JUNE 2026 Hello everyone from the Marrakesh airport. I just wrapped up co-facilitating a workshop on the future of travel and experiential design with Thierry Teyssier, founder of Dar Ahlam — a property that genuinely defies description. I don’t say that lightly. The idea was simple. Bring people together from our networks who think differently about travel, who think outside the box, genuinely brilliant, and go deep on experiential design. Not the surface version. Now I'm headed off to our...
13 days ago • 4 min read
MAY 2026 THE LATEST ECT Moodboard Hi everyone, I'm currently writing this from Istanbul Airport, on my way to Mongolia to finalize details for our September trip. If you're interested in a behind-the-scenes look at how the "sausage is made" (so to speak) for a travel company, you can follow along here. I will be posting dispatches from the field. Speaking of what's ahead — the results from our 2027 destination survey have been fascinating to watch come in. So far, 175 of you have weighed in,...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
@elcaminotravel | Insider Intel Channel | www.elcamino.travel We're still reviewing applications for 2026. In the last 72 hours, travelers booked spots for Brazil, India, and Japan. Apply here. Casa Violeta at sunset. We send our Casa Violeta guests three Spotify playlists before their trip. One for each moment in the house that you can only experience in that exact place, at that exact time. The first is for mornings. Fresh coffee from the french press, tropical birds going buck wild as the...
2 months ago • 1 min read
@elcaminotravel | Insider Intel Channel | www.elcamino.travel Hi Everyone, Let's acknowledge the elephant that has been in the room for some time. The world feels heavy right now. It has been hard not to get pulled under — into despair, into the headlines, into the particular kind of exhaustion that comes from caring too much to look away. Last week I came across something that gave me a deep sense of hope and faith, and that I keep coming back to. Our friend of El Camino, Molly Berry — a...
3 months ago • 3 min read
@elcaminotravel | Insider Intel Channel | www.elcamino.travel Hi everyone, I take creative days regularly — no agenda, no deliverables, just going deep into other worlds. Other cultures, other creative verticals, other ways of thinking about what an experience can be. It's one of the most important things I do for El Camino. It's how itineraries get shaped, how I figure out who to connect with on the ground, what's possible — even in destinations we're not yet building. Here are the...
3 months ago • 2 min read
@elcaminotravel | Insider Intel Channel | www.elcamino.travel IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER YOU'LL FIND: What it means to be on the CNT Specialists List New trips — you're not going to believe where we're going next. Brazil, rural Japan, art fairs, and more. Plus a mystery trip with a mystery person. Can you guess? Hi Everyone! A few things to share — some we've been sitting on for a while. WE MADE THE CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER SPECIALISTS LIST El Camino was just named to Condé Nast Traveler's Top Travel...
4 months ago • 5 min read
@elcaminotravel | Insider Intel Channel | www.elcamino.travel Popping in to say a quick hello from the country of Georgia 🇬🇪 My view at breakfast this morning I’m here scouting it as an alternative — and more off-the-beaten-path — winter destination for our custom trip planning, especially for those looking beyond the typical European alpine towns. It’s been a packed few days — lots of skiing in the Caucus mountains, natural wine, and homemade brandy out of plastic bottles. Learn more about...
4 months ago • 1 min read
@elcaminotravel | Insider Intel Channel | www.elcamino.travel YOUR HOMEWORK: Tell us where we’re going next Tell us who we should partner with Send a Valentine to your favorite small business Learn how not to fumble a long-awaited professional intro [especially if you are looking for a new job] Hi everyone, A quick update: all current small group trips are officially sold out. But don’t panic — we’re launching a few more this year. Many of you have been writing in the same destinations in...
5 months ago • 1 min read
💌 ECT to the World 01/22/2026 Somewhere on the back roads of Sri Lanka, staring out the window. Back in December, I was at ILTM Cannes, the travel industry’s largest luxury conference, for Business of Experiences, our Substack for professionals in hospitality. I spent about twelve hours in press briefings, listening to how the most iconic brands in travel are thinking about what comes next. Almost without exception, everyone kept circling the same idea—just dressed up in slightly different...
5 months ago • 5 min read