How to Plan a Women’s Retreat
Is anyone out there thinking about how to plan a women’s retreat? If you’re even considering it just a tiny bit, I want to say: “Do it!” It was so much fun. It was so rejuvenating. It was so nourishing. It was so much more needed in my life than I even realized!
The idea started several months ago. I had my heart set on a retreat by myself this year (to escape from the everyday pressures of parenting). But then I realized that I needed more community and connection, post-COVID. That’s where the idea of a women’s retreat came into play.
How to Plan a Women’s Retreat: The Who
I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a group of girlfriends that hangs out together. I have friends that Matt and I hang out with as a couple (both in Austin and beyond Austin). I have male friends who I call for support. I have female friends I call for support. But I don’t have a group girlfriends who all know each other. If you do have that group, then answering the question of who to invite is even easier for you!
For me, I decided to invite women (both near Austin and farther away) who are: purposeful and intentional with their lives, interesting, and easy to connect with. I sent the original message to 15 people. Seven of them were interested. We emailed back and forth about a date in July that would work for folks.
Where
Once I knew who was interested and which date we were targeting, I searched for AirBnbs. I found three different options. They had different amenities, different sleeping set-ups, and different prices. They ranged from $211 to $585 per person for two nights. There was some general consensus around the $472 option, so I went ahead and booked it (knowing that I had 48 hours to cancel). In retrospect, the most critical amenities were: a bed for each person (sharing rooms is okay and sofa beds are not great but they are also okay), a giant kitchen with island seating is a must, a pool is a HUGE bonus, and outdoor dining is a really nice addition.
Then I sent out an email about how people should Venmo me to secure their spot. We lost one of the original seven in this process. So then we were down to seven total (including me).
What
Before going into this retreat, I thought we would need things to do—especially because the women didn’t know each other. But we didn’t! I brought self-reflection print-outs that I didn’t even pull out. I brought paddle boards that people said they wanted to use but ended up not. We had an art project planned that didn’t make it through TSA security at the airport (which was totally fine). We had rocks and paint pens that we didn’t use. I had events for us to go to that we didn’t even think twice about. We didn’t even watch a movie!
Instead, we hung out around the giant island in the kitchen to cook our meals. We swam. We hung out in the hot tub. We spent time alone on the porches. We lingered around meals.
A couple of us did yoga and hiked together, but everything else was at the house!
We just needed time to connect and talk.
It was such a reminder of what it means to be human. We need to be seen, heard, valued. We need to connect. We need to relax. We need to immerse ourselves in nature and beauty.
I’m so grateful for a weekend of all of that!
Definitely let me know if you have any questions in the comments. I’m happy to share more.