Travel Journal

Field notes, hotel opinions, destination essays, and the kind of travel knowledge that only comes from having been there.

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By Sarah Casewit, luxury travel advisor and founder of her namesake travel consultancy. For the traveler who hasn't decided where yet but knows it has to be worth it.

Sarah Casewit 5/15/26 Sarah Casewit 5/15/26

The Local Market Is the Most Honest Space in Any City

A watermelon, a vendor who had no interest in my Moroccan darija, and forty-five seconds that told me more about where I was than anything else I did that day. On why the local market is the most honest room in any city, and the first place I go. The hotel concierge will send you somewhere safe. The market will send you somewhere true.

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A woman kneeling on the ground arranging colorful flowers and candles for a memorial or altar.

Green aurora borealis in the night sky with stars.

Interior of a dome-shaped tent with a blue starry sky ceiling, fairy lights, and cozy seating.

A smiling woman with long hair in a ponytail, wearing a light pink dress, stands on a balcony at dusk, looking towards the water. There is a large potted plant with pink flowers and a lantern nearby.