Conscious Travel
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener
Weaving with Rolando on the Bucerias cultural tour
January 19th, 2026
📍Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico 🇲🇽
¡Saludos desde el desierto!
I'm two weeks into my four-month stay in Bucerias, Mexico, and I'm so happy to be here. Having my parents down here for the month of January has been icing on this cake. While we're not living in the same house, we are close enough to meet regularly and explore together.
In our first week, my mom and I spent time with Human Connections on their Bucerías Cultural Tour—a nonprofit rooted in responsible travel, shared humanity, and reciprocal learning. This wasn't tourism designed for consumption; it was an invitation into mutual exchange. We listened to local stories, visited artisans' homes, learned about the history of the local communities, and shared a home-cooked meal. I left with a deeper understanding—not only of Bucerías and the diversity among the Mexican people, but also of my own responsibility as a conscious traveler.
As a digital nomad, this is a way of life for me. I don't want to be a consumer of other cultures, but a participant in relationship. This matters deeply to me. I intentionally seek out experiences that slow me down enough to listen, to learn, and to be changed—rather than moving through the world as if it exists for my taking.
This is the same posture that shapes Loto's global retreats. I'm not interested in extractive experiences or spiritual tourism dressed up as transformation. I'm interested in spaces where learning flows both ways, empathy is actively practiced, and transformation is measured not by what we consume, but by whether our presence leaves people, places, and communities more resourced than we found them.
The following weekend, we made our way to the La Cruz Sunday Market. From November through April, the marina comes alive with local artisans, farm stands, handmade textiles, ceramics, jewelry, and live music—woven between docked boats and the wide blue of Banderas Bay. Already, I can’t wait to go back.
Much of my time here in Bucerías is devoted to preparing for the upcoming RENEW Janzu Retreat (April 12–17), and I was there seeking local artisans to help me curate a selection of self-care items for each guest to take home—a thoughtfully assembled grouping of beautiful, functional pieces used throughout the retreat. Handmade candles and incense. Robes. Gua sha tools paired with botanical facial oils.
Every retreat shapes this collection differently. Each item is chosen with care, not only for its quality and usefulness, but for how it reflects the rhythms, materials, and self-care traditions of the place itself. In this way, the collection becomes both practical and storied—objects that elevate everyday self-care while quietly carrying the essence of where they were gathered. This is how the Loto Living Signature Experience travels home with you: care made tangible, design made devotional, and luxury defined by quality rather than excess.
For every global Loto experience, it matters deeply to me not to extract resources, but to invest directly in the local economy—partnering with artisans, hiring local practitioners whenever possible, and sourcing goods that reflect care for both people and place. This is responsible travel as I’m learning to understand it: ethical relationship, sustainability, and reciprocity.
There's so much more to come—from snorkeling in Rincón de Guayabitos, to Mexican cooking classes, and whale watching along the bay. This season of travel is only starting to unfold, and I'm trying to take it all in, slowly—learning, listening, and letting each experience shape the next. Stay tuned.
With Love, unconditionally—
Jennifer
P.S.—I’d love to hear from YOU! Rather than emailing me or dropping me a DM, please post a comment below 👇
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