Behind the project - From Valencia, to the world
We are Rakel and Toni.
And this is not an agency.
That's what we missed.
SunZen was not born in an office or an agency. It was born out of a very simple need: to breathe again. To create the way of traveling that we are always looking for and never find in other people's catalogs.
Born out of necessity very simple.
We don't come from the agency world. We come from the real world: rigid schedules, weeks that go by too quickly and that feeling of need to really disconnect when a few days off finally arrive.
The mountains, the beach and nature have always been our refuge. And one day we understood that we wanted to share that feeling with other people.
Because every time we looked for group travel we felt something was missing. We wanted adventure, yes, but also comfort. Our own space. A trip where you share moments with the group, but you also have your own corner to disconnect. A journey that starts in nature and ends in a hotel where you feel special.
Everything is taken care of to make the trip flow.
From the route of the day to the hot shower
at the end of the day.
Two forces. One and the same journey.
SUN and ZEN are not just two syllables in our name. They are the two energies that we believe every good trip needs in balance.
The energy that moves you.
Adventure, nature, curiosity, discovery, walking under the sun, diving into the sea, climbing a temple at sunrise. What makes a trip ignite and not be forgotten.
The calm that sustains you.
Pause, breath, well-being, presence, a quiet breakfast in front of the sea, a nap in the shade, a long conversation at dinner. What makes you feel that the journey heals. That which calms.
The best trips do not choose between adventure and comfort.
The integrate.
Rakel.
«I believe that a well thought out trip has the power to make you come back being a little different.»
Valencian. I am moved by places where nature still rules and time goes slower. I notice what other people do not look at: the light of a room, the silence of a breakfast, the people with whom you are going to share the table that night.
My good habit: choosing accommodations as carefully as I would choose them for myself. If I recommend a place to you, it is because it would pass the same filter that we apply when we travel.
- Rakel
Toni.
«A good trip shows in the body. You end up with tired legs and a calm head.»
The sportsman of the group. The one who gets up early to see the sunrise, the one who proposes going up to the viewpoint when the rest hesitate, the one who stays in the water for ten more minutes. He is moved by the sun, the beach and the movement - but also by meditation, the silence after the effort and the music that accompanies him at the end of the day: relaxation when it's time to stop, dance when it's time to celebrate.
What I enjoy most: discovering new things. I am passionate about proposing routes and excursions that are not in anyone's script - testing them, adjusting them, removing what does not contribute. Rakel takes care of the details you can't see. I take care of the ones you experience with your body.
- Toni
Honesty about each site.
Some agencies will tell you they've been to every corner of the world. We prefer to tell it like it is. That's how we work depending on the destination:
Lived by us
Some destinations we have been to. We know the accommodations, the sunset light, the local guides you can trust. There we travel with you as another member of the group.
In alliance with experts
In other destinations we work with trusted local agencies, selected with strict criteria. The money stays there, the guide speaks your language and everything passes the filter that we would apply.
First time, with criteria
If we open a new destination, we say so. That doesn't mean going in blind: it means having filtered local partners for months until we find the ones that meet our standards.
In all three cases, we never send anyone to a site that would not pass the filter we would apply to ourselves.
What we are not.
Some things are best understood by saying what we don't do. Here's our «straight talk» so that no one gets confused.
We are not a classic agency.
We don't have 300 destinations in our catalog. We have the destinations that matter to us, where we know we can offer something different and where we take the time to choose every detail.
We are not an impersonal catalog.
We work with local agencies when it makes sense - especially in destinations where local expertise and language are part of the value. But we always choose them ourselves, with strict criteria, without blindly reselling others.
We are not the cheapest option.
We are the most honest. We pay for good accommodations, fair local guides and details that make the difference. And we charge it in the price, without hiding or fine print.
We are not a call center.
We are two people. If you write, we answer. If you call, we pick up the phone. And on group trips, your SunZen guide is us whenever possible.
How to we work.
Four principles that we apply to every trip, every group, every decision we make.
We filter as if we were traveling ourselves.
Every accommodation, every guide, every activity goes through the same filter we would apply to our own trip. If we wouldn't recommend it to a trusted friend, we don't include it in the proposal.
We choose the group.
We talked to you before confirming your place. It's not out of arrogance. It's because a group that fits transforms the trip. And we want it to.
We work with real locals.
Guides who know their land, local agencies selected with criteria, accommodations managed by people and not by corporations when possible. We pay fair. And the money stays where we travel.
We take care of the after.
The journey does not end at the airport. We follow up. We celebrate reunions. And we organize getaways around Spain so that the friendships that are born in every corner of the world continue to grow closer to home.
Now you know us. Shall we travel together?
If what you've read has resonated with you, the next step is easy. Check out the upcoming outlets or write to us with no obligation. We're in no hurry to sell it to you.
Travel is human. Unforeseen events as well.
Things happen on a trip. A flight that is delayed. An untimely fever, a transport strike, an excursion that has to be rescheduled. And the opposite also happens: moments that were not in the plan and stay forever. We are prepared for both sides.
When the plan breaks.
You don't talk to a call center on the other side of the planet. You talk to us. We change the route, move heaven and earth with local partners, find the right doctor, get you a new transfer or accompany you to the hospital if necessary.
Whatever it takes. You will find us.
When it appears the magic.
The long conversation that was not planned. The place that invites you to enter. The beach found on foot. The sunset that makes you stop for another day.
That's why we purposely leave gaps in every trip: free afternoons, unhurried dinners, unplanned spaces. Because the most memorable experience is often right there, in the unplanned.
We organize everything that can be organized. The rest, we live it with you - be it magic or unforeseen.
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