The story behind the site
A New Zealander living in Melbourne, with alove of travel, a fluent Spanish, and — I'll admit it — a moderately decent salsa dancer.
A curiosity for culture and a hunger for experiences that feel genuinely different have been a constant thread through my life — something I can't help sharing with anyone who'll listen.
Living in Spain for a stretch gave me my first real taste of Latin culture and a language I've never stopped using. But nothing quite prepared me for what a friend sent me one evening from Oaxaca.
She was there for Día de Muertos. The videos she shared stopped me in my tracks — a panteón filled with candlelight, families gathered at gravesides, and my friend and her father singing alongside strangers to mariachi music. It wasn't a scene of grief. It was a celebration of life.
Philip
I made myself a promise:
next year, I'm going
So I did
Oaxaca exceeded everything I'd imagined.
The streets were alive with colour and decoration. I spent hours wandering through markets and galleries, surrounded by people in full celebration. But beyond the spectacle, I found something I didn't expect — a culture so rich and layered that one visit only scratches the surface.
I left already planning to go back. I left wanting to share this experience.
Collaboration
This project didn't begin alone.
The friend who first sent me those videos from Oaxaca is also the person who has shaped this platform from the beginning. A Mexican-born cultural advisor, designer, and the founder of La Calavera — Melbourne's home for authentic Mexican artisan goods — she has been my guide, collaborator, and conscience throughout.
La Calavera was founded on something simple: that sharing Mexican culture — its DNA, its people, its traditions — is worth doing properly. It's a conviction that runs through this project too.
Day of the Dead Journey exists in that spirit. Not as an outside view of something foreign, but as a genuine attempt — shaped by someone who lives it — to open Oaxaca's most profound celebration to the people who want to experience it properly.
If you're in Melbourne, visit La Calavera at Queen Victoria Market. You'll understand immediately why this collaboration made sense.
Day of the Dead Journey
was built for travellers
like me:
Curious
Respectful
Looking for connection
Looking for experiences
that make unforgettable memories
and a sense of connection.
This site gives you everything you need to plan your trip to Oaxaca properly — the timing, the context, the cultural knowledge, and the curated experiences that connect you to what's actually happening.
So you don't just arrive.
You arrive ready.
