow your startup.
• Never give up – there will be moments when the only solution seems to give up. If you succeed in finding another solution and move forward, that will save you.

As a startup, what benefits have you seen from being a part of Travel Massive meetups?

During the travel meetups in Bucharest, I’ve met other industry professionals running small travel agencies and facing the same problems as we have had. Because of this, we have learned one from another. People offering additional services, I am able to work with and offer a larger range of experiences. I think Travel Massive is a great initiave and very new for the Romanian travel market.

Travel Start-Up is a monthly series that profiles unique online travel start-ups in the Travel Massive community around the world. You can connect with Corina and Secret Romania on Travel Massive, Facebook, and Twitter.