What makes an Epic destination?

With Charlie Shepherd, Founder of Epic Travel

If you ask me what makes a destination Epic, the answer always comes back to the same thing: people.

The planet itself is epic – everywhere has landscapes, history, culture and stories. I honestly believe you could make almost anywhere an Epic destination if you had the right people to unlock it. At Epic, the magic always begins with the people who open those doors.

After twenty years, I still chase that feeling of curiosity – wondering what’s around the next corner, knowing that behind it there’s always another story, another person, another way to see the world and experience a place. That, to me, is what makes a destination truly Epic.

The people who unlock places

I fell in love with Morocco, Epic’s first destination, more than two decades ago and it still pulls me back again and again. Morocco is endless – its landscapes, cities, layers of history – with so many corners still untouched, but what makes it Epic are the people and connections. The sort of warmth, generosity and openness that makes you feel alive.

Then there’s São Tomé and Príncipe. Almost completely unexplored, it offers a different kind of Epic experience: the luxury of scarcity. The privilege of discovery. The sense that you’ve found something unmanicured and raw.

You don’t need gold taps or white gloves for true luxury – you need the feeling of being somewhere rare and unrepeatable.

That’s why, when we’re choosing where to go next, it’s rarely about a dot on the map. It’s about the people who bring that place to life. Sometimes it’s entirely organic – someone crosses our path, shares their story and suddenly we see a destination in a completely different light. That spark can set everything in motion.

In October we’ll be revealing another new destination. Watch this space!

READ NEXT: Where to go for a team retreat with purpose in Portugal

Far from gold taps and white gloves

Luxury is an overused word in travel. Too often it’s defined by thread counts, Michelin stars, or how shiny the fixtures are. At Epic we deliver luxury with a twist of adventure. That might mean being the first to explore a trail that doesn’t appear on Google. Sitting with a family in São Tomé and hearing their story. Walking alongside nomads in the High Atlas on their seasonal migration – not some polished trek, but the real, muddy, unedited thing.

That unmanicured element is important. When things feel raw and real, they’re more powerful. They stick and that’s transformative and real.

Planning journeys, not itineraries

Something we’ve learned over 20 years of travel planning is that it’s not just about what you do or where you go – it’s about the rhythm of the journey. We don’t design a trip with half-day activities in isolation.

We orchestrate a flow with moments of awe, then space to breathe; full-throttle adventure, then quiet reflection. It’s about the ups and downs, the contrasts, the crescendo and the pauses – the way a trip feels like a story or song unfolding.

And variety is key to that journey. A truly Epic destination offers diversity – coastlines and mountains, cities and deserts, energy and stillness. In ten days, you could feel as if you’ve had three different holidays – and that might change your state of mind.

Read next… From souk to sand: 10-Day luxury Northern Morocco itinerary

Authenticity, fresh not canned

“Authentic” is another overused buzzword in travel. Much of mainstream tourism is pre-packaged, commoditised – like tinned tuna. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, but it’s predictable and designed for the mass market. 

At Epic, we’re chasing the fresh stuff. We’re avoiding the realms of overtourism and looking at a beyond tourism sort of idea. That’s building experiences from scratch, often working with people who aren’t in tourism at all – musicians, farmers, artisans, historians. 

It’s striking that balance between bucket list highlights and off-beat experiences, because in the end people want both. For example – Marrakech medina is highly touristed, but we can approach it in a different way. Find interesting venues, meet interesting people, come up with ideas that are completely new. 

We use our local networks to give people who don’t work in tourism a voice, rather than following the trail. It’s the difference between tinned tuna and fresh tuna! It’s not off the shelf – we’re building our own ideas. We have to go beyond, creatively. 

In a competitive world you’ve got to try and stand out. We go down rabbit holes that are rather different, calling up people who have nothing to do with tourism to get their perspective on what the culture is like and what life is like in that destination. I think the authenticity comes through loud and clear in that situation.

Transformation through travel

More than about the destination, one of the things we try to find out from people is: what do they need to trip for? Not everybody knows, so sometimes you have to read between the lines. Some people want to be invigorated, some people want to be inspired. That difference changes the journey. 

The Marrakech medina is an assault on the senses, it’s a sort of awakening that can make you feel so alive in a sense. While if we visit a farmhouse in Portugal’s Alentejo region, you’ve got this feeling of peace, tranquility and purity. It’s calming with a meditative element. 

When we crack what people need we can plan journeys that make people feel a certain way. It’s about concentrating on how we want to make people feel. It’s more than the destinations – the big picture is how changing your physical place and discovering new things can be hugely beneficial.

When I see big changes in people, it always comes back to connection – connecting with yourself and with others. Because at the end of the day, it’s the people that make the destination Epic.

Ready for an Epic adventure? Reach out to start planning your dream custom trip – info@epic.travel

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