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AlmaExplores

@almaexplores

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Culture meets comfort. I plan trips for 40+ travelers who love local culture (and good pillows). 📍#Mexico & Beyond.
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Amazon Prime... Sicily edition. 🧺😂

I was minding my own business, wandering the streets of Palermo, when I looked up and saw a wicker basket being lowered from a balcony.

Naturally... I had questions. 😂

It’s called a panaro (or *panaru* in Sicilian), a tradition that’s been around for generations. Instead of making a trip downstairs, neighbors use these baskets to send up fresh bread, groceries, medicine, and whatever they picked up from the local shops.

I know it seems like such a small thing, but this is exactly why I love wandering without an agenda. You end up finding the little moments that make a place feel real.

💛 Have you ever stumbled across a random local tradition while traveling that completely made your day?

Tell me! I live for these kinds of discoveries!

#palermo #sicily #tinytinymoments #travelgram by @almaexplores

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3 months ago

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2 years ago

Baja Breakfast!
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When in #LaPazbcs only one spot for fish 🐠 🌮 .
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El Estadio Tacos de Pescado 🐟.
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Open from 8am - 2pm.
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#fishtacos🐟 #lapazmexico #breakfast #lunchideas #mexicaneats taken in La Paz, Baja California Sur by @almaexplores

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5 years ago

AI can tell me a hotel has five stars. ⭐️ But there are some things I need to see for myself. And trust me, I’m checking. 😂

When I’m scouting hotels for Alma Explores, these are the little things that can make a BIG difference:

💡 The lighting — Is the room bright enough? And with all the digital panels and high-tech controls these days, can I easily figure out how to turn the lights on and OFF? 😂 Sometimes I just want a switch!

🚿 Water pressure — Yes, I’m testing the shower. A good shower after a long travel day matters!

🛏️ The bed — Comfy mattress, nice linens, good pillows. We’re grown. We need our sleep.

☎️ A room phone — Very Gen X of me, but I love a good old-fashioned phone PLUS WhatsApp access to the front desk.

🛎️ 24-hour help — Because sometimes you need something at a very inconvenient hour.

🛗 Elevator or stairs? — I don’t mind stairs! I just like knowing about those three flights BEFORE I arrive with my suitcase.

🚕 Can a car get there? — In medinas, historic centers and hill towns, your driver may only be able to get near your hotel. Good information to have before arrival!

🧳 Luggage help — If I’m walking from the drop-off point, will someone meet me and help with the bags? Yes, please.

☕ Breakfast — Because before we start exploring, I need coffee…and preferably something to go with it.

❤️ And most importantly: SERVICE. — A gorgeous hotel with incredible design is wonderful, but if the service is subpar, the beauty doesn’t mean much to me. How you’re treated, how responsive the staff is and how they make you feel will always come first.

AI is amazing for research — I use it too! But sometimes you need someone to sleep in the bed, test the shower, climb the stairs, experience the service and figure out exactly where that taxi is dropping you off. 😉

I don’t just find hotels. I vet the experience. ✈️

Planning a trip? Let Alma Explores do the vetting for you.

#privatetravel #traveldesigner #hotellife #hospitality #privatetrip by @almaexplores

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11 days ago

Like many of our parents who come to this country seeking a better life, my mom too came from 🇲🇽 and has spent a great part of her life taking care of everyone else, besides herself. So on a recent work trip to Morocco, we flipped it, she joined me and let the world take care of her for once! Beautiful hotels, spa days, long dinners. Watching her soak it all in was the best part of this trip!

Huge thank you to @royalmansourmarrakech @royalmansourcasablanca @royalmansourtamuda @fsmarrakech for treating us like royalty 👸!

If you can, take your mom on the trip. You won’t regret a single minute and the memories will last a lifetime! Reach out, we’ll help!

#motherdaughtertrip #moroccotravel #travelwithmom #privatetravel #moroccogram by @almaexplores

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16 days ago

Today, we celebrate México, its independence, its history, and the culture, creativity and traditions that make it unlike anywhere else. 🇲🇽

Mexico is never one-size-fits-all. Each region has its own stories, flavors, landscapes and rhythm. The best trips leave room to experience those differences with curiosity, care and a little comfort along the way.

¡Feliz Día de la Independencia! Happy Mexican Independence Day!

And when you’re ready to see more than the usual highlights, Alma Explores designs private journeys through Mexico around the experiences that matter to you.

#mexicanindependenceday #visitmexico #mexicolindoyquerido #privatetravel #mexicotravel by @almaexplores

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23 days ago

alma explores: BARCELONA 🇪🇸✨

Throwback to the one week that ruined every other festival for me — La Mercè 🎉

Devils running through the streets throwing sparks (correfocs 😈🔥), giant parade puppets, free concerts on every corner 🎶 — then more fireworks over the water to close it all out 🎆

If you like festival vibes, plan your Barcelona trip around late September, trust me on this one 🙌

📍 Heads up: streets close, metro gets packed, skip the car near the old town that week

This is Barcelona at its loudest, proudest, most alive 🇪🇸💛❤️

✨ Want help planning your own private Spain trip? DM me “SPAIN” and let’s make it happen ✨

#LaMerce #Barcelona #VisitBarcelona #TravelReel #PrivateTravel taken in Barcelona, España by @almaexplores

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24 days ago

Morocco gave me plenty of reasons to get dressed up…and I did my best to take advantage. 😂🇲🇦✨

Maybe it’s the colors, the architecture, the gorgeous riads, or the fact that every corner feels like it deserves an outfit, not sure, but something about this country just makes you want to dress up!

Here’s a Morocco travel tip: style + respect can absolutely go together. Morocco is a Muslim-majority country, so dressing on the modest side is always a good idea—think covered shoulders, longer skirts and dresses, flowy pants and pieces that aren’t revealing, especially when visiting more traditional areas or religious sites.

And don’t forget that many of Morocco’s luxury hotels have dress codes, especially in the evenings. So definitely throw a fabulous evening look (or two 😉) in that suitcase.

Tell me which look is your favorite? 👗✨

#MoroccoStyle #MoroccoTravel #traveltip #travelfit #travelrespectfully taken in Morocco, North Africa by @almaexplores

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a month ago

💙 Chefchaouen really IS this blue.

Tucked into the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco, Chefchaouen is all blue-washed streets, winding alleys, mountain views and endless photo stops. 🇲🇦

So why blue? There are a few stories, but one of the most widely shared is that Jewish refugees who settled here in the 1930s painted buildings blue as a symbol of the sky and heaven. Whatever the origin, it’s become part of Chefchaouen’s magic. 💙

One travel tip: Morocco is BIG. Chefchaouen is way up north, so if you’re also visiting Marrakech, Casablanca or the desert, getting here takes some pre-planning. But no worries, we can help with that!

✨ SAVE this for your Morocco trip.
Would you make the trip north for Chefchaouen?

#Chefchaouen #MoroccoTravel #NorthernMorocco #privatetravel #instatravel taken in Chefchaouen, Morocco by @almaexplores

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a month ago

Summer days in Tangier just hit different. 🇲🇦☀️🌊

Warm Mediterranean air. Color everywhere. Cafés spilling onto the sidewalks. Arabic, French, and Spanish all being spoken around you at once.

Tangier feels like Morocco with a little bit of everywhere mixed in. 💙

Northern Morocco is a completely different experience—the landscapes are greener, the Mediterranean influence is stronger, and the whole rhythm just feels different.

Please… don’t make Tangier a one-night stop. Give her 3–4 days.

Wander the Kasbah. Get lost in the medina. Eat amazing seafood. Grab a café table with nowhere to be. Head to Cap Spartel. Watch the sunset.

Sometimes the best travel days aren’t about checking off a list. They’re about sitting somewhere beautiful, listening to multiple languages around you and thinking…
Damn. I love this world. 🌍✨

📍 Tangier, Morocco

Save this one for your Morocco trip. And when you’re ready to experience Morocco beyond the postcards, DM Alma Explores. ✈️

#tangiers #tangiermorocco #privatetravel #moroccotravel #travelwithus taken in Tangier, Morocco by @almaexplores

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a month ago

Today I found out we lost one of my favorite artists, Yayoi Kusama. ❤️

Long before the Infinity Rooms, pumpkins and polka dots became instantly recognizable around the world, I had the incredible luck of meeting her.

When I was in college, I went to see her Love Forever exhibition at MoMA in New York. I remember Kusama quietly sitting at a table by herself. It was just us two in a room with her art.

I had just bought a few postcards from the museum gift shop, because that was about the only “art” this broke college student could afford. 😂

So I gathered up the courage, walked over, talked to her and asked if she would sign them for me.
And she did by writing her initials ❤️.

She was incredibly kind, and all these years later, I still have those postcards. This first pic is one of them.

Her work would go on to become one of the reasons I wanted to travel to Japan. And maybe that’s what I love most about art: it makes you curious about the world. It makes you want to go somewhere. See something. Feel something.

Thank you, Yayoi Kusama, for the art, the inspiration and the reminder that we should never stop exploring.
We will always travel for art. 🎨🌎✈️

#infinitekusama #yayoikusama #artlovers #willtravelforart #ripyayoikusama by @almaexplores

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a month ago

Just casually wandering through Noto, Sicily when…oh, you know…just a 500+ year-old silver urn comes down the street.

Turns out I stumbled right into the Festa di San Corrado, celebrating Noto’s beloved patron saint. And THIS is why I love small-town travel. You just never know what you’re going to walk into.

✈️ Alma travel tip: Check the local calendar before you go! Festivals can mean crowds + street closures…but they can also mean accidentally being in the right place at the PERFECT time.

Because sometimes the best itinerary is the one you didn’t plan.

#noto #sicily #festadisancorrado #travelling #traveltips by @almaexplores

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2 months ago