The Well Traveled Questionnaire: Featuring Molly Berry

We're building a community of travelers, and each month, we’ll feature a special guest who shares their world. What they love, their travel tips, rituals, memorable stays, and treasured souvenirs.

I'm Molly Berry, the Founder and Creative Director of Luna Zorro Studio. I am originally from San Francisco, California and have been living in Central America for the last 14+ years. I am a designer, photographer, writer and mother of two (Joaquin Fox 12 years old and born in Panama + Hazel Moon 10 years old and born in Guatemala). I attended University of California Los Angeles where I was a World Arts and Cultures major. I have had a variety of careers in the arts, design and humanities, Luna Zorro Studio being my biggest endeavor to date. I love creating products, experiences, and spaces and I believe I have a knack for telling engaging and authentic stories about travel and life abroad. What matters most to me is having the creative freedom to live an impactful, inspired and adventurous life while surrounding myself with the people that I love most.

1. Checked luggage or carry-on?
   Aisle or window?
   Book or movie download?

• Checked luggage. As hard as I try to be a carry-on gal, I’m just not. The truth is that I am always carrying extra textiles either to my destination as gifts for friends, or home from travel as keepsakes. I even typically throw an additional duffel bag in there for added measure because I never know what I may discover while traveling!

• You’ll always find me in the window seat. 

• I usually download a new series before a long flight - something that will whisk me away and keep me enthralled to pass the time. The latest one I watched flying home from Rome was Bad Sisters. It’s a dark comedy set in Ireland and I fell in love with the characters and their relationship with one another. If I’m not watching a series, I am reading a book. The latest I just finished was Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Once again, I fell in love with the main character and found it to be a very tough, harshly honest, human story. Barbara Kingsolver is just such an incredible writer and can transport me anywhere.

2. What is one of your most memorable coffee or tea experiences abroad?

I am a coffee lover through and through, but my most memorable experience was in July 2022 when my daughter Hazel (7 years old at the time) and I went for afternoon tea at The Ritz London. Charming and indulgent, we practiced our royal manners, ate tea sandwiches and clinked porcelain tea cups with raised pinky fingers while a pianist serenaded us in the Palm Room. I planned far in advance and it was definitely an investment (budget-wise) but I am so grateful we had that fun and fancy experience together. Set in Mayfair, central London, we wandered for a stroll through Royal Green Park afterwards which was a perfect way to end our afternoon. 

3. What’s the first thing you love to do when you arrive at a new destination?

The first three things I love to do in a new place are: Find a local coffee shop off the beaten path to sit down with a latte for some itinerary planning and people watching, take a long stroll through town to find a farmers market to get a sense of the locale and seasonal goods, and seek out a flea/antiques market to begin hunting for one-of-a-kind keepsakes. While in Rome recently, my top three for these stops were: Caffe Peru for a quintessential cappucino experience (also a great spot for evening drinks), Campo di Fiori set inside the lovely Piazza Navona - go for fresh farmers market goods and delicious Italian culinary gifts to take home, and Mercato di Porta Portese for vintage, flea market gems.

4. Hotel or Airbnb?

I love staying in hotels especially from a design/hospitality standpoint, but when traveling with my family (young kids) Airbnb just works better for us mostly because we can buy groceries and cook on our own schedule. While I have so many special memories of Airbnbs around the world, there is a bungalow in Soller (Mallorca) Spain that I think about all the time. Set up above the town, the cottage overlooks fruit trees and an incredible mountain range. At Casa Blava, we cooked so many meals, had many lazy mornings and dinners by candlelight on the patio. Mornings we were awoken by the “heehaws” of the local donkey in the valley who we affectionately named “Don-Quixote” (get it? Donkey-ote?). The small two bedroom was perfect for my family and I dream of going back all the time. The owner Carla is wonderful, tell her Molly sent you. Here’s the link if you’re interested!

5. Where have you recently returned from and what meaningful souvenir did you bring back with you?

If it’s not already obvious, my life revolves around the world of textiles. I have a very special, personal collection that consist of beautiful old pieces passed down from my great grandmother, grandmother, and great aunt. From India to Mexico to Portugal and beyond, my suitcase always comes back stuffed with special pieces. I love to use textile hunting as a guide for curating my itineraries when traveling. I find that having a special collection or love for something specific can really help us narrow in on research and anchoring points to seek out when traveling, which can then provide a framework to build travel plans from. A lot of the time, I’ll even have some of these special pieces for sale in the Luna Zorro online shop.

Recently, I found a really special souvenir that I adore (and it’s not a textile). I was in Marrakesh for the first time and really fell in love with the deep history, color and intrigue of the city. The Medina, which occupies Marrakesh’s original fortified citadel, is a maze of cobblestone lanes, dense with artisans and their incredible wares. From copper to wool rugs, leather to ceramics, wood to spices, there is almost no gem that one can’t find hidden within the cocoon of the Medina. While there with El Camino Travel + Majestic Disorder, I was guided to a smoky and almost mysterious corner of the Medina where I met an artisan who creates the most incredible, handmade steel scissors. Carved and molded into the profile of a face, these scissors are nothing short of a piece of artwork! I bought two pairs and cherish them both as unique keepsakes which are framed in an antique armoire with glass doors, in my house. 

6. When you return home from a trip, what’s the first restaurant you head to?

To be honest, as much as I love eating out, my happiest place to be is my own home and kitchen! Once home from a trip, I head to Caoba Farms (an amazing, family-owned, organic farm and garden restaurant right by my house in Antigua) to pick up groceries, I will usually make a pasta with one of my favorite homemade sauces, a large pot of soup, or a hearty salad. Cooking is a meditative activity for me, being mindful and creative with each step, so I find it to be the best way to settle into feeling at home with my family. That said, nothing beats coming back to the coffee shops here in Antigua and having a latte from Artista de Cafe or the tiny coffee shop next to my studio, Luna Zorro.

8. Where are you traveling next, and what’s drawing you there?

I am really excited to be heading back to one of my all-time favorites, Mexico City, in December. I will be hosting a Luna Zorro holiday pop-up at Cafe Niddo in Colonia Juarez and I could not be more excited! The owner and chef Karen Drijanski (who will be featured soon in our newsletter) is a dear friend of mine and I can’t wait to celebrate the holiday buzz back in one of my favorite cities. If you’ll be in CDMX, mark your calendars for Saturday, December 14th and Sunday, December 15th.

Also, in January, I will be joining a creative retreat in Nosara, Costa Rica hosted by my friend and author, Michaela Trimble (who will also be featured in an upcoming newsletter). I’ll be facilitating a Natural Dyes workshop during the retreat and really look forward to an introspective week of setting intentions and goals for 2025 which will include a lot more writing, photography and travel. There are still spaces available and you can get a $200 discount if you book with code MOLLY200 before November 1st.

I’m looking forward to sharing many more tips and insights on all of these destinations above (Antigua, London, Mexico City, Rome, Mallorca, Marrakesh) in more depth over the next year!

I hope you’ll join me and subscribe to Well Traveled with Luna Zorro.

With love and thanks,
Molly x