The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Retreat People Love

February 28, 2023

Hosting a retreat is an incredibly rewarding experience. Done well, it can create deep bonds within your group and leave people with a unique experience they will cherish and remember.

However, hosting a retreat can take a lot of time, energy and planning. There are a lot of decisions to be made and logistics to coordinate. Luckily, hosting a retreat at Beach Break Surf Camp means you get tons of support from the Beach Break team when it comes to planning and coordinating your retreat.

In this guide to hosting a retreat, we’ll share the benefits of hosting a retreat, tips for hosting the perfect retreat, and share how to host a retreat at Beach Break Surf Camp.

A group photo of the Beach Break Surf Camp in Panama group retreat

The Benefits of Hosting a Retreat

Hosting a retreat can be a rewarding experience for both you and your group. When you host a retreat it brings everyone together, strengthening connections and deepening bonds. Once these connections are created, they can last a lifetime! Many people who attend retreats continue to come back for new experiences, for many years to come. This type of loyalty is hard to find in any industry!

Making Connections Hosting a Retreat

Hosting a retreat is the ultimate way to create connections. By hosting a retreat you can help your group connect with themselves, nature and like-minded people. There are also benefits for you as the host! Hosting a retreat is a great way to make connections in your industry and it can result in making you some extra income. Not to mention, if you choose to host your retreat in a tropical location, it’s the opportunity to travel somewhere beautiful at a reduced cost.

a group photo of people doing a yoga retreat class

Connecting with Yourself

Retreats can offer a lot of time for self-reflection, for both groups and their leaders. When you are hosting a retreat you can create more time for yourself by working with a retreat location that offers help coordinating and planning.

Connections with Nature

Hosting a retreat can reconnect you with nature. This can be a very healing experience for you as the host and for your guests. Choosing a retreat location with peaceful surroundings can be very rewarding. Hearing the waves crash from your bed, waking up to birds singing and fresh air will make all the difference for you and the entire group.

Connections with Like-Minded People

Two main guys in Beach Break Surf Camp - John and Brent, hosting a BJJ retreat camp.

Hosting a retreat is a great way to bring people together to practice their craft or learn a new one. A retreat setting is the perfect space for building a support system. Often emotions arise, and share goals, interests and intentions emerge. A retreat can leave everyone feeling a bit more connected, to oneself and to each other.

Hosting a Retreat Deepens Bonds & Creates Loyalty

A retreat offers a special experience that often people will remember for many years to come. Hosting a retreat offers your members a chance to step outside of their comfort zone. After attending a retreat, most people come refreshed and motivated. Retreats build trust and strengthen relationships, through this and bonds are developed and communication is improved. A retreat atmosphere often encourages the team to let loose and have some fun together, creating an experience people will really love.

three women doing a yoga posa with the yoga instructor helping the middle one

How to Host a Retreat people will Love

Hosting a retreat that people will absolutely love starts with breaking down the main goals of the retreat. An intention for hosting a retreat might be to offer your group a change of scenery, or the opportunity to get out of their normal routine.

When you are hosting a retreat you will also need to choose a great location, the right number of people and some additional activities for the group to enjoy. Making these decisions ahead of time offers people a clear structure of what is happening when. Structure is the key to helping your retreat run smoothly. By hosting a retreat that is all-inclusive, your team will never feel like they are missing out or being up charged.

Offering an all-inclusive retreat ensures everyone in your group is included, and has the opportunity to participate. Choosing an all-inclusive retreat, including everything from healthy meals, activities and accommodations, makes the cost of the retreat transparent and straightforward. It's a great way to ensure your retreat offers good vibes and authentic experience.

A person taking a photo of several people with their surfboards at the beach

Hosting a retreat people will love really comes down to creating an environment where people feel comfortable to relax and show a side of themselves they might not be so intune with. What you really want in a retreat is an experience that offers good vibes and ambience. The best way to ensure you're going with the right place is to take time and do some research.

Try getting on a call with a team member, read testimonials, and always trust your gut to know what is going to work for you and your group.

Pick the Right Location to Host your Retreat

When choosing a location for your retreat, you might want to consider somewhere off the beaten path. Hosting a retreat at a popular retreat destination can look beautiful in the pictures, but be crowded and unauthentic when you arrive.

When it comes to location, do your research. If you are new to retreat planning you may want to choose a location that will get involved in the initial steps of planning. It takes a village when it comes to hosting a retreat, by allowing some of the work to be delegated you can benefit from someone else's knowledge and can focus on your magic!

An aerial view of Beach Break Surf camp in Playa Venao, Panama

Picking the Right Number of People for your Retreat

Retreats can be made up of any number of people, choosing the number of people in advance is important in order to ensure accommodations, meals and transportation is available for your group. Typically retreats range from 6 people for small group experiences to larger groups of 30 or more. Figuring out how many people you would like to host at your retreat can be specific to your craft and should be decided during the first research stages.

A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class in action, with several people practicing on the mat

Taking an All-inclusive Approach to Hosting a Retreat

You never want your people to feel like they’re missing out! By hosting an all-inclusive retreat you create an experience that is accessible for everyone in your group.

By offering your all guests bottomless fresh juice, unlimited activities and daily healthy meals you offer a quality experience for everyone, leaving no one behind.

a wide shot of a pool party at nightfall

Having a Clear Structure with Some Downtime

If you want to structure a retreat that has the perfect amount of activities and downtime, you will first need to decide how many days your retreat will be. Typically retreats are one week long, a realistic goal for the number of set practices or group sessions is two to three times a day.

When you are hosting a week long retreat you may consider a day spent off-site exploring. This is a great way to break up the time spent at basecamp.

It is also important to schedule in some down time during the day. There might be group members who need to check in at work or home, so make space for their needs as well, even if it is mostly an off-line retreat. It is a good idea to have a clear guideline beforehand so everyone knows the expectations, sessions, meals and activities in advance.

A light up tree  at night time, forming a halo above it from the lights attached on it

Hosting a Retreat at Beach Break Surf Camp

Hosting your retreat at Beach Break Surf Camp takes the stress out of hosting a retreat! Our team will work with you to plan and structure your retreat from day one. Working with us gives you more time to disconnect and reconnect with yourself, nature and your team.

We will work with you to plan your retreat in paradise. BBSC can help you work out details like transportation, meals, schedules along with local excursions to waterfalls and other group or individual activities.

How to Host a Retreat at Beach Break Surf Camp

You can learn more about hosting a retreat at BBSC here, or contact us directly to get the conversation started!

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