What's in a name?
I can’t tell you how many hours my partner and I spent coming up with business name ideas before we finally settled on Travel Grackle. First of all, every possible name we could come up with for a travel business was already taken. Even when we tried to use other languages or hybridized words, they all seemed to be claimed. When we asked our friends about names we loved, we got some hilarious responses. Take, for example, “Chispa”, which means “spark” in Spanish. My brother-in-law thought I was saying “Cheese spa”, which sounds like a lovely spa getaway, but it was not exactly what I was going for. Check out this hysterical spoof video about the “Chispa House” aka “Cheese Spa House”.
Or then there was “Enchufes”, which means “connections” in Spanish. Again, didn’t quite work when we tried to get friends to spell it for us. So, we started to think outside the box with foods, plants, trees, animals that spoke to us, were memorable, and unique. We really liked Colibrí (hummingbird), Buho (owl), Sol (sun), and others, but we kept running into the roadblock that these names were already being used.
Enter Travel Grackle...
Traaaavellll Graaaackllllle -- Candidate 3,449. As someone who loves language, I smiled at the internal rhyme of the two words. Grackles are incredibly gregarious, social creatures. Plus, how can you not love this sassy bird, so brilliantly captured by local Austin artist, Carly Weaver.
As they gather at dusk, occupying electrical lines and trees in the thousands, they create a cacophony of crazy sounds that sometimes sound like machine guns. They fill the live oak trees in droves and are nearly impossible to miss, especially if you are unlucky enough to park under their perch. Like it or not, the grackles are the welcoming committee of sorts for the thousands of people arriving at our airport. So, when you ask Austinites and tourists how they feel about the bird, you typically get an immediate response of either love or hate.
Every trip I plan gives travelers opportunities to meet others who are just as passionate about seeing the world. I provide unique activities to interact with locals in the countries we visit. My Spanish classes and trips are all about gathering, socializing, and meeting new people -- just like the Grackles in Austin! Finally, sampling the local cuisine is a huge part of what I provide on my trips. Who knew that grackles love french fries or, even cheetos!
Credit Design by Kaptured by Kala
For as long as I can remember, I have been passionate about Spanish, travel, and connecting with the world around me. I started this company to share my joy and knowledge with those who seek out intimate and meaningful experiences. If you would like to know more about my trips, please check out my itineraries or get in touch via email at hello@travelgrackle.com