What is a Retreat Planner and Why You Need One

Whenever I get asked what I do for a living, I respond one of two ways:

1. “I take strangers on vacation” is normally followed by explaining that I host retreats all over the world and they’re all-inclusive which means I have a solution to all of the excuses that are currently holding you back ;)

2. “I plan retreats” is followed by questions of how they can sign up for that service or puzzled looks while trying to figure out what the heck a retreat planner does.

I get it, retreat planners are not only scarce but they’re also a relatively new thing. I’ve been planning and hosting my own retreats since 2018 so I’m somewhat familiar with the evolution of retreat planners as an industry, and I’m going to share with you my experience in hopes of creating a better understanding of what a retreat planner is and why if you are planning to host a retreat you absolutely need one.

After I had a few retreats under my belt, I started to get inquiries about “collaborating” on my next retreat. I LOVE collaborating with people whose work I respect and find inspiring, but I do not love being asked by a complete stranger if I’d like to collaborate with them. The emails all read the same. They start with acknowledging how they discovered me, followed by very lengthy descriptions about why they want to host a retreat and why they’re awesome, and a conclusion detailing why we should work together. If you read between the lines, what they are actually saying is they have no clue where to begin, they want an easy shortcut to bypass all of the hard work and overwhelm of figuring it out, and they absolutely do not want to take a financial risk and invest into all of the venues, rentals and reservations that it takes to host a retreat. Oh, and let’s not forget that everyone is terrified that they don’t have enough clients to sell out a retreat on their own.

I get it, truly, I do, because even though I’ve never emailed a stranger with that same request, I started out collaborating with friends to help lessen the financial burden and also cut down the fear of failure. I believe everyone can host a retreat and because I can see all of these same emotions being conveyed in these inquiries that I once (and still sometimes do) have, I got to work on creating a solution for you fearful souls. Once the pandemic came in 2020 and forced me to cancel all of my retreats, I literally had zero excuses not to create these services. 

So I started the only way I knew how: I mapped out my entire process and then I got to work on market research to see how other retreat planners were packaging and selling their services. At the time, there was not much out there, but I did stumble upon two different scenarios of how individuals became retreat planners:

1. Like me, they started as retreat hosts and then got requests for help from others hoping to do the same. I’ve seen some of the larger retreat brands that have been around the longest sort of retire as planners. They no longer host their own retreats, they only plan others. Having done both, hosted my own retreats and planned retreats for others, the planning is easier because you don’t have to worry as much about marketing, sales, and liability. You also have way more flexibility because planning can be done remote and hosting requires a lot more in-person work hours.

2. They started as event planners and realized they could make more money planning retreats. This makes total sense, in my opinion, because retreats are basically overnight events and retreats are now a billion dollar industry. So if you’re getting burnt out from giving up all of your weekends to hosting weddings or events, why wouldn’t you take all of your experience and expertise and start doing basically the same thing by adding a few more days/nights to your event.

In either case, it takes a special skill set to organize, manage and execute all of the logistics required to host a retreat. 

Every single business was a result of someone realizing there wasn’t a solution for a specific problem or need and retreat planners are a result of yoga teachers, massage therapists, photographers, coaches, etc. wanting to provide a more immersive experience for their clients but only wanting to create the schedule and share their beloved content. 

They do not have the time or expertise to find venues, manage flights and transportation, worry about the menu or excursions, figure out liability, manage sales and registrations, scour the internet for gift bag items, and most importantly, create and stick to a budget so that they actually get compensated for all of their energy and hours of hard work.

After I hosted my second retreat, I realized that no one should ever host a retreat alone.

I was STOKED to have arrived in Banff and timed the fall colors perfectly, only to have a blizzard hit the very next day which not only made all of the golden leaves fall to the ground, but also threw a huge wrench into my retreat schedule.⁣

😬 I had to frantically find new excursions because some of the roads were closed⁣.

😭 A few of my guests were delayed by an entire day⁣.

😔 One of my co-hosts and one of my guests lost their luggage for over 48 hours⁣.

😒 And on my third trip to the airport, I got a speeding ticket⁣.

It.was.a.lot. I had a private chef and professional photographer with me but it was really hard for me to teach yoga in the morning and find enough time to sit on the phone to track down the lost luggage and come up with new excursions due to trail and road closures from all of the snow.

Thankfully, I survived and I still love hosting retreats ;) but I also started writing down who I wanted as support staff, especially when shit hit the fan.⁣

Now whenever I hear someone say they are nervous about hosting, I tell them to control the things that they can control, let go of the rest, and do not be afraid to hire help where you need it.

Remind yourself that our best teachers are mistakes & experience.⁣

You have to do the big, scary thing to get better at it and eventually you’ll be an expert before you know it 😘

If you want a clear path to avoid hurdles and overwhelm, sign up for a free consult call with me to see if we can rock your retreat together!

My name is Anna VanAgtmael, and I am retreat host, travel designer, and a certified yoga instructor with a passion for yoga, travel, and connecting with others.

I believe in trying everything once. My values lie in collecting memories over things.

My ambition is to inspire and encourage you to unmask your fears and jump into the unknown.

Anna VanAgtmael | Retreat Host | Travel Designer