Don’t Forget Your SIM Card (All the little Details for Hosting Retreat)

You’ll have to learn a lot of things as you go, because every experience is unique and, for as prepared as you are, life happens. Unexpected things pop up and you’ll be solving a lot of little issues in the moment.  But you should be learning as much as you can BEFOREhand to make your learning process smoother and easier. 

In my coaching program, I share a ton of hints that save you time, stress and money.   

Mostly it’s about having a plan, following it and communicating clearly and regularly with your clients.  But like building a house, all the little details can sink you if you aren’t prepared for them. 

Here’s some things to keep in mind: 

Arrive a couple of days before your group to get everything ready, communicate with your ground team and double check that everyone you’ve hired (drivers, cooks, guides, etc…) are ready to go and on the same page. 

You also want to rest before welcoming your guests, so having time to relax, reconnect, and re energize before it’s officially “show time”, will really help you feel grounded and ready to receive your group.  

Be clear about where everyone is staying- with addresses- ahead of time. They may need it for immigration forms, etc.  Remind them to keep their passports in a safe place at all times. While this sounds too obvious to mention, trust me, it helps to remind them.  

You can't do it all on your own and there’s no reason to think that you should.  

Create a team. It’s so much more professional than trying to do it all yourself- delegate and get more minds on tasks- brilliant ideas from others will only make your retreat better. 

You can't expect to handle everything on your own.

Have a contract and liability form that will protect you, your business and your clients. It should cover your co host or any partners, and everyone who works on your team. Anything can happen. Make sure that all participants have signed the contract, documents before they travel. 

Have a welcome gift prepared for each guest. I like to give a nice bag with goodies that welcomes them and makes them feel awesome. This “unexpected extra” from you goes a long way.

Think about the airport meetup and local transport to the retreat center. Have a meetup location assigned before anyone departs from their home country. Some people may lose cell phone service/ internet access, or not be able to recharge batteries until they meet up with you, so make sure that they know exactly what to do and where to go once they get through immigration at the airport.   

How much time will it take to get to the retreat from the airport? It should be a short trip-- under 2 hours-- because guests will already be tired from traveling. They really need to stop, kick off their shoes, take a hot shower and relax, so help them get to their “landing pad” as quickly as possible. 

Have bottled water for them or a place to refill their bottles before getting on the shuttle and consider breaking up the trip for a bathroom stop, so everyone can stretch their legs or buy a snack if they want to. Taking care of their basic needs helps them feel more comfortable as they land in a new place. It also gives them the idea, quite correctly, that you have considered every detail and have everything under control  

Always communicate with your group so they know what they are signing up for before hand and remind them- have printable schedules- so they can see what to expect each day. In the morning give them a rundown of the activities, times, and what to wear and bring. In the evening, let them know what to expect the following day. 

 Keep running lists of what you need to do and who you need to communicate with.  

I also recommend daily affirmations and always being clear on what you want to happen, what you want to deliver to your clients each day.

Know what information you want to share, which stories and lessons- details about natural and cultural history- you want to focus on.

 Bring two cell phones-- one for international travel and the other for destination. You’ll need a SIM card for local calls if you want to avoid your server hitting you will high overseas rates. 

Set all of that up ahead of time, so people can communicate with you. 

Be ready. 

Having all these details taken care of will help things go smoothly. To your group, you’ll look in control and professional, because of course, you are.