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Who’s behind Al Ritmo
Hey, I’m Selçuk
Founder of Al Ritmo Travels — and your host on every trip, from Schiphol to the last social of the night.
How it started
I built the trip I couldn’t find anywhere
It started with an email I wasn’t expecting: a dance teacher asking whether I could help plan a trip to the Dominican Republic for her students. An ordinary request — but it lit something up. I’d danced salsa and bachata for years and lived in more than ten countries, and it hit me that nobody was building trips for dancers who actually wanted to see where their music came from.
For years the same thing had bugged me about dance holidays: they could be anywhere — a resort, a workshop room, a pool. You fly nine hours to the Caribbean and never meet the country. So I built the opposite: half dancing, half understanding where the music comes from — classes and the real socials, plus the streets where bachata was recorded and the history from the people who lived it.
A bit about me
Ten countries, one obsession
Moving that much teaches you one thing: a place only opens up through its people — and in Latin America and the Caribbean, the fastest way to the people is the music.
Lived & worked in 10+ countries — I travel like a local because for years I was one.
Fluent in Spanish, with a network across Latin America built over years of studying and living there.
Co-founded Charlie’s Travels in Kenya — running trips off the beaten track is not new to me.
A dancer first — I’m on a floor several nights a week here in the Netherlands.
What I stand for
Five things I believe
Dance is more than steps — it’s a way into a culture. These beliefs shape every day on the road.
Everyone’s welcome on the floor
All levels, all styles — and the partner who doesn’t dance. Group classes to start, private lessons if you want to push. And since half the trip is the country itself, non-dancers never sit around waiting.
Joy over polish
I’d rather you laugh through a misstep at a street social than nail choreography in a studio. The trips are built for shared, slightly chaotic, genuine fun.
Real connections, not performances
I work directly with local instructors, musicians, guides and families — no package from a broker. You dance with the people who keep these rhythms alive, on their own ground.
Off the beaten track
A hidden beach, a colmado only locals know, a cigar workshop in Tamboril. The plan always leaves room for the unplanned — that’s usually where the best nights come from.
Small groups, personal care
Small enough that I know what you came for, that you fit in one bus, and that you leave knowing everyone’s name. I’m on every trip from Schiphol to the last social — so there’s always someone who has your back, knows the plan, and can change it when the moment calls for it.
What drives it
Vision & mission
Rhythm as fuel
Every step you take adds to the journey — on the dancefloor or down a cobblestone street. I build trips that move you, in both senses of the word.
Unveiling hidden treasures
Not a bootcamp, not a resort. Half dancing, half the country behind the music — the secret beach, the tucked-away café, the late-night social only locals know.