We have so many people on our waiting list for our annual trip to San Miguel de Allende over the Dia de Los Muertos festival that we decided to offer a second trip, right after the first trip ends. The only thing that will be different on this trip is that we won’t have the Dia de Los Muertos activities, meaning face painting, a Catrina parade, and a visit to the nearby cemeteries. But we will be doing our own Day of the Dead ceremony at the hotel one evening, and some of the houses will still be decorated. Here are the upsides: the city will be less busy, and the trip is one day shorter, thus cheaper.  

NextTribe members receive a $100 discount on the trip. Find out more here. 

San Miguel is Conde Nast Traveler‘s #1 Travel Destination in the World and a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s often considered the most beguiling city in Latin America. 

The vibrant colonial architecture and cobblestone streets create an enchanting atmosphere, the perfect atmosphere for discovering the rich Mexican culture and exploring the shops, sites, and restaurants that are unique to San Miguel de Allende.

Accommodations for six nights at the Casa Calderoni, a traditional Mexican home that has been renovated to modern standards. 

This beautiful bed and breakfast is just steps away from the city “centro” square and features fantastic views of the famous Parroquia cathedral. It's also just one-half block from the world famous “Mercado de Artesanias”, featuring fine Mexican handicrafts from all over Mexico.

Travel and Leisure Magazine says that Casa Calderoni is one of the best values in San Miguel de Allende designed with a “rooftop terrace with unparalleled city views.”, breathtaking sunrise and sunset views of the city, and world-famous churches.

NextTribe offers a safe travel environment that through the energy and alchemy of adventurous women turns into a real community in a short amount of time.  

On every trip, you will be led by a friendly and fun woman of our own age, who has deep local knowledge and/or roots. She has proved to us that she is responsible, flexible, and truly cares about every traveler, nurturing new friendships and making sure no one feels left out. Other tour companies drop in a local guide who remains apart from the group. Our leader is the glue among the travelers--the person who ensures that this is more than a trip; it's a community of curious, like-minded women on the move.

We are known for group travel for women over 45 who don't normally like group travel. We keep our groups small and know that our guests are curious explorers who can take care of themselves. We allow them space to make the trip their own. You will not be in lockstep on a tight schedule behind a guide. You can roam on your own if you want (with a good GPS and an understanding of how to meet up with the group later) or you can take full advantage of the guide's knowledge of the city. 

We do expect our travelers to have a level of self-sufficiency, being able to carry their own bags if need be, and to be respectful of others in the group and open to new experiences and friendships. 

CONTACT

NextTribe, Inc.

10900 Research Blvd. #160-C

Austin, Texas 78759

Phone: 512-609-0340

Please note that there will be quite a bit of walking on uneven pavement and at an altitude of 6,000 feet. Please make sure you have the fitness level to explore the city, mostly on foot, and that you bring good walking shoes. 

Roundtrip airport transfers by shuttle are provided from Leon/Guanajuato (BJX) and Querétaro (QRO) Airports. There are two airports that service San Miguel: Querétaro (QRO) and León/Guanajuato (BJX). 

Querétaro is about one hour from town; Leon is about an hour and a half. I prefer flying into QRO as the ride to town is a bit easier—it’s more on a highway and less in the countryside. However there are generally more flights in and out of Leon. United, Delta, American and AeroMexico Airlines service these two cities.

CONTACT

NextTribe, Inc.

10900 Research Blvd. #160-C

Austin, Texas 78759

Phone: 512-609-0340

YOUR DEPOSIT:

Your initial deposit in non-refundable and reserves your spot on a trip. Even though your deposit is non-refundable, it is transferrable to another trip provided you cancel at least 60 days prior to the start of the trip. You may apply your deposit toward any other trip through 2024. 

YOUR BALANCE:

Full payment for your retreat is due 60 days prior to the start of the trip. At 60 days prior to your trip, there are no refunds for any reason. If you must cancel within this 60-day period, you will need to contact your travel insurance company for reimbursement. 

IF YOU CANCEL:

Up until 60 days prior to your trip, you can receive a refund for all but the deposit, which, as stated above, can be transferred to another trip through 2024. 

At 60 days prior to retreat, there are no refunds or credits. Your room and tour has already been paid to our vendors. NextTribe cannot offer refunds for any reason (Covid, injury, illness, death, etc). For this reason, we highly recommend you to purchase travel insurance. 

To officially cancel, you must send an email to NextTribe stating that you wish to cancel to admin@NextTribe.com.

IF WE CANCEL:

If we are forced to postpone or cancel your trip due to a significant event that makes it infeasible to operate the trip as planned (including, but not limited to, natural disasters, manmade disasters, Covid, disease, travel restrictions, etc.) NextTribe will offer credit for another trip (with a $100 discount on the next trip) or refund all of your payments. California travelers please note that NextTribe's Seller of Travel license number is 2153726-70 and we do not participate in the California Travel Consumer Restitution Fund (TCRF). 

PLEASE DO NOT MAKE AIRLINE RESERVATIONS UNTIL THE NUMBER OF SIGN UPS REACH THE MINIMUM STATED ON THE TRIP POSTING.

CHANGES TO TRAVEL:

We will make every effort to operate all trips as advertised, however all itineraries are subject to change. We reserve the right to alter or make reasonable substitutions as deemed necessary. 

TRAVEL INSURANCE:

Travel insurance is recommended to be purchased within 21 days of booking your retreat.

We don't require it, but we strongly encourage all of our travelers to purchase travel insurance. 

If you buy it within 21 days of booking (and before your final payment) you'll get a better deal than if you wait.

There is trip protection insurance and travel insurance. 

Trip Protection style travel insurance plans are designed to provide coverage for Trip Cancellation if you are prevented from taking your trip due to a covered reason listed in the plan certificate; most notably - illness, injury, or death to the traveler, a traveling companion, and/or an immediate family member not traveling, unforecasted inclement weather, and much more. Also included are benefits for Trip Interruption, Trip Delay, Baggage & Personal Effects, Travel Medical Expenses, and Emergency Medical Evacuation. Included:

• Trip Cancellation *due to listed covered reasons
• Trip Interruption *due to listed covered reasons
• Trip Delay (varies by plan)
• Baggage and personal effects
• Medical expenses (not limited to emergencies)
• Global network of contracted doctors and hospitals
• Emergency Medical Evacuation
• Coverage in the event of financial default of a tour operator or airline or a labor strike, unforeseen terror event, unforeseen inclement weather. *time-sensitive
• Pre-existing Medical Condition Exclusion Waiver (coverage for pre-existing conditions) can be included based on the timing of your purchase. *See plan certificate for coverage details.
• "Cancel for Any Reason" upgrade available as an upgrade in some plans only (eligibility requirements apply)

What's the definition of travel insurance?

Travel insurance is the coverage for personal risks incidental to, and related to

planned travel, including one or more of the following...

● Cancellation or interruption of a trip or a vacation package

● Accident, sickness, disability, or death occurring during travel

● Delay of an arrival to your trip destination or a return to home

● Loss of baggage/personal effects

● Damage to accommodations or rental vehicles

What is not included in the definition of travel insurance?

The following are excluded from the definition of travel insurance..

● Major medical plans that provide comprehensive medical protection for

travelers on trips that last six (6) months or longer (ie working abroad,

deployed military personnel, missions and volunteering abroad, and more)

● Damage waiver contracts, as defined in paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of

Section 1936 of the Civil Code. The phrase “damage waiver” or “collision

damage waiver” cannot be used to describe travel insurance coverage, but

the insurance contract may otherwise refer to “damage waiver” or “collision

damage waiver” provided by a company, as defined in paragraph (1) of

subdivision (a) of Section 1936 of the Civil Code.

The sooner you purchase a trip protection style plan, the more it can cover! We recommend purchasing a trip protection style plan within 21 days of making your initial trip payment of any kind for this trip, and prior to making your final pre-trip payment. Please ensure that all the activities you plan on participating in are covered by your travel insurance. 

When you purchase it within 21 days of booking (and before your final payment) you can get better coverage

Several people have had to cancel trips because of a death in the family, an injury (one women broke her foot on the way out the door to the airport!) or COVID, and once we enter the non-refundable stage of your booking, we CANNOT refund your trip for any reason. 

NextTribe is an affiliate of Allianz, and you can get a quote from them by clicking on the name below. They offer one time policies and annual policies to cover all of your trips in a single year.

Allianz

We are also an affiliate of Wanderwell, a certified B corp and a member of the Transformational Travel Council.

Wanderwell

These plans provides insurance coverage that only applies during the covered

trip. You may have coverage from other sources that provides you with similar

benefits but may be subject to different restrictions depending upon your other

coverages.

You may wish to compare the terms of this policy with your existing life,

health, home, and automobile insurance policies.

If you have any questions about your current coverage, call your insurer or

insurance agent or broker.

When selecting a travel insurance policy, please bear in mind that all travelers are strongly recommended to have medical coverage and that we recommend a minimum coverage of $150,000 USD for travel medical/accident & sickness, and $500,000 USD for emergency medical evacuation and repatriation. It can help for those benefits to be Primary coverage. We strongly recommend that the policy also includes benefits for trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, and some coverage for baggage & personal effects.

Since we are not licensed insurance agents or brokers, we are not allowed to

*Answer technical questions about the benefits, exclusions, and conditions of any of the

insurance offered by the travel retailer.

*Evaluate the adequacy of the prospective insured’s existing insurance coverage.

Depart your hometown for the flight to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Upon arrival transfers will be provided from Leon/Guanajuato Airport (BJX) or Querétaro (QRO) airport to San Miguel. You’ll check into the charming Casa Calderoni in the historic center of San Miguel, just three blocks from the main square. Address: Callejon Pueblito 4-A, Centro. Spend the afternoon acclimating or stepping out for a quick bite to eat. There’s a terrific coffee shop just across the street. This evening we’ll get to know one another over dinner at local favorite, La Parada.

After breakfast at the inn, included daily, you’ll meet your private guide in the main square (jardin) to enjoy an informative, two-hour tour of the historic center. Your guide, one of the town’s most noted historians and best-loved guides, grew up in San Miguel in a large family. She will give you a great insider’s view of a very different life in colonial Mexico just two decades ago.

Afterwards we’ll have lunch together at the lovely rooftop restaurant La Posadita. This local favorite has 180-degree views including the stone facade of the iconic Parroquoia church across the street. It also boasts one of the best margaritas in town so relax with some fresh guacamole and a drink while you soak in the views.

After lunch, we'll take you to a few favorite shops and to the Mercado de Artesanias, a collection of stands displaying tin mirrors, hand-woven shawls, embroidered linens, hand-painted pottery and the latest folk-art trends. 

Later we'll visit the home of a local artist, followed by dinner. 

At 10 a.m. you will be picked up at your hotel and we’ll visit the nearby town of Atontonilco. Baroque Mexican churches are not unusual, but the 250- year-old Santuario de Atotonilco is over-the-top ornate, a dizzying visual cacophony. Nearly every inch of wall and ceiling space is filled with detailed Biblical scenes and passages, which is why the church is known as Mexico’s Sistine Chapel and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. The sanctuary is also a pilgrimage site for penitents, who self-flagellate to atone for sins. Note the rope flails sold by vendors outside the church.

After the church, you’ll be taken to one of the fabulous hot springs that surrounds San Miguel. La Gruta is the most famous of all the resorts and offers green leafy grounds and several pools. Swim through a man-made tunnel into a large domed room. At intervals through out the day, hot water straight from the ground pours into the room. The highlight is getting to stand under the powerful stream. It’s heavenly. Eat lunch at La Gruta (and book a massage if you’d like).

When we return, we will create an altar in the hotel lobby, and everyone is invited to put mementos and photos of lost loved ones on the altar. We will gather before dinner so that everyone who wants to can talk about the loved ones they’ve placed on the altar. A beautiful and cathartic experience. We’ll provide the wine and snacks.

You’ll be picked up after breakfast by your driver and taken to the botanical gardens at the top of town. Here you’ll enjoy a guided tour and lecture by one of the garden volunteers. Located in the heart of the central highlands of Mexico, at the highest point of San Miguel de Allende, El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden includes over 170 acres of nature preserve and indigenous plants. An extraordinary natural monument, its name comes from a legendary spring-fed pool nestled in an impressive canyon spotted by historic vestiges. An old reservoir extends on wetlands frequented by birds and surrounded by vast slopes of native scrubland. This is the scene of the Botanical Garden, devoted to the preservation of this area and its biodiversity, as well as a remarkable botanical collection of cacti and other succulent Mexican plants. After the approximately two-hour walking tour we’ll be dropped off at the main square for lunch at El Pegaso, a local’s favorite.

At 6:30, we will arrive at the home of a local artist. We’ll have wine and snacks at her home. Then, we’ll head to the rooftop restaurant Quince for dinner. Dinner on your own.

Last year, our guests asked for a free day to visit other sites and shops we hadn’t had time for on our schedule. You could also book a massage at a spa close to the hotel.

Dinner tonight is The Restaurant, the most elegant dining venue in town. Its outdoor courtyard is stunning with a rose-filled fountain, handcrafted chandeliers, and often, live music.

After breakfast we will return you to the airport for your homeward flights. Return transfers to León and Querétaro Airports are provided.