Travel with Purpose: Khadija El Barkaoui on Savoring a Moment

I’m a free person with a free spirit from free tribes, and I really appreciate the freedom that I feel when I am biking. Just exploring some areas that I wasn't able to explore driving, or I wouldn't really go to walking. But also this sense of “I know by choosing to bike and not drive, those are small steps to care about the environment.” 

 

Living in Portland, in Maine in general it's been really a learning process of appreciating seasons. Where I grew up, we had the sun most of the year. So. Relearning how to appreciate the spring, and how spring may look different from spring growing up. 

 

It made me appreciate the sun even more, uh, it's something I took for granted growing up. It's just there. Right now, look outside, like the sun is out. It’s a lot of joy when the sun is out so.

 

[Speaking in Amazigh] Hello! My name is Khadija. My chosen Amazigh name is Tilila. Today, I want to share with you where I came from, who I am, and my work.

 

Nature is deeply intertwined with who I am. Growing up in Morocco I was always surrounded by the desert, the mountains, the ocean and the rivers. As a child I lived in the Oasis town of Zagora. “The door to the desert.” I ran through the palm groves with my cousins, helped gather vegetables from the farm to make food, and spent countless hours chopping from a hill into the soft dunes of the desert. I remember the runs with my sisters through the neighborhood and how my brother taught me how to bike, and I will never forget those family picnics by the river. Evenings were filled with my grandmother’s stories under the stars. Not to put us to sleep, but to keep us awake while we waited for my aunt to make dinner. For us nature wasn't just where we lived, it was part of our lives, part of who we are and our stories
 

TEA CEREMONY

What is special about Moroccan Tea is the way we make tea, the herbs we add to it. This Rose is uh from my region, Rose Vale of the Oasis of Zagora. Those people from the desert would sit under the stars and surrounded by fire and one of the elders would be making tea and it takes a while so brewing tea is a symbol of patience, an invitation to conversations yeah, so the three rounds of tea. The first round is bitter and symbolizes life's challenges. Three represents love and togetherness. Mild is reflecting in wisdom and acceptance. 

 

People from the desert love to rise and mix the tea back and forth and it's part of the whole experience until, until someone, the person who is making the tea decides, decides to hand you a glass. All the bubbles, that's what makes the Moroccan Tea Special is the Bubbles and the Herbs we add to it. And mainly the other herbs symbolizes the sweetness of life and the freshness of the herbs – one more.

 

And we usually sip very, very slow. 
 

INDIGENOUS CONNECTION TO MAINE 

Living in Maine has taught me so much. As an Indigenous Person from another land, I felt more rooted and belonged here. The more I learned about the Wabanaki People. Our relationship with the Earth feels deeply familiar. Maine has become a place where I listen, I learn, I reconnect. Maine - The Vacation Land, the Wabanaki Land, has become home.

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COELLE TRAVEL

Those values are at the Heart of My Work and the inspiration behind founding Coelle Travel. In every journey and experience we design, we focus on creating authentic community-based travel that foster genuine connections, whether it's sharing simple meaningful rituals like the best tea ceremony, engaging with locals, um listening to storytellers, we ensure that travellers don't just visit, they engage deeply with communities they encounter, respect the land, and give back. 

 

I want others to understand that travel shouldn’t be a race. It’s not just about the number of the destinations. it should be about learning, giving back and creating deeper connections with places we visit. People travel with purpose, they move beyond the surface and honor the true essence of a place, it’s culture and its people. Those people are knowledgeable, educated, but they were open to learning. They were open to be challenged. That takeaway is usually that need or urge to connect back to nature. To go back to the indigenous way. 

 

I see a future where our connection to the land is at the center of everything we do. I dream of a world where we protect the Earth and honor its people. Whether it's in Morocco’s Desert or Maine’s Woods. I feel a strong connection to the land. It’s a reminder that the Earth is a shared home and we are part of that story.