Destination Dreaming: Carleton Grad Turns Love of Travel into Career
By Elizabeth Kane
A seasoned public relations professional specializing in tourism and hospitality, Mandy Sinclair knows how to tell her clients’ stories — tapping into audiences’ emotions and inspiring travel plans. Her efforts have seen clients mentioned in such high-profile publications as The New York Times, Vogue and Architectural Digest.
Her journey to become a world-travelling media strategist began at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication, graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Mass Communications and a minor in French.
“At the time, I think Carleton was quite unique in offering this degree and the School of Journalism and Communication was highly reputed,” she says. “Carleton was my top choice as the program provided the opportunity to learn about media industries, data analysis and advertising.”
Carleton’s strategic location in the nation’s capital provided her with opportunities to gain practical experience alongside her studies. While studying research methods in her second year, she worked for a local polling company, giving her practical experience that complemented what she was learning in the classroom.
“Being located in Ottawa really did have an added advantage,” she says.
Entrepreneurial Spirit: Forging a New Path
Following her degree, Sinclair worked in various communications roles at Carleton. While on vacation in Morocco, she decided to move to the country for a handful of months to learn French.
What was intended to be a short-term stay in Marrakech turned into a decade of working as an entrepreneur abroad.
Sinclair’s freelance career began organically while working with a digital media company — identifying a local need for English-language writing services. Her connections to the community and visiting tourists helped her to identify continuous opportunities for entrepreneurship.
“Jemaa el-Fna, the city’s bustling square, was one of my favourite places to go for its riotous energy and fresh calamari and salads in the evening,” she says. While she was always happy to share her favourite street eats with guests visiting Marrakech, she noted that many had a hard time navigating the bustling food stalls and recognized an opportunity.
“I created a food tour company called Tasting Marrakech with a website and $200. I developed the tour based on the street food I loved in Jemaa el-Fna and worked with a dear friend who is a local guide,” she says. “What started as a side hustle eventually became my full-time job following mentions in Condé Nast Traveller, The Times, The Telegraph and the Wall Street Journal, among others.”
But it wasn’t her only gig at the time. Her experience in hospitality expanded to include event planning, writing and communications consulting on content and media strategies for clients across Morocco. These experiences led to other writing projects including food and drink editor and writer of The MONOCLE Travel Guide Series Marrakech, Tangier + Casablanca and covering the opening of the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech for Brownbook.
As a writer for Lonely Planet Morocco (2023), she found herself contributing to the same guidebook series she used during her early travel adventures.
“When I was in my twenties, we had a guidebook and would book our hostel once we got to a local pay phone — hoping that they would have availability,” she says. “I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to travel in that way and have been able to translate that insider knowledge to four guidebooks I’ve contributed to.”
Finding Opportunities through Networking
Building on her experiences, Sinclair created a blog and launched the country’s first travel podcast Why Morocco — bringing authors, artists, architects and local entrepreneurs together to share their love of the country and encourage tourism.
These projects helped Sinclair share her passion for her new home and deepen her connections with the community.
“Those channels brought me a lot of exposure that I wouldn’t have had otherwise and in turn led to unimaginable opportunities,” she notes.
“I enjoy art and design and attended art fairs and gallery openings, giving me the opportunity to connect with professionals in the field.”
One of those connections led to a role as the International Press Officer for the Marrakech Biennale in 2016, a high-profile exhibition celebrating contemporary art at historical sites across the city.
“It was an outstanding experience as we had journalists attending and reporting for CNN’s Inside Africa program, BBC, Spanish television, Hyperallergic, and others.”
The working relationships she forged continue to this day. This year, she reconnected with colleagues as new opportunities emerged and saw her working on international press relations during the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial and Manar Abu Dhabi light art exhibition.
“One thing that can’t be taught but needs to be understood is the importance of relationship building,” she says. “None of this would be possible without building and maintaining strong relationships.”
Skillfully Sharing Authentic Stories
Now based in Ontario, Sinclair balances communications contracts with her overseas network with local small and medium-sized businesses. Leveraging her extensive industry experience, she offers a suite of public relations tools to achieve her clients’ goals. While she concluded her own podcast series, she continues to appear on the other side of microphone with contributions to Monocle Radio’s The Urbanist, Food Neighbourhoods and The Briefing.
For Carleton students interested in forging their own multi-hyphenate career path, Sinclair advises they embrace the unknown and lean on the skills they’ve cultivated during their studies.
“Be open to new opportunities and don’t be afraid to go after something — even if you think you don’t have industry experience,” she says. “Once you have your core skill set from what you’ve studied at university, you’ll realize these skills are quite transferable.”
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