For us, music tourism has never been only about where we take people or what they get to see and hear. It begins with relationships. Musicians, educators, cooks, artisans, cultural leaders, families and small businesses make every journey meaningful. Those relationships are also guiding our Colombia earthquake relief work now.
Music can open a door into a place in a way few other things can. Being invited through that door also creates a responsibility. When someone welcomes us into a rehearsal room, a home, a neighborhood venue, a kitchen or a workshop, we remember that trust. The relationship should not end when the trip does.
After the earthquake in western Colombia, this belief became much more urgent. The people affected are not abstract names to us. They include communities and collaborators who have shaped our work for years.
A destination is more than an itinerary
On August 10, 2026, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia. Its epicenter was near San José del Palmar in Chocó. The earthquake caused severe damage across parts of Chocó and Valle del Cauca. In many Pacific communities, geography and limited infrastructure already make transportation, communication and access to resources difficult.
For us, this is not a distant place on a map or simply a destination on our website. Colombia is one of the places where we have built our deepest relationships. We have worked with musicians, cultural leaders, cooks, guides, artisans and community partners across the country. Many of those relationships are rooted in the musical traditions of the Caribbean and Pacific regions.
These are people we know. They have shared their knowledge, stories and traditions with us. They have also welcomed our travelers with remarkable generosity.
We are also an official partner of the Festival de Música del Pacífico Petronio Álvarez in Cali. Our 2026 program was built around the festival and the communities represented there. Their music, food, craftsmanship and knowledge are at the heart of the experience. Following the earthquake, the festival was suspended and our own program had to be reorganized.
Changing an itinerary is inconvenient. Losing part of a home, a workplace or the tools that make a livelihood possible is something entirely different. As we heard from friends and collaborators, our attention turned to the people behind the places we know and love.
Why we created The CreatiVrole Project
Over years of operating Musical Getaways and our sister company, Havana Music Tours, the same question kept returning. How can relationships created through cultural travel continue to matter after travelers go home?
Again and again, the needs we encountered were practical. A musician needed an instrument or recording equipment. A teacher needed materials. A community program needed a computer. Sometimes a family or creative worker needed help after a storm or another emergency. Guests and partners often asked us how they could help, too.
That is why we created The CreatiVrole Project, a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) public charity. The nonprofit gives this work a clear and transparent structure separate from our commercial travel operations. It supports creative communities through practical resources, education, cultural exchange and infrastructure. Just as importantly, the work responds to needs through trusted local relationships.
At the heart of it is a simple idea. The communities we visit are not scenery. The people sharing their culture are artists, professionals, teachers, neighbors, parents and knowledge holders. Responsible music tourism means respecting their work and compensating it fairly. Whenever possible, it also means building relationships that continue beyond a single visit.
That philosophy is part of our broader commitment to sustainable and responsible travel. The CreatiVrole Project gives us another way to live that commitment. Sometimes what a community needs most is not another visit, but practical support.
Colombia earthquake relief through the Pacific Creative Recovery campaign
In response to the earthquake, The CreatiVrole Project launched the Colombia Pacific Earthquake & Creative Recovery campaign. The focus is intentionally local. We want to help families, cultural workers and small community livelihoods that can be easy to overlook during a disaster of this scale.
The campaign is following needs in and around San José del Palmar, Quibdó, Condoto, Santa Rita de Iró, Buenaventura, Juanchaco, Guapi and connected Pacific communities. Support may help with essential home repairs, safe shelter and replacement tools or supplies for small businesses. It may also support musicians, cultural workers, transportation and the coordination needed to reach communities along the Pacific corridor.
One of the cases already documented is La Sazón de Fanny in Juanchaco. Fanny’s family home and restaurant share the same structure. The earthquake, together with strong seasonal winds, badly damaged the roof. Repairing it means helping a family recover its home while also protecting the small business that supports them.
Trusted collaborators are also helping us document the needs of musician families. In Buenaventura, young percussionist Jaritza Narváez and her siblings are already grieving the loss of both parents. Local collaborators report that the earthquake then severely damaged the home the siblings inherited.
In Guapi, the Torres family has a deep connection to the region’s marimba tradition. Their home was already fragile before the earthquake. The new damage has made an existing hardship more urgent.
Each situation is different, but together they show how closely cultural life and everyday life are connected. A home can also be a rehearsal space, a restaurant, a workshop, a classroom or a family business. Recovery is not only about rebuilding walls. It is about helping people regain the stability they need to work, teach, create and remain connected to their communities.
Protect the communities that protect the culture
There is a phrase at the center of this campaign: protect the communities that protect the culture.
We have learned what that means through years of music travel. Traditions survive because people practice them and teach them. They cook the foods connected to them, build instruments and organize festivals. They open their homes and pass knowledge to the next generation. Travelers are fortunate to be invited into that living process.
When a crisis affects the same people who have welcomed our travelers, the relationship has to work in both directions. They have introduced us to their music and helped us understand their culture. This Colombia earthquake relief campaign is our way of standing beside some of those communities now.
The campaign will work through trusted local relationships and documented needs. We will prioritize local purchasing when practical and use responsible distribution. We will also report publicly on how campaign resources are used while protecting the dignity and privacy of participating families.
If you would like to stand with these communities, you can support the recovery campaign directly below.
The CreatiVrole Project is a recognized 501(c)(3) public charity, and contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by U.S. law. If donating is not possible, sharing the campaign is another meaningful way to help. It can bring these stories to people who care about Colombia, music, cultural preservation and community-led recovery.
Travel should leave a relationship behind
We still believe deeply in the power of travel. A great music journey can change how someone understands a country, a musical tradition and the people who sustain it. But the best version of music tourism is not simply access. It is exchange.
Exchange also asks something of us. It asks us to listen, to respect and to remain connected. The earthquake is a painful reminder that the places we visit are living communities, not products. People’s lives continue long after our travelers return home.
Our work with The CreatiVrole Project is one way we can keep showing up. Sometimes what a community needs from us is not another itinerary, but support. That is the kind of relationship we want Musical Getaways to build before the journey, during it and long after everyone returns home.
That same commitment continues in Cuba through The CreatiVrole Project’s Cuba Creative Relief & Food Security Project. It supports food, essential supplies, solar equipment and creative resources for communities in Havana, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo.
