WELCOME GUIDE

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Have a moment and thank yourself for taking this leap of faith and taking the time to nurture your writing life. 

This Welcome Guide will cover everything from travel insurance to workshop details, how to get to where you’re going, writing exercises to prepare, and what it means to really connect with us.
Trust us and give the whole thing a look over.

We look forward to meeting you in Mexico for an experience devoted entirely to you, your process, and your work. If there is anything we missed, please reach out.

The Themes of Trust & Travel

This retreat is designed to help you take your writing further—and deeper— whether you are just starting out, haven’t written in ten years, or are knee-deep in a project. We will both support you and challenge you to sift through what is on the surface, move beyond it, and create original work.

One of our goals will be to help you identify experiences that naturally draw you to evocative prose. We will engage with our intuitive abilities to move beyond simple description and language. 

We’ll be considering ourselves as storytellers, rather than simply recorders or writers; we’ll be allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, rather than ordered categorizers of our emotions; we’ll be dropping into our inner knowing, and translating the languages we discover. 

We want you to leave this retreat not merely enthused by being in community, but inspired by yourself and your capabilities; refreshed not simply by the break from home, but by the ability to return home with a renewed perspective on your commitment to your writing; and with enough impressions of this country that your inner reserve of imagery and adventure is at its peak for some time to come.

The Important Travel Details

Below you will find everything travel related from where to fly into, to what to pack, and everything else. If there is anything we missed, please reach out and we will answer any questions you have!

DESTINATION

Casa Adela
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

DATES

March 4th - March 8th, 2024

ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE:

Check in at 3pm
Check out at 11am

Instructors: 

Jade Moyano || jade@wetrustandtravel.com || @jadeamazonia

Erin Belair  || erin@wetrustandtravel.com || @roseblacque

When to Arrive:
Check in starts at 3pm on March 4th. The retreat officially starts at 5pm. Plan to be at the venue early to settle in and join us for the welcome circle, opening ceremony and dinner. It takes about an hour and a half to reach our venue from the airport, and about 15 minutes to get there from town, so please plan your travels accordingly. Your transportation to and from the venue from the airport can be booked through us, we will gladly group those arriving at similar times.

Transfer Cost:

3-PASSENGER SEDAN AIRPORT TRANSFER - $115 USD / CAR
In-Airport Greeting from Leon-BJX or Queretaro-QRO Airports for 3 passengers with luggage in a late-model, clean and air-conditioned sedan with an English-speaking driver.
6-PASSENGER SUBURBAN AIRPORT TRANSFER - $159 USD / SUV

Airport:
Casa Adela and San Miguel de Allende are easily accessed by two smaller airports Leon, Guanajuato (BJX) and Queretaro (QRO) both about a 1.5 hour drive away. Mexico’s major airport Mexico City (MEX) is about 3.5 hours away. Private, safe transfers from all airports can be arranged with our trusted partners. Mexico also boasts an easy bus system, and comfortable luxury motorcoaches from Mexico City arrive in about 3.5 hours directly to the San Miguel de Allende bus station.

To Enter Mexico: To enter Mexico, you will need a valid passport. We require a negative COVID test for attending the retreat, which will need to be sent to us (via an image to our Whatsapp group) prior to your arrival, but you do not need one to enter the country. The test will have to be carried out in the 24 hours prior to arrival in Mexico.

US and EU citizens do not currently need a visa to travel to Mexico for less than 90 days. You must carry a valid identity document at all times. Please be sure your passport is valid for at least 3 months and has enough pages. Citizens other than U.S. may have other requirements such as a visa. Please contact a Mexican consulate or embassy near you. You are responsible for your own arrangements. 

Advisories on Entry:
Whenever you go anywhere, the advice is always the same. Do not accept gifts or packages from strangers; do not agree to carry merchandise for others; do not leave your bag unattended in airports, bathrooms, or while waiting in line. Make sure your bag is carefully marked, with your final destination. Make sure you have either printed out this packet, or have written the vital information down, so that you can contact us in an emergency. 

Money: 
Mexico uses the Mexico Peso. For current exchange rates, check online. There are ATMS in the airport. Our suggestion is that you get money from one of those or bring it from home. It’s a good idea to bring some of your home currency or dollars if you lose your bank card and need to exchange money. Always have cash on you.

Travel Insurance:
Travel insurance is an important part of any travel experience. When you travel outside your home country, you have no guarantee your home insurance will pay for accidents or medical care. Travel insurance is a simple and inexpensive step you can take to make sure you are protected wherever you go, for any length of trip. You can research travel insurance companies online—they usually will insure you for anywhere from a week to a month to a year. You are expected to be covered for this journey, and make the decisions you need to make regarding that on your own. It’s also important to contact your physician if you have any ongoing health issues and let them know of your forthcoming journey so they can help prepare you. Disclaimer: We are not responsible for your health, accidents, or medical care during this retreat. 

Communication:
We will be creating a Whatsapp group prior to the trip for us all to stay connected. Not only can you find updates from us there, but you can see who else is attending and connect with them there or elsewhere, as you wish. Please be sure you have downloaded Whatsapp to your phone; it’s how we will communicate before and during the retreat and is the best way to keep your phone working while abroad. 

What to Bring:
This is not a packing list by any means. However, there are some specific things we suggest you bring for maximum comfort: Comfortable warm weather clothes for the day, layers for cool nights, sunscreen, a sun hat, a flashlight, writing utensils, comfortable walking shoes, a bathing suit, comfortable clothes for yoga and stretching (mats are provided), a few snacks, especially if you are vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or have food allergies. If you have special needs, bring everything you require with you. 

Meals: 
The venue provides us with three meals a day, a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Coffee and tea will be available in the mornings.

*Be mindful that alcohol is not included in the retreat price. Tips are also not included. The tips are shared between the whole staff; we suggest setting aside $5 USD per person per day to leave at the end of their stay.

Lunch plans for the 8th:

As per our schedule, we will be checking out by 11am on the 8th at the end of our stay. We have planned a lunch in town that day at The Restaurant for anyone who would like and is able to join us. Afterward we plan on walking around town, shopping, and just enjoying ourselves.

We will help arrange transport to town (price per car is listed in details above). Plan to drop your bags at your next stay and then meet us at The Restaurant for a 1pm reservation. This is of course totally optional. If you feel called to do something else, go for it!

Lunch location: The Restaurant. Diez de Sollano y Dávalos 16, Zona Centro, Centro, 37700 San Miguel de Allende, Gto., Mexico

San Miguel de Allende Recommendations

STAY

Hotel Amparo

Casa Delphine

Casa Blanca

Doce 18

EAT

THE RESTAURANT Centro | Upscale- Casual Dining in Idyllic Courtyard 

FATIMA 7 Centro | Upscale-Casual Rooftop Dining with Skyline Views above Hotel Casa Blanca

MOXI Centro | Upscale-Casual Dining with Chic Design in Hotel Matilda 

ZUMO Centro | Upscale-Casual Rooftop Dining with Skyline Views 

ATRIO Centro | Upscale-Casual Rooftop Dining with Parroquia Views 

LA PARADA Centro | Upscale-Casual Peruvian Dining 

ENJOY

MERCADO ARTESANIAS
Stroll block after block of the famous Mercado Artesanias to barter with local artisans selling everything from Mexican-made textiles to local hand-crafted jewelry and everything in between. 

SAN MIGUEL HISTORY & ARCHITECTURE
Explore the nooks and crannies of centro’s cobblestone streets with a professional English-speaking guide and learn about the city’s most notable churches, buildings, and history. Inquire for pricing.

CANADA DE LA VIRGEN RUINS 

THERMAL HOT SPRINGS 

A Note On Workshops

“Because this business of becoming conscious, of being a writer, is ultimately about asking yourself, How alive am I willing to be?”
— Anne Lamott

  • We keep our workshops analog, so plan on writing with paper and pen.

  • Workshop will offer you both instruction, time for writing, questions, and sharing. You are never required to share, but we would always love to hear what you are working on.

  • We teach across many genres. It’s our core belief that all writing strengthens the craft, and we encourage you to explore forms you have never tried before.

  • Everything shared in the workshop is private and remains in the workshop. If we want to write our best work, find our best stories, and fall into a place of creative security—we need to have an atmosphere of trust and warmth. 

  • Respect is required and we reserve the right to remove anyone from a workshop if we deem them disrespectful. 

  • Our goal is always to inspire you to go back to your room and write more. You will be surprised where you find the seeds of story. Remain hopeful. Remain open. And most of all, have fun.

Writing is a muscle and skill just like anything else and the more you flex it, the stronger it gets. So, we’d like to invite you to use the reading list below and these writing exercises as a way of getting in the mindset before the retreat. This isn’t homework (this is not required). We like to think of it more like stokework. This is all just to stoke your fire in the months before.

Writing Exercises

Start Journaling.

This will be a part of our morning work and it’s nice to get in the habit beforehand. Even if it’s just ten minutes when you wake up or before bed. If you find yourself struggling with where to start, try these: “Today I am grateful for...” “When I am not here I hope I remember...” 

Write A Letter.

A great deal of writing is just figuring out how to say the things that rattle around in your heart cage. Write a letter to someone that you have unsaid things with. You will never send this, it is simply to get your thoughts and words out on the page. It could be to an old lover, your boss, or long lost friend you think of often. 

Timed Freewrite.

Consider this your cardio. A free write is exactly that–it is free. Set a timer for ten minutes and do not stop writing. Do not reread it as you go, do not judge the work, or worry about style or spelling, or anything really. Just keep on writing. You can always come back later.

Try To Transcribe.

Go dig out a favorite read that you have at home. Find a paragraph in those pages that really stands out to you, really moves you, really makes you want to write like that. Copy it down word for word. Then take some time and identify three reasons why this passage stands out. Try rewriting it in your own language and mimic the things you love about it. 

THANK YOU.