WELCOME GUIDE

THE MEXICO RETREAT

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 Italy 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

Zihuatanejo, Mexico

DATES

February 6th-10th, 2025

ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE:

Check in at 3pm
Check out at 11am

Instructors: 

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

Tiffany Clarke Harrison || @tiffanyclarkeharrison

When to Arrive:
Please plan to be at the venue by 4 pm on February 6th. The venue is located two hours from Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport. We recommend pre-booking a shuttle through us, we are happy to do so if you request this option. Our welcome circle and dinner will begin at 6pm. Of course, we can make exceptions for late check-ins, but we need to be informed of any late arrivals in advance.

Airport:
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport (2 hours away).

Entering Mexico: You will need a valid passport. Please check visa requirements for your country of origin prior to departing.

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. and E.U. may have other requirements, such as a visa. Please contact a 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: 
The currency used in Mexico is the Mexican Peso, abbreviated as MXN. The symbol for the peso is $, which is the same as the dollar symbol, but it refers to pesos in Mexico. To differentiate, you'll often see the abbreviation "MXN" before or after the amount. 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. 

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 clothes for the day, layers for nights, sunscreen, a sun hat, water bottle, mosquito repellant, a flashlight, writing utensils, comfortable walking shoes, a bathing suit, comfortable clothes for hiking and suitable shoes for trails, 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. Please check the weather ahead of time.

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 , airfare, and taxi are 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.

Here are the links to all the necessary forms for you to fill out (these also can be found in your booking email).
Please sign the T&C and fill out the Intake Form ASAP upon booking to confirm your reservation.

  • 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.

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

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.