On My Mind: Building Indagare

Indagare founder Melissa Biggs Bradley reflects on the company’s 10 years in business and the exciting developments ahead.

In the decade since Indagare launched, in 2007, many things have changed. We have moved our office several times, from a small Upper East Side apartment to an entire floor of a Midtown high-rise. We have gone from planning a few dozen trips a year to thousands. And our staff has grown from three to more than 70, and that includes my original two hires, who now serve as the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Creative Director. During this evolution, what has remained constant is my core belief in the transformative power of travel.

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The definition of the Latin word indagare is "to seek, scout, discover." And here at Indagare, we aim to deliver journeys that enable you to explore and discover—both yourself and the world. Such discovery is made possible by cultivating an openness to external and internal experiences through abandoning normal routines and venturing into new and unfamiliar environments.

Related: On My Mind: My Family's Travel Evolution

To me, a big part of such journeys has always been storytelling (blame it on my roots in journalism). Members have told me about experiencing “aha” moments during trips that have led them to leave jobs, start companies, adopt children or relocate. Others have had less drastic epiphanies—being inspired by attending a cooking school in Provence, for instance, to sign up for French classes or make more pastries at home. Perhaps meeting a monk in Kyoto will stir you to take up meditation or to send your parents on that trip to Asia they keep putting off.

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Even more important than the transformations and realizations I’ve discovered during my years developing Indagare, are the connections with others that travel fosters. As Sebastian Junger points out in his book Tribe, our species is biologically hardwired to thrive in communities in which communications are conducted in person. But technology, which has put so much at our fingertips, has also disconnected us from personal interactions.

Related: Why We Travel

In a world where individuals and nations can become dangerously isolated, travel is critically important—and richly rewarding. This is eminently clear by the dozens of close friendships born on our Indagare Journeys. The people we spend time with as explorers—whether family, friends or strangers—become companions and interpreters in our ever-shifting life stories.

As Indagare continues to evolve, we remain committed to helping you connect with people and make discoveries that will enrich your life and your personal stories. Thank you for joining us on this journey, whether you’ve been a member from the beginning or have just become one. We travel better together, informed and inspired by one another’s experiences and points of view.

I look forward to the next 10 years of seeking, scouting and making discoveries with you.