Take a book-inspired journey with BOOKED Trips
Immersive experiences that take travelers from the page to the place
Why BOOKED Trips?
BOOKED Trips are all about storytelling and authentic connection
BOOKED Trips connect curious and community-minded women through storytelling. Our book-inspired travel experiences take our travelers from the page to the place exploring cities around the world. As an immersive, small group travel company we attract women who are looking for more than just a vacation. Unlike traditional travel companies, we offer one-of-a-kind experiences that bring stories to life. This facilitates deep connections, unforgettable experiences, and a sense of belonging.
Your Next Storybook Adventures
Accra, Ghana
by Yaa Gyasi
The Experience
October 10-16, 2024
7 Days & 6 Nights
Embark on an immersive journey through Accra, Ghana, where the past and present collide in a vibrant tapestry of history, culture, and personal discovery.
SOLD OUT!
Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana
by Yaa Gyasi
The Experience
October 9-17, 2025
A 9-day, 8-night immersive journey through Accra, Ghana’s history and culture guided by Yaa Gyasi’s award winning book “Homegoing.” We’ll journey from Accra to Cape Coast and back experiencing the country’s art, music, dance, and delicious culinary offerings.
Panama City, Panama
by Cristina Henriquez
The Experience
March 6-11, 2025
6 Days & 5 Nights
Join us in for a 6 day, 5-night immersive experience inspired by Cristina Henríquez’s latest work of historical fiction, “The Great Divide.” We’ll experience the rich and complex history and culture of Panama from its melting pot of culinary delights to its beautiful natural splendor.
SOLD OUT!
Marrakech, Fez, and the Sahara Desert Morocco
by Fatima Mernissi
The Experience
November 2-11, 2025
A 10-day, 9 night journey through Morocco inspired by Fatima Mernissi’s book “Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood.” Explore the rich history, culture, and artistry of Morocco told through a local lens.
SOLD OUT!
Johannesburg & Cape Town South Africa
The Experience
April 4-15, 2025
12 Days & 11 Nights
Join us for our first TWO city trip to Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa where we’ll explore Black-owned and women-owned businesses throughout each city and the nearby winelands learning about the food, history, and culture of these world-class cities.
SOLD OUT!
Cartagena, Colombia
The Experience
December 4-8, 2025
A 5-day, 4-night magical realist experience through Cartagena and the Rosario Islands inspired by Gabriel García Márquez’s book “Love in the Time of Cholera.”
SPOTS OPEN MAY 30, 2025
What Make a BOOKED Trips Experience
Travel centered around a story
Prior to each trip our travelers receive a BOOKED box with our selected book, a curated playlist, and items from small businesses around the world that connect to the book and the country we’re visiting. On the ground our trip activities and meals are inspired by our selected book, taking travelers from the page to the place.
Travel solo, but not alone
Our literary adventures combine the freedom of solo travel and the joy of being part of a small group of book enthusiasts. With no more than 12 spots per journey, we’re able to dive into rare experiences that large crowds miss. When the day’s adventure ends, your private room is your haven to reflect and recharge.
Your trip, your way
Tailor your travel experience to fit your unique style. We infuse each trip with time for you to unwind, explore, or simply breathe in new cultures at your leisure. You can choose to do it all or pick and choose what speaks to you.
Support marginalized entrepreneurs
Our experiences are crafted to benefit the communities we explore. We partner with diverse local experts and contribute to the local economy by visiting local restaurants, using local drivers and tour operators, and supporting local small businesses
Follow Us On Instagram
Sadly our @bookedtrips Ghana experience has come to an end 😢
Here`s what our travelers had to say about what makes a BOOKED Trips experience, their favorite parts of the trip, and what they would tell other women who are interested in joining.
We will be announcing our 2026 trips this month. Don`t miss out on them. Newsletter subscribers will be updated first! Sign up for our FREE Newsletter at our Link in bio.
We came to Cape Coast as visitors and left as members of the Iture Village in Cape Coast.
A big part of the book "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi is the final return back to Ghana after generations of separation. Our travelers got to experience this return during our naming ceremony where they became family members of the king of the Iture community.
The ceremony began with libations calling on the ancestors to bless our efforts. As new members of a royal family, we were given our day names as well as our soul names with meaning The village elders collectively decided for each of us.
We were given three sips of water symbolizing good, followed by three sips of alcohol, symbolizing, falsehood or evil and our ability to tell the truth between the two.
Then we were each wrapped in nyana plants for spiritual protection and mud from the coast where our ancestors were taken was placed on our arms to symbolize our return.
We closed the ceremony with the village community calling our new names three times and a closing libation blessing to the ancestors.
We were no longer travelers. We were returned family.
How Yaa Gyasi led us home 🇬🇭
"In my dreams I kept seeing this Castle, but I did not know why. One day, I came to these waters and I could feel the spirits of our ancestors calling to me.
Some were free, and they spoke to me from the sand, but some others were trapped deep, deep, deep in the water so that I had to wade out to hear their voices... I put you in here so that if your spirit ever wandered, you would know where home was.” - Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing
Today we journeyed to Cape Coast to experience the above except from our trip book "Homegoing."
We began our day at Assin Manso Slave River where our enslaved ancestors took their last bath before being sold into slavery. We got the chance to make a barefoot pilgrimage to the water to honor returning to a place our ancestors never imagined they`d see again.
We then visited the Elmina Slave Dungeons where the two sisters Esi and Effia`s stories diverge - one married to the Governor controlling the slave trade and living in the castle above while the other is sold into slavery below. We learned sbout the real life history that informed Homegoing so that we may share this important history at a time when it is being banned in the U.S. We came full circle as walked back through the Door of No Return.
We ended our day with a chakra meditation by the beach in Cape Coast coming back to our bodies and coming home.
BOOKED Trips Ghana Day 3: Weaving History, Flavors and Fabric 🇬🇭
"When you study history, you must always ask yourself, whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth?” - Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing
Day three of our trip was all about cultural immersion. Our travelers learned their Ghanaian day names and more about the history painted in our trip book directly from a local family.
We learned about the ancient storytelling embedded in adinkra symbols and got to make our own batik-fabric with our selected symbols. Adrinka originated between the 14th and 16th century in Ghana and was originally exclusive to royalty but is now seen throughout Ghanaian clothing, logos, and architecture.
You can`t learn about a culture without learning about its food so we made waakye, a Ghanaian staple. We also learned everyday tasks such as baby wearing, carrying water in pots, and the healing properties of local plants.
We had an in-depth discussion of birth, marriage, and death rituals and generational differences in beliefs about marriage. Our experience showed us a side of Ghanaian culture that you can only experience offline.
BOOKED Trips Ghana Days 1&2 🇬🇭
The first two days of our trip were focused on getting to know Ghana from the present to the past.
📚🥥Day 1: OPENING DINNER & BOOK DISCUSSION
Our opening dinner and discussion of our trip book Yaa Gyasi`s "Homegoing" was hosted at @chefrubysfoodpeople.
We begin each experience w/ an opening dinner because food is a powerful way to celebrate culture and identity. It`s the common thread that we all share - everyone has a favorite recipe, a specialty of their hometown, or a comfort food dish that makes them nostalgic.
Chef Ruby beautifully marries the rich, diverse flavors of Africa with contemporary, global influences creating a menu that honors the deep-rooted traditions of African cuisine while reimagining them in a luxurious, modern context.
The table design and our menu were all inspired by the quote "One man tapped palm wine better than anyone else in the village, but another`s fishing nets were never empty. Cobbe`s family feasted off Effia`s burgeoning womanhood. Their bellies, their hands, were never empty." - pg 5, Homegoing.
🪘Day 2: CITY TOUR
We journeyed through the history of Ghana`s Independence struggle with visits to Black Star Square, Independence Arch and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.
“They had given all they had, assured that it would come back to them in the abundance of freedom." - pg. 191, Homegoing.
We also got the chance to learn more about Ghanaian culture through the art of djembe drumming and supporting local makers at Accra Arts Center.
Stay tuned for the rest of our trip right here and on our IG stories!
It`s our 3rd birthday! 🥳
@bookedtrips curates one-of-a-kind, book-inspired travel experiences that bring stories to life. Every trip is a temporary world where each day of our itinerary is inspired by a quote or scene from our selected book.
This work is a love letter to storytelling. It is our ode to the writers, readers, creatives, travelers, and entrepreneurs who have shaped and reshaped our thinking about the world.
🌏 We have hosted more than 100 travelers from 23 U.S. states Canada, Kenya, and South Africa. They have ranged in age from 21 to 70 and all have brought their unique perspective and curiosity to this work. Your support means so much, particularly in this time.
🎖️The highs: we have invested over $134,000 into local businesses, guides, drivers and restaurants through our trips. We`ve awarded over $12,000 in travel scholarships to 3 women through our Maya Angelou Travel scholarship funded initially be a private donor and then increased through YOUR crowdfunding. We were even featured in Success and Essence Magazines.
🙃The lows: an unstable and unpredictable U.S. political landscape that has made travel challenging, tariffs that have increased the costs of our BOOKED boxes, and job loss which have impacted our travelers and our income as cancellations increase. There were times that we didn`t know whether this was the right moment to continue doing this work. But with the encouragement of our alumni and newsletter community we`re glad to still be here.
Thank you to our on the ground partners who have taken this vision and made it a reality. Thank you to @tripdejenny , @curiocity.africa , @girlstriptours @inclusive.morocco and @impulse_travel for your support of our 2025 trips.
Special thanks to @viewsvibesbooks who has been a trip alumni, a thought partner, and the author whisperer as she has supported our work with publishers and authors this year. You have supported this work from inception when it was just an idea around a dinner table and we are forever grateful.
And finally, thank you to all of you. Even if you haven`t yet traveled with us, we appreciate your support from afar. We hope to create your next storybook adventure.
We`re ONE WEEK AWAY from our 2025 @bookedtrips Ghana experience inspired by Yaa Gyasi`s book "Homegong" 🇬🇭
We can`t wait to welcome our next group of travelers to this cultural experience in Accra, Cape Coast and Ada Ghana. Each day of our trip will be inspired by quotes and scenes from the book from visiting Cape Coast slave dungeons to learning about Ghanaian history, culture and independence struggle from 1957 to the present.
Check out our highlights from last year`s trip!
For #WorldTourismDay we asked our BOOKED Trips travelers why they travel with us and they said...
Because we are committed to providing them the luxury they deserve.
Luxury for us is not the traditional 5-star hotel (though we stay in a few of those), but the care and intention we put into the details, the local perspectives and stories that shape our trips, and the culturally rich and unique experiences we have on our trips.
In a world that banks off quick attention spans we slow down and luxuriate in the power of story and bring like-minded women together over a number of days to share, connect, and be transformed.
What does luxury travel mean to you?
