Joan Roca

Joan Roca, CEO & Founder, Essentialist

Tell us about you and your company.

Essentialist is a high-touch, high-tech and editorially driven end-to-end travel service, providing curated, personalized itineraries for our members—whatever their passions, wherever they want to go. I started Essentialist after seeing an opportunity to disrupt the old-school luxury travel agency model with an innovative, tech-forward approach that spoke to today’s sophisticated traveler. I sometimes describe Essentialist as a tech company in the travel space, because we have created a proprietary platform that allows us to enable AI-matching between our detailed member profiles and our database of over 70,000 items globally. My previous background in the digital travel space with large-scale tech marketplaces helped inform our path to growth at Essentialist, applying that know-how to the luxury travel world.

Our team of Travel Designers and Destination Managers curates itineraries across all destinations globally, so while I am Spanish, and we are based in Mallorca, we can really handle all of our client’s trips—whether a short business trip to Chicago or a long family holiday to Indonesia. We also rely on the curation from our network of editors to provide that deeper layer of expertise on each and every destination. We are able to combine this expertise with the member’s individual passions and preferences, creating itineraries that are uniquely tailored and presented in a beautiful, digital format that our members can interact with before, during and after the trip.

What’s the entry level to talk to you?

Essentialist is a membership model, so we don’t have planning fees or trip minimums when a full itinerary is booked with us. We have one tier of membership at $2,600 annually for the household, for all trips globally, whether that’s one trip per year or many.

A favorite experience/trip/itinerary you’ve planned that best represents your philosophy…

One of my recent favorites is the trip we planned for a long-time member who wanted to propose to his girlfriend. He involved us in his proposal plan from the beginning and the team crafted the most perfectly bespoke itinerary to Andalucia, which included stops in Sevilla, Cordoba and down to Ronda and finishing off with a stay at the flawless Finca Cortesin. We planned a surprise afternoon at a local vineyard, Cortijo los Aguilares, in the hills outside of Ronda, where we had arranged a gourmet picnic under the olive trees for his proposal.

A favorite hotel/lodge/house you love and go back to again and again…

A personal favorite is Gecko Hotel & Beach Club in Formentera—it’s easygoing, family friendly, and right on a quiet beach that’s a little removed from the more buzzy side of the island. 

I’m also a big fan of Spain’s Paradores—although some of them are a little lost in time, they are stunning properties that represent an old side of Spain that is refreshing to still find today. The Baiona Parador has one of the most impressive locations—a neo-gothic castle on a small peninsula overlooking the ocean, and not too far away you can stay at the Santiago de Compostela Parador, said to be Spain’s oldest hotel with an impressive setting just opposite the cathedral. 

Road trips are the type of trip that always help me disconnect and suit my style of travel perfectly. I find them to be a fantastic way to discover a region beyond the main cities, and to truly experience the destination—plus I don’t mind driving. Recently I have explored the Atlantic Coast in France from the Pyrenees to Normandy, the northern coast of Spain from Galicia to the Basque Country, and I loved the drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Switching hotels every other night is my perfect pace. 

The most memorable meal you’ve had while traveling…

Most people think of tapas when they think of Spain, but I personally love the fabada asturiana, which is an incredible dish from Asturias, very typical in the winter—it’s a stew of white beans with sausage that is delicious! Another favorite: pho and Vietnamese coffee for breakfast on the streets of Hanoi!

A not-to-be-missed favorite experience in your region(s) of expertise…

Fish markets—wherever I go, if there is a fish market, it is one of my first stops, usually at the break of day—it’s an incredible way to take in the local scene. Between the fisherman and fishmongers, what’s for sale, the smells and sounds, it is the best experience every time. One of my top fish market experiences and possibly the highlight of my Sicily trip was the market in Catania—its gritty, smelly, loud Italian energy was a fantastic microcosm of Sicily. There are so many others worth mentioning, from Tsukiji in Tokyo to Stone Town, Zanzibar, to the tiny fish market in Ciutadella, Menorca—definitely my top experience.

What is a place we should consider traveling to that could really use our dollars, and what is a place we should put on hold because, even though we love it, it sees too many tourists?

It depends completely on the season. Recently we are encouraging our members to shift their focus from the hotspots of southern Europe during July and August and explore more of central, eastern and northern Europe. There is so much to discover in lesser-visited places like Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Poland and also the Nordics, where the temperatures do not get as extreme and there is a great offering of design-forward hotels, unique cuisine and cultural scenes.

A place that could use our dollars—this question for me is more about where we should focus our spend when we travel. We encourage as much as possible to go local—whether that means local restaurants and shopping experiences or discovering local customs. It not only aligns with our philosophy at Essentialist, but also is just a more sustainable approach to travel.

Underrated location, overrated location, personal favorite, recent discovery?

Underrated: Palma de Mallorca—not because I live here, but it really is the most underrated gem of a city. We have everything you find in Barcelona, just on a much smaller, more intimate scale, and it is so incredibly beautiful, rich in history, has great restaurants with quality ingredients, and of course proximity to the sea and the mountains. There is also a really interesting cultural scene happening on the island, with a great mix of foreigners and locals breathing new life into old buildings, with galleries, exhibition spaces, and more.

Overrated: I would say peak season in Southern Spain, Italy and France for all the obvious reasons—higher prices, less availability, more crowds, usually hotter weather. We always encourage our members to travel in the shoulder season or also off-season to see the best of a destination without the throngs of travelers, and it is a much better way to support the local communities. 

Personal favorite: Asturias—this is a magical part of Spain that is less visited than most, has stunning landscapes, cooler summers and incredible food. I love to go in the summer with my family as a perfect rural escape, away from crowds. There is great hiking, charming villages, pristine beaches and it’s very green in summer which you don’t find in other parts of Spain.

Recent discovery: Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. I visited for the first time recently and loved it. Living in the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands were not top of my list, but it’s a wild, volcanic corner of Spain that was a welcome surprise—great for hiking, cycling and surfing and also home to Cesar Manrique’s architectural brilliance.

What is something you wished we all knew or were better at as travelers?

I think over time, you learn that travel is for most of us an opportunity not just to discover the outside world, but equally to connect to ourselves, and the people we love and care about, away from everyday routine and craziness. Understanding the dual nature of travel makes a trip more fulfilling and meaningful, as it is about creating the connection with the destination, through your passions but equally allowing enough downtime “together-time” and serendipity.  

What is the best way for people to reach you?

info@essentialist.com