About us
Why we
built Walkon
Walkon was born not as a market idea, but as a practical response to a lived problem. We wanted to create a travel model that helps people keep their homes instead of feeling pressured to turn them into short-term rentals or sell them to the market.
We also wanted to make home exchange accessible to people who have something valuable to share, but not necessarily a home. Skills, knowledge and time can create value too. Walkon is our attempt to bring back reciprocity, trust and human connection to the way we travel.
The problem
Travel didn't create these problems, but it became part of them
Houses became an investment
Across many cities, housing increasingly became investment products, reducing access for the people who actually live there.
Travel became expensive
Rising housing and living costs have made travel harder too, making many destinations inaccessible for longer stays.
Connection became secondary
Travel platforms made booking easier, but human connection became secondary.
Our story
Walkon was born from my life with Leonor. We're a couple of entrepreneurs who travel whenever we can for moments of pleasure, but also because I'm Brazilian, so splitting our time between the cities has always shaped our work and personal lives. Living in Lisbon for the past eight years, I have watched the city change and become progressively inaccessible for those who have always lived and worked here.
Leonor, on the other hand, has lived in Portugal her whole life, almost four decade, and together we've seen how this shift affects both locals and those who try to stay connected to the city. Everyday life, from housing to simple leisure, has become increasingly expensive, making the city harder to experience in a natural way. At the same time, we've spent the last three years working within tourism, which gave us a closer look at how travel can contribute to this pressure instead of easing it.
Walkon was built from that tension, I wanted to build a different way of travelling, one that doesn't rely on nightly rates or turn homes into investment assets. Instead, a network where people can exchange homes and skills, and where access to travel comes through participation in a community, not financial transactions. A more balanced way to move between cities, while keeping them livable for the people who are part of them.
What we believe
Walkon comes from an intersection: a network where trust is structured, where rules protect both sides, and where value is not defined only by ownership or by having a home, but by real contribution between people. It is not just a platform that makes travel more accessible. It is a system that reintroduces exchange as a foundation — where homes and skills create access, rather than money alone. We believe in rebuilding access, community, and possibility through the way we travel and consume, and in giving cities back to the people who live in them.
Founders
Paulá Macél
Creator and Product Lead
Brazilian based in Lisbon since 2018. After years working in tourism and building independent business, I've built Walkon as a response to the growing disconnect between travel, housing and local life. Today I lead product strategy, platform development and the overall vision behind Walkon.
Leonor Machado
Operations & Community Lead
Born and raised in Lisbon, Leonor has witnessed firsthand how the city has changed over the last decades. With a background in management and operations, she leads partnerships, community development and day-to-day operations.
Keep homes lived in. Keep travel human.
Exchange homes, share skills, meet people and travel through contribution instead of transactions.
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