Spiritual Retreats: Advice, Tips, and How-to

Life is not all about the daily grind. Travel is not always about point A to point B. Consider spiritual retreat travel. Be you Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Mystic, or Buddhist, spiritual retreat travel offers a chance to travel not only a physical distance, but also a spiritual one.

With so many reasons to go, it is little wonder spiritual retreats are a fast growing segment of group travel. People of all faiths and walks of life take retreats for a number of reasons. Religious retreats offer a chance to relax at a deep level to rejuvenate your spirit. A chance for quiet fellowship with likeminded people. A retreat is a chance to heal, practice your faith, and search for higher meaning. Many people also find retreats a time of great creativity. People who have taken the journey to retreat almost always testify to the positive effect it had on their life.

Planning a group religious retreat presents a few more problems than simply convincing others why they should go. Before the search for the extraordinary can take place the mundane details of religious retreat details need to be taken care of. With that in mind, presenting a group scoop guide to planning group spiritual retreats:

• Know Your Group. Know what kind of retreat venue you require. Types of retreats and venues vary as much as the people who go to them. Retreat venues include cabins, monasteries, hot springs, ashrams, bed and breakfasts, spas, zendos, and very often it is meeting location that requires people to stay offsite. The retreat venue may book itself like a hotel does on an individual basis, or on a solely group by group basis.

• Remember the Basics. Services at retreats very greatly. Ranging from fully catered meals to picnic tables. From full room service to a cot. From fully pampered to no service at all. So remember to plan a solution for your group's meals. Find a way to accommodate special needs at a place that may not accommodate them for you. Don’t forget the small things like flashlights, yoga mats, swimming suits, bibles etc…

• Plan Ahead. Many retreats are held in or outside of small towns, so hotels are at a premium. Getting accommodations for your group should be done at least 60 days in advance, 120 days in advance if you’re planning for a group of 60 or more.

Planning a retreat should not be a stressful event that counteracts the positive effects of going on retreat. Heed the advice here and contact the group travel experts at Groople and make the trip a pleasant success.

See you UP there.