Before Murcia - The Preparations Behind The Next Sourcing Trip

When thinking about going on a sourcing trip, it might sound quite spontaneous.

And, once upon a time, it probably was.

There was a time when I could book a flight almost impulsively, arrive somewhere with very little planned and spend my days exploring freely, figuring things out as I went.

There is still an element of that.

But travelling as a family, while working full-time, requires a little more organisation.

The dates I can travel are shaped by annual leave and childcare. Travelling with a toddler means choosing local airports where possible, looking for flight times that work with his routine and avoiding long-haul or connecting flights for now. Then there is the weather to consider, finding somewhere family-friendly to stay, hiring a car, arranging a car seat and thinking about what we might need to keep a four-year-old entertained along the way.

The things you pack when you're travelling with a four-year-old.

It means there is considerably more to think about before I even get to the sourcing.

Some of the less glamorous parts of planning a sourcing trip.

But this time, I have given myself ten full days in Murcia and the surrounding areas.

Ten days feels like enough time to slow down.

Enough time to explore without feeling that I need to tick everything off a list, to stop somewhere because it looks interesting, to spend longer than expected talking to someone, or to return somewhere I enjoyed.

I don't want it to feel like a Challenge Anneka mission, racing from one place to the next trying to find everything I came for.

I want to take my time and enjoy it.

Making plans for the trip whilst enjoying our last Sunday roast before it becomes all about tapas and mosto.

What I want from this trip is to learn more about the artisan traditions of Murcia and the surrounding areas. I want to find and speak with makers, visit workshops and craft centres, explore markets and wander through villages known for their handicrafts.

And, of course, I want to eat well whilst enjoying some family time.

There will be places I have researched before I arrive, and makers I hope to find. But I also want to leave room for the things I can't plan.

A small workshop I hadn't found online.

A market I hadn't heard about.

A recommendation from someone I meet along the way.

A village that turns out to be worth stopping in.

Or a piece that catches my eye for reasons I hadn't anticipated.

That, for me, is part of the joy of sourcing.

This time, though, I want to experience the trip slightly differently.

I'm going to journal the trip as I experience it.

Not just the pieces I find, but the places I visit, the people I meet, the things I learn and the moments in between.

Partly because I want to remember it.

But also because I think it will make me pay closer attention.

When you're travelling with the intention of sourcing for a collection, it's easy to become focused on what you need to find next. By keeping a journal, I hope I'll slow down enough to notice the details — the places, the materials, the traditions and the stories behind the things I come across.

Because I think knowing the story behind something changes the way you see it.

An item of homeware becomes more than simply something beautiful when you know who made it, where it came from and something of the hands and traditions behind it.

That's what I hope to bring home from Murcia.

Beautiful handmade pieces, of course.

But also the stories behind them — the places, the people and the traditions that make them worth bringing home.