Travel, at its most meaningful, isn’t just about taking selfies at the Trevi Fountain or ticking off hiking trail accomplishments. It’s about immersing yourself in a place, a culture, and a community in ways that challenge your perspectives and reshape your sense of self. Retreats promise this kind of deep connection—an opportunity to step out of your daily routine, surround yourself with like-minded people, and return home with more than just souvenirs. But do they deliver? After attending a writing retreat in Barcelona that left me inspired yet oddly unsatisfied, I set out to explore whether retreats truly offer the personal transformation and cultural immersion they claim—or if they’re just an overpriced escape from reality. From yoga retreats in Umbria to surf camps in Sligo, and even the allure of luxury floral getaways in New Zealand, I discovered that the real magic of retreats lies not in what they claim to do, but in the effort you put into making them great experiences.
Whether you’re a solo traveler seeking community, a spiritual seeker craving inner growth, or simply someone who wants to unplug and recharge, the right retreat can be a powerful catalyst for change—if you know what to look for.
Retreats are a Great Option for Solo Travelers
Jenn Overstreet, an American education professional who has lived in Europe and the Middle East, attended a weekend yoga retreat with Zem Yoga Rome in Orvieto, a small town in southwestern Umbria. She attended by herself, without knowing anyone in advance, spent time in nature, did yoga, read, relaxed, and enjoyed a weekend without her phone.
Similar to Jenn, it was also great for me to travel to Barcelona alone, because I was really looking to meet like-minded people with whom I could potentially travel in the future! I ended up meeting up with my friend Kate while I was traveling in Estonia, and she took me to a yummy Russian food spot in a garden in Tallinn.
Active Retreats allow you to Focus on Your Body
As a cerebral person, I have always been drawn to retreats that allow you to get out of your head and focus on the body - either through yoga, meditation, hiking, surfing, or other outdoor activities. It’s hard to cram this into our daily lives, and spending a week with devotion to your physical body seems like a good investment.
My friend Deirdre, the designer and owner of Argyll House in Connecticut, has always been a curator of amazing group trips. She has now transitioned that skill professionally and often hosts mini weekend retreats on her property—fireside sound baths, candlelit dinners and silent trail walks in the backyard forest. She took inspiration from a yoga retreat she attended in Mallorca, Spain, where she spent a week attuning to her body and grounding in nature under the tutelage of Dagmar Spremberg. She spent mornings in silence and was reminded by Dagmar that yoga is showing up gently for ourselves off the mat. It is a way of being. Connecting with a beautiful international community of women under Dagmar’s care and the Mediterranean sea was an experience worth the price for Deirdre.
I have also heard amazing things about The Sacred Fig retreats and yoga teacher training retreats. My friend Holly attended a retreat to become a yoga teacher in Bali, met friends from all over the world, and now teaches yoga locally at Greenway Yoga in Minneapolis.
I have had my eye on surf retreats. I loved my experience surfing and enjoying the sauna here in Ireland, and I looked for female surf retreats in Sligo. This one looked awesome, although I was never able to go.
Personal Development and Spiritual Retreats
Sometimes, retreats can be useful when you’re in a spiritual slump. My coach Catherine Andrews, who is based in the US, is hosting a retreat in Tuscany this year, called “A Retreat for Divine Feminine Embodiment & Leadership”. These types of retreats offer a chance at inner transformation - something that can be helped by being in a beautiful place with inspiring people.
I was targeted for a babymoon retreat in Portugal on social media - and seriously considered going if I wasn’t so worried about traveling while 8.75 months pregnant. Here in Italy, there aren’t too many spiritual groups for preparing for motherhood. The few prenatal yoga classes I’ve found have been poorly attended. I thought this looked like a great way to lean into the transformation to motherhood.
Luxury Retreats - Go Big or Go Home
While I have never spent money on a big luxury retreat or group travel trip, there are definitely reasons I could see someone doing it. One reason might be to explore lesser-known parts of the world that would be logistically difficult to plan yourself, and working with a professional would likely be less harmful to the local ecosystem.
Lily, of The Lily Guide by Lily B, tipped me off to Farmluxe’s luxury floral and wellness retreats for women, called Wellness and Wildflowers. I have always loved flowers ever since working in a flower shop in high school, and this New Zealand-based retreat offers “a private charter flight to remote locations during the retreat, wildflower access, private farms and gardens, immersive floral artistry, gourmet dining set within incredible nature, daily wellness workshops, floral therapy, and more”.
I have also had my eye on Maremma Safari ever since reading about it in Club Yolo. Having a guide on the trails of the very remote locations in the Aeolian islands would be so special. My husband is a devoted customer of OARS White Water Rafting Trips. He usually gets together with his best friends from college once per summer and rafts down very remote parts of the United States, where it would be very difficult to get a permit on his own, not to mention coordinate logistics of food while “leaving no trace”. OARS organizes all of the logistics so that by the time he gets to the river, all he has to do is sit back and relax.
Another area where I might invest in a retreat is if I wanted to walk away with a certification, skill, or study with an expert to learn something new. These painting retreats and studio time with teachers in Italy look beautiful and fulfilling.
Cooking and food-based group travel and retreats have become very popular because they offer a chance for you to “trust the experts” of the best food in a certain region. Don’t want to do the research? The very popular Elizabeth Minchilli offers group trips to Italy, with a focus on local food. Her Parma trip, which looks absolutely drool-worthy, includes all food, lodging, and activities.
An opportunity to hike with Las Cholitas Escaladoras, female Aymara indigenous mountain climbers, and learning about textiles in Bolivia is something I would absolutely pay for. This company, Thread Caravan, has many artistic trips that support local artisans.
Mini Retreats - the Investment Sweet Spot
Mini, long-weekend retreats close to home seem to be the sweet spot between investment and return. Lily, author of The Lily Guide by Lily B, is an American expat living in Munich, Germany. When she was living in the US, she remembers seeing retreats that were priced absurdly high and always felt she could do her own trip for much less.
When she moved to Europe, she signed up for a mini retreat hosted by a local yoga studio in Munich, which seemed more within her price range. She went to Austria for four nights and paid around €900 for four nights of accommodation, food, yoga classes, and activities. It was also a really great way to meet like-minded women, some of whom also lived in Munich. Overall, Lily writes that “it was a vacation for me. A treat where I didn’t have to plan anything - I could just pay and show up and let someone else do all of the coordinating…Signing up for a retreat is a great way to still be social, but have your alone time, all while letting someone else take the lead. I like the mix of doing something I wouldn’t normally do every day (like yoga), being in beautiful scenery, and meeting new people.”
Here in Naples, a yoga teacher I love Martina Boccone runs small weekend retreats in nearby areas (Ischia, Puglia, along the coast). In March, she’s hosting a yoga, creative writing, somatic practice, and coaching retreat during a weekend in nearby Capua. If I weren’t having a baby, I would love to attend.
Retreat Hack: Seek Out Single Day or Weekend Adventure
During our weeklong van adventure in Ireland, I booked a surf/spa day at Big Style. It was my favorite thing we did on our whole trip and offered a day without planning or logistics - a day to simply relax.
Similarly, when I spent a week in Finland, tagging along on my husband’s business trip, I had the days to myself and created my own solo retreat. I went to an amazing day sauna/spa in Helsinki and enjoyed a mocktail on the deck overlooking the sea afterwards. I went to used international bookshops and libraries and spent my days reading and going to museums. I walked to beautiful cafés and wrote in my journal.
While we were in Maremma last year, I went to the day spa Parco Termale di Terme di Saturnia, while also checking out the nearby free outdoor park, Terme di Saturnia. I’ve heard amazing things about QC Spa in Milano (the only reason we didn’t go is they don’t allow pregnant people) and I will never stop loving my annual birthday trips to Pseidon and Negumbo on Ischia.
The downside of the solo retreat is that you don’t get the benefits of meeting other like-minded people, and you still need to do all of the booking and planning. But I’ve also found that hiking groups are the best way to get the best of both worlds. I have gone on a few adventures with Trentaremi and Meta Adventures, two local hiking clubs here in Campania, and have met some really great people, all while doing something I love. Plus, it’s safer and more interesting to hit trails with the experts.
A few of my friends in San Diego have just gone out in the woods without their phones for the weekend. Cheap, easy, and relaxing.
You Don’t Need To Spend a Fortune to Experience a Luxurious Group Trip
If you are willing to go the extra mile with planning, you don’t need to spend a fortune to experience quality time alone or with friends. You can plan your own retreat, group trip, or escape into nature. Or, you can take yourself on a mini single-day retreat or look for a weekend retreat offering near the area where you live.
Finally, if you want to treat yourself to a trip where you don’t need to plan anything, the logistics are taken care of, or you could develop a new skill you’ve always dreamed of - go for it! I really believe there is no better way to invest your money than on yourself, your dreams, and the things you care about.
Have you been on a retreat? Would you recommend it? Let’s link some good retreat tips in the comments.
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