Planning Your Reflective Retreat

Choosing a location for your Reflective Retreat may be your most important decision, but many considerations feed into that choice. Some of them are practical, such as how much time and money you can devote to your retreat. Others are based on personal preference. From year to year both the practicalities and the preferences may change. The goal is to give yourself the best chance to have an experience that is both meaningful and fun.

Your Primary Intention

Your intention may change from one retreat to another. Do you want to do a  comprehensive review of your life or a deep dive into one particular area? If there is a pressing situation in your life, it may be best to focus your time and attention on it. 

Duration

Give yourself enough time to accomplish your intention. The point of taking a Reflective Retreat is to enter a time as well as a space different from your daily life that will best support you. For a full retreat experience, I suggest no fewer than five days. If that’s all the time you can fit into your schedule, you don’t want to spend all of Day 1 and Day 5 in transit. The more days you can devote to your retreat, the farther you can travel.    

Date

Take a look at your next 12 months and see when you can block off the requisite number of days in your calendar. After you do, when claims on your time arise that conflict with your retreat dates, you can say “sorry, I wish I could, but I’m out of town during that time”. Setting your dates will act like a boulder in a river, no matter how busy life gets, it will need to flow around this commitment.  Have confidence that making time to prioritize your wellbeing will benefit you AND all those around you! 

Support

Some intentions can’t be realized by yourself. Will you need the support of a licensed professional, such as a dietitian, counselor, personal trainer, life coach or physician? If so, the availability of that support will partly dictate the location you choose.

Your Budget

When you’re clear about what you most value and want in your wellness retreat, you’ll be able to find options that will align with both your intention and your budget. For example, some of the best settings for retreats, such as being in nature, can be low cost or even free. 

Congenial environments, seasons and weather, activities

To the extent that your schedule and your budget permit, make arrangements that promise satisfaction in all ways that are compatible with your intention. 

What degree of silence and solitude do you want? 

Do you think better in the silence and solitude of nature, a relaxing resort, or a vibrant, bustling location? What combination of alone time vs being with others do you want? 

What environments do you like? 

The ocean, beach, lake, mountains, glaciers, meadows, gardens, desert, dunes, rainforest, tropical islands,… It’s also helpful to note what environments you don’t like. The desert can be a beautiful place and blank canvas to help clear your mind or an uninspiring place if you love lush, green grass and leafy trees. 

What are your preferred seasons and weather?

Warm, hot, humid, winter, snow, sunny, breezy, spring wildflowers, fall colors. What’s your ideal temperature: 30’s and sunny, hiking in 65-degree weather, swimming when it’s 80-90 degrees outside? It’s also helpful to know which type of weather you don’t like! If hot and humid drives you crazy, you may want to avoid Miami Florida in July. If you are miserable in cold weather… 

What kind of activities do you enjoy and find inspiring? 

Walking, hiking, jogging, running, road biking, mountain biking, resistance training, swimming, scuba diving, surfing, sailing, fishing, canoeing, rafting, cooking, drawing, painting, specific art projects, playing or composing music, listening to live music, dancing, writing, journaling, reading, knitting, watching animals in nature, birding, meditation, yoga… Spa, steam, sauna, hot tub. 

Do any of your activities require specific facilities or gear?

If so, make sure your location of choice is able to support them (swimming pool, well-equipped gym, bike rentals, spa facilities…). 

Accommodations

What Type of accommodation do you prefer? Hotels, resorts, Airbnb, VRBO, retreat centers, cabins in nature, a friend's vacation home, RV, camping. If you choose a hotel or resort, how much time will you spend inside vs being out and about exploring and enjoying the facilities and surroundings? If you’ll be spending hours a day inside writing and relaxing, you may want a place with a writing desk or table with great views and an outdoor lounging area. If you’ll be out and about most of the day, you may only want a comfortable place to sleep and to get ready for the day. 

Meals

Is the quality of food important to you? Do you have dietary restrictions? Do you like cooking for yourself or eating out or some mix of the two? Would you rather stay where all meals are included or where there are multiple restaurants within reach? 

Location

After working through all these considerations and perhaps others you’ve generated on your own, it’s time to start researching through Google, Youtube, and other online resources and talking with friends. It’s helpful to have a document to save your research and work on it as you have time. 

Following this process has led me to diverse places, from the deserts of Dubai to the rainforests of Costa Rica, from feasting and hiking in the Italian Alps to fasting and meditating in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. 

Congratulations on choosing to invest in your own wellbeing. Now start exploring and enjoy the journey!

Most warmly, James