> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foundedbywomen.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # From The Amazing Race to AdventuressTy: How Ty Vaughn Built a Luxury Adventure Brand After 40 - URL: https://www.foundedbywomen.org/women-who-lead/from-the-amazing-race-to-adventuressty-how-ty-vaughn-built-a-luxury-adventure-brand-after-40/ - Published: 2026-10-03T00:27:22.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-03T00:27:22.000Z - Author: Editorial team - Tags: Women Who Lead Ty Vaughn is an entrepreneur, adventure travel curator, and founder of AdventuressTy, a luxury adventure travel company inspiring people to step beyond their comfort zones and experience life more boldly. Founded in 2019, AdventuressTy began with local California adventures and has grown into a global travel brand creating curated group experiences that blend luxury, adventure, cultural immersion, wellness, and meaningful connection. Ty's own journey into adventure began later in life. Growing up in the Crenshaw area of Los Angeles, she never considered herself an outdoors or adventure person. One of her earliest inspirations came from watching *The Amazing Race*, but it wasn't until her 40s that she began experiencing those kinds of adventures herself. Her first zipline experience on Catalina Island with her husband became a turning point. Nervous but determined, Ty stepped off the platform and discovered a new side of herself. That experience sparked a passion that eventually became AdventuressTy. Today, Ty has embraced experiences ranging from skydiving, ziplining, bungee jumping, and paragliding to ATV excursions, and immersive international travel. But for her, adventure has never been simply about adrenaline. It is about transformation. She believes luxury and adventure can coexist—allowing travelers to experience thrilling activities while also enjoying beautiful accommodations, exceptional food, wellness, culture, and time to simply breathe. At the heart of Ty's philosophy is a simple message: fear is a waste of time when it keeps you from living. She believes courage isn't the absence of fear; it's moving forward while you're afraid. Through AdventuressTy, she helps travelers build confidence one experience—and one "yes"—at a time. As a Black woman entrepreneur, Ty is passionate about representation in adventure travel, particularly for mature Black women. She challenges the idea that adventure has an expiration date and encourages people in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond to remain curious, courageous, and open to new experiences. Community is equally important to her mission. Ty creates experiences where strangers can become friends by laughing together, facing fears together, and celebrating each other's accomplishments. Her faith, love of people, and appreciation for nature also shape the way she leads and creates experiences. She believes travel can reconnect people with themselves, deepen their appreciation for the world, and reveal possibilities they may never have imagined. Ty's vision for AdventuressTy is to build a globally recognized luxury adventure travel brand while telling the powerful stories of the people who choose to step outside their comfort zones. For Ty, success isn't measured only by business growth. It's hearing a traveler say, "I didn't know I was capable of that." Her hope is that every AdventuressTy traveler returns home with more than memories and souvenirs—with greater courage, confidence, connection, and a renewed belief in what's possible. Transformative. Exhilarating. Unforgettable. That's the AdventuressTy experience. > Know a founder (or are one) doing incredible work? **Founded by Women Awards** are open for entries. If you're building something bold, leading with purpose, or driving change in your industry, we'd love for you to enter. 👉 [foundedbywomen.org/awards](https://www.foundedbywomen.org/awards/) ### Q: What inspired you to found AdventuressTy, and what were the main challenges you faced? The inspiration for AdventuressTy actually started years ago with my love of watching The Amazing Race. I was fascinated watching couples travel around the world, experience different cultures, and take on these incredible challenges and adventures. I would watch them zipline in another country, race through unfamiliar destinations, try things they had never done before, and push themselves completely outside of their comfort zones. I remember thinking, I want to do that. That show opened my eyes to a different way of seeing travel. Travel didn't have to mean simply getting on a plane, checking into a beautiful hotel, sightseeing, and coming home. You could actually experience a destination - climb something, jump off something, fly over something, learn from the culture, challenge yourself, and come home feeling different than when you left. That curiosity eventually became part of my own life. I began seeking out adventures that pushed me beyond what was comfortable, and I discovered how empowering it felt to accomplish something that initially scared me. I realized there was something much deeper happening than just having fun. Every time you face a fear and make it to the other side, you learn something about yourself. That became the foundation for AdventuressTy, which I founded in 2019\. I wanted to create a community where everyday people could experience that same feeling: trying something new, challenging themselves, traveling differently, and discovering that they were capable of more than they thought. We started with local California experiences like ziplining, hiking, and other outdoor adventures. Over time, that vision expanded into domestic and international group travel, allowing our travelers to experience adventure, culture, luxury, and connection around the world. One of my biggest challenges was building a company in an area of travel where I didn't necessarily see many people who looked like me, particularly mature Black women, represented. I also had to learn the business behind the adventure: building relationships with vendors, coordinating groups, pricing trips, managing payments, developing policies, marketing, and making sure every guest felt safe and well taken care of. There was definitely a learning curve, but those challenges ultimately helped me become a stronger entrepreneur and helped shape AdventuressTy into the company it is today. ### Q: Did you start the venture alone? I created the original vision for AdventuressTy, but I was blessed to have people who believed in that vision during the beginning stages. I had three partners who believed in me and helped bring those early adventures to life. They assisted with hosting our groups, filming our experiences, creating social media content, and helping build the energy and community around what we were creating. As life often does, things evolved. Their lives took on new responsibilities, and eventually they went on to pursue their own passions, dreams, careers, and personal goals. I will always appreciate what they contributed during those foundational years because they were part of the beginning of the AdventuressTy story. I chose to continue moving forward with the vision. As the company grew, I began bringing in new talent with different skills and expertise to help take AdventuressTy to the next level. I've learned that entrepreneurship isn't about doing everything yourself. A strong leader has to recognize when the vision has grown beyond what one person can carry and be willing to bring talented people around the table who can help make that vision even bigger. ### Q: What's your business model, and how have you grown your revenue? AdventuressTy operates primarily as a curated group travel and adventure company. We design experiences that can include accommodations, transportation, excursions, cultural activities, adventure experiences, dining, and many of the details that allow our travelers to arrive and enjoy the journey without having to figure everything out themselves. Our revenue comes from the trips and experiences we curate, travel planning and administrative services, travel-industry and supplier commissions, and partnerships connected to the experiences we create. Our growth has largely been built on trust, community, referrals, social media, and repeat travelers. When someone travels with us, feels well taken care of, steps outside of their comfort zone, and comes home talking about their experience, that becomes some of our most powerful marketing. Many travelers return for another destination, and often they bring a friend, family member, or coworker with them. We've also grown by evolving from primarily local California adventures into domestic and international travel and by broadening what we define as adventure. Not everyone wants to jump out of an airplane - and that's okay. For one person, adventure may be skydiving or ziplining across another country. For someone else, it might be taking their first international trip, going on safari, riding an ATV, experiencing a river cruise, or finally visiting a destination they've dreamed about for 20 years. That evolution has allowed AdventuressTy to serve a broader audience while staying true to the heart of why I started it. For me, the goal has never been simply to sell trips. I'm building a trusted adventure travel brand and a community where someone can look at an experience that scares or intimidates them and say, "I would never do that on my own - but I'll do it with Ty." That trust has become one of the most valuable parts of our brand and one of the biggest drivers of our growth.