NextTribe: The Secret Santa Fe

Hi NextTriber,

So many places to see in the world and we only have one lifetime! If only we could live forever, with bottomless bank accounts and endless free time. It’s a conundrum.

Have you ever seen the purple sunsets of Sedona? Unforgettable. The multiple daily rainbows on the North Shore of Kauai? Magical. Tasted the flavorful cuisine of Thailand or Vietnam? Soooo yummy. Experienced Santa Fe? Wowza.

To be totally honest, we have a hard time choosing where to go with our small groups of women. There are so many memorable adventures we could offer, but there’s a lot that goes into our thinking.

We build our trips around what kind of overall experience we can offer our travelers, always keeping in mind that the real magic is in the connections we make with each other and with local women. And we try to be sensitive to possible time and budget constraints, offering a range of options in our domestic trips and our trips overseas.

In addition, we want to find ways to offer the flavor of the NextTribe travel experience to women who may not have a lot of time or the budget for our big overseas adventures.

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No passport? No problem!

So where do we go? Downtown New York City, because Jeannie Ralston knows it well and it’s her old neighborhood. Charleston, South Carolina, because Ellesor Holder lives in the area and knows it like the back of her hand. Marfa and Big Bend, Texas, because I just love the combination of art and nature.

And Santa Fe, New Mexico, because Next Triber Mollie Mitchell lives there, and her sister Marcy Mitchell (our travel manager) is a fanatic about anywhere west of the Mississippi. They’re leading our trip this year.

Santa Fe is a place where you could spend a month or two and still not see everything. It’s a magnet for retirees, however, if you didn’t plant the flag there 20 years ago be prepared: home prices are as high as Austin, LA, and NYC.

But girl can dream, can’t she? And get a taste of the place on a short, carefully curated insider look at the place with a 4-day stay. Last year’s tour was a little bit longer—and Jeannie Ralston was there—but here’s what two travelers from Texas (we love alliteration) had to say about it:

If there were a “best sunsets” contest between Sedona and Santa Fe, it would be hard to choose a winner. We found this explanation of what makes the sunsets so spectacular in Santa Fe. It’s something to do with the altitude and the light waves…I don’t know. All I know is I just spent a week there last month and I was gobsmacked.

I hate to make food the second item on the list but the food in Santa Fe can be really, really good. Jeannie Ralston puts all of our itineraries together along with our local trip leaders and she has a high bar for food and wine, so on our trip you’ll probably enjoy your meals.

And you’ll also likely enjoy the company. As one of our Santa Fe travelers said about last year’s trip:

Beautiful places with great light and good food tend to attract creative, artistic types. Did Georgia O’Keeffe put Santa Fe on the map as an art destination? Maybe. We sure wouldn’t offer a trip without a pilgrimage to Ghost Ranch and a tour of her studio and home. After last year’s trip, we wrote about how O’Keeffe’s bad-ass spirit was inspirational to all of us trying to Age Boldly.

An art dealer I know in Santa Fe says he thinks one of the real attractions to the place is that not much has changed in hundreds of years. Most afternoons (when it’s not snowing) you can hear Native Americans in a drum circle on the plaza, maybe as a reminder to all that this is their land. Our short trip includes a visit to the Okay Ohwingo Pueblo where a Native American woman will share her cooking secrets (plus background on the history of Pueblo cooking). You’ll help her make dinner in the horno in her backyard.

The mountains around Santa Fe are stunning, and there is an optional (moderate) hike if you’re up for it. Or you can spend time in local art galleries and shops. I bought something on my recent trip in a boutique called Toko on Marcy Street just off the Plaza. There are many other options, and Mollie can tell you where they all are. We do like to build free time into our schedule and as with all of our trips, you can do as little or as much of our itinerary as you want to. But why miss out on the fun?

If you’ve never been to Santa Fe, don’t miss it, whether you come with us or not. (Here are some other ideas that might interest you.) Santa Fe is one of the most magical cities in the United States!

But if you’re intrigued by the idea of sharing the experience with other women with similar interests, on an itinerary designed with women our age in mind, with an event in a private home owned by a local woman, and you’re led by women who know what we like, here’s your chance.

See you down the road!

Jeannie Edmunds, Chief Operating Officer

P.S. Still not sure? Still have questions? Come to our free Info Session on the Santa Fe trip on Tuesday May 28th. RSVP here.