The 28-year-old from Decazeville started out as a travel planner.
Six hours of time difference separate it from Aveyron. Because it is thousands of kilometers from here that Célia, this Decazeville resident by birth, finds her way: organizing the dreams of escape of others as naturally as she traces her own. Since September 2025, this 28-year-old young woman, who grew up in Marcillac-en-Vallon, has launched herself as a travel planner.
A still little-known profession, “but which is starting to develop”she assures. Currently in Asia, where she has been traveling with her partner since February, Célia alternates between discovering the continent and creating her business. “ In April, we had the opportunity to open a tapas bar in Cambodia. Except that because of the low season, we were bored”, explains the backpacker.
A few weeks later, when their family joined them in Malaysia, she was responsible for organizing the entire stay for eight people. “Everyone loved it. So I told myself that it was the moment, that I should probably head into this field. It made sense for them too.”
A passion born throughout the destinations
Because for her, the call of the open sea did not manifest itself overnight. “I’ve been traveling since I was 18. I started with short stays in Europe”she remembers. A year later, she even flew to London, where she became an au pair for six months. “I would have liked to stay, but with Covid, it was complicated.”
As soon as the borders reopen, Célia, between a few work missions and the start of a career in administrative management, puts on her backpack and sets off again, often with friends. And invariably, she is the one who organizes everything. “I love that: that people can just enjoy it, without asking any questions.”
Self-taught, she trained on her own through extensive reading and research. “Creating a microenterprise is quick. What will take the longest is to build a reputation”she admits. But her regular presence on the networks ultimately gave her rapid visibility: in less than two months, two clients called on her for a vacation project in Malaysia.
Moreover, Célia prefers to avoid the term “client” and instead speaks of “travelers”, who use her services to guide them according to their desires. For the moment, none of them are still from Aveyron. But the backpacker isn’t worried: in Decazeville, posters announcing the creation of her business are already circulating. “It was my mother who put them up to give me some publicity”smiles the young woman through the phone. “But it will probably happen eventually, through word of mouth.”
