Jacksonville Review – November 2026

Deep Travel and The Miners’ Bazaar Collaborate on a Trip to Morocco in 2027

IN MY EARLY 20s, I traveled alone to Guanajuato, Mexico. I’ll never forget that clumsy attempt at adventure. I wandered the streets of that UNESCO World Heritage city waiting for something exciting to happen to me. There was stunning architecture, flower-filled street markets, and music everywhere. And yet, I felt more observer than participant—hollow and disconnected.

I had yet to learn the art of travel.

That early trip sparked a lifelong quest: How can we make travel truly meaningful? Over the years, I’ve learned that the right companions, a sense of purpose, and connections with local people help us move beyond sightseeing and into what travel writer Richard Halliburton called “the blood and thunder of a place.”

In 2014, I co-founded Deep Travel Workshops with Jacksonville poet Anna Elkins to create meaningful travel experiences. With small groups, we’ve explored the poet Lorca’s concept of duende in Granada, Spain; learned the art of storytelling from master storytellers in Morocco; embraced adventure in Nepal; and practiced travel journaling in Yelapa, Mexico.

In March 2027, I’ll partner with Rosie Taylor of Jacksonville’s The Miners’ Bazaar for an arts-and-crafts trip to Morocco. With its rich tradition of craftsmanship, Morocco is an ideal destination. We’ll engage with the places we visit (Casablanca, Fez, the Sahara and beyond!) as makers, with projects that Rosie designs along the way.

Morocco, like all Deep Travel destinations, is a place I came to know through my own (mis)adventures. In 2012, I was supposed to meet a romantic partner in Tangier. He never showed up! Suddenly on my own, I boarded a train to Fez and contacted Suzanna Clarke, author of the book I was reading, A House in Fez. She and her husband invited me to dinner, and seeing I was adrift, offered me a place in their riad.

I ended up living with them for six months and meeting writers, chefs, photographers, restaurateurs, and discovering a Morocco I couldn’t have found on my own. Travel at its best! I’ve since returned a dozen times with Deep Travel groups.

It’s connections—with people, places, and fellow travelers—that make a journey meaningful. As Deep Travel instructor and adventure writer, Tim Cahill, puts it; “Travel is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”

It’s a philosophy we look forward to exploring with Rosie and The Miners’ Bazaar in Morocco next March!

For more info, visit deeptravelworkshops.com or email info@deeptravelworkshops.com.