The journey before the journey: an afternoon to rediscover how we travel

A celebration of what it means to travel with the senses and with awareness

On May 21st, we held a very special gathering in Madrid: The Journey Before the Journey, an event that put into words, images, and emotions what the way of traveling we champion at Le Periplo represents. It wasn't just a guidebook presentation or an editorial event. It was a moment of community, of pause, of real connection with those who share the desire to travel more consciously, to travel with purpose.

An afternoon where we shared our vision of what travel means before the journey, that moment beforehand when we're already connecting with the destination through desire, curiosity, and the senses. Traveling isn't just about moving; it's about imagining, savoring, and feeling from the very beginning.

With this presentation, we once again talked about what has driven us since the brand was founded: creating unique travel guides that not only inform, but also inspire. Guides that invite you to immerse yourself in the rhythm of a city as if you already lived there. That connect the visual with the emotional, the geographical with the sensorial.

Two ideas to transform your way of traveling

Instalación Le Periplo de Poster guerrilla con ideas y la filosofía de la marca
Evento el viaje antes del viaje: Imagen de viaje Le Periplo para transmitir la idea de la marca: viaja como un local

1 – Where would you go if you lived there?

Travel can be many things . It can be planning, rushing, accumulating. But it can also be desire, excitement, discovery, and pause. From that place, Le Periplo was born: from a personal need to create a guide that wasn't just functional, but inspiring . One that combined aesthetics, narrative, and emotion. One that helped you see a city not just with your eyes, but also with touch, taste, and the rhythm of the destination itself.

That's why we say our guides accompany you before the trip . From the moment a place first calls to you, to how you decide to navigate it. They invite you to imagine what you would do if you lived there , to integrate the destination's daily life into your experience.

This approach is embodied in coherent geographical routes that respect the urban identity of the place. These are not random lists: they are proposals with an authentic meaning, born from direct experience: observing, conversing, smelling, and tasting.

One of our most beloved sections— “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” —encapsulates this philosophy. Because we believe that traveling is also about integration: with respect, intuition, and empathy. It's an invitation to practice conscious tourism that transforms both the traveler and the destination.

Evento el viaje antes del viaje: Imagen de viaje Le Periplo para transmitir la idea de la marca: viaja a través de los sentidos.

2 – Travel through the senses

The journey doesn't begin at the airport, but when something about that destination calls to you . And it does so through your senses: an image, a taste, a color, a texture.

All our guides are designed to activate all of these stimuli . From the paper we choose to the routes we suggest, every detail seeks to connect with the city in a living, real, and emotional way , creating a prior sensorial connection that culminates once you set foot in your destination.

And as in every sensorial journey, gastronomy is an essential part . It tells us about the history of the place, its traditions, and a past and present that coexist in harmony. In each edition, you'll find that blend of what remains—like a three-generation family trattoria—and what is reinventing itself—like a young establishment that reinterprets recipes with respect and freshness.

This approach turns each guide into a true sensory travel experience .

Mesa decorada con tomates y mantel ilustrado la temática de la guía de Florencia, con las guías impresas de Le Periplo y Match Tonic Water, tónicas de sabores.

–– The event was also an opportunity to thank those who make this collective story of traveling in a more organic way possible.

  • Presentación de guías sensoriales Le Periplo: el viaje antes del viaje y un asistente ojeando guías
  • Instalación visual de poster guerrilla de Le Periplo y el sponsord Match Tonic Water.
  • Ambiente del evento en Rughara Haus Madrid con la exposición de las guías de viaje
  • Mesa de presentación con temática italiana, tomates y decoración de productos de la tienda de Rugahra Haus y la guía de Florencia de Le Periplo
  • Instalación de mesa creada por Le Periplo y Casa Millvina con la temática de la última guía publicada Florencia, mesa llena de tomates con un mantel ilustrado a mano haciendo referencia a Italia
  • Detalle del visado simbólico entregado durante el evento con regalos y un sorteo
  • Instalación nube de otografías de Florencia, Ambiente del evento en Rughara Haus tienda de decoración y de marcas de emprendores.
  • Le Periplo y Match Tonic Water en ele evento de Rughara Haus Madrid
  • Espacio de Rughara Haus con la instalación visual de Le Periplo, asistente observando instalación con una camiseta llamativa de un tomate.

This event was also a celebration of collective work . In recent years, Le Periplo has grown thanks to a community that shares this way of traveling. From this, our Weekender guides were born, small sensorial gems designed for simple, partly improvised but mindful getaways, co-created by people who deeply love their destinations.

Thanks to the contributors who participated in the presentation of The Journey Before the Journey , and to the ambassadors who make this inclusive account of the trip possible: Miriam , author of the Naples guide; Jorge , creator of the Bristol guide; Laura , bringing her native Sicily; and Gian , with his Umbria region.

Evento de turismo consciente en Madrid, el viaje antes del viaje , Presentación de guías sensoriales Le Periplo, Viajar con los sentidos, los asistentes y colaboradores de Le Periplo con Flor la cofundadora de la marca.
“Evento de turismo consciente en Madrid”, Flor, cofundadora de Le Periplo en el espacio de Rughara Haus para el evento de El viaje antes del viaje.

Thank you for making it possible

This meeting would not have been possible without those who accompanied us.

Thanks to Rughara for their space, to Estela of Casa Millvina for adding her creative vision to the event, and to Match Tonic Water for activating the sense of taste with their drinks.

And thank you also to those of you on the other side, reading this. We hope the photos accompanying this post transport you, even a little, to that magical afternoon in Madrid.

In the end, that's what Le Periplo is: a journey that begins before the journey itself. And, hopefully, never ends.

Photographs Le Periplo

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