Going on a retreat, whether that’s a yoga retreat, a blogger retreat or a wellness retreat, is an exciting experience. You’ll be nervous, curious, excited and more in the time leading up to your departure date. Who are the other women participating in the retreat? What will the hosts be like? What will I think once it’s over? What if it gets awkward? All these questions are running through your mind, and you’ll probably spend a good amount of time googling and trying to find all the answers.
One of the more practical things you’ll be wondering is likely ‘What should I pack for a retreat?’. This is a question we get quite often from retreat participants, and we always send out a packing list a few weeks before each retreat starts. Every retreat is different, just like every destination and women participating are unique, so the packing lists will always vary a little. But there are some things you just can’t go without when going on a retreat, and we’ve listed some of them here!
What you NEED to bring on a retreat!
Some of these are actual things you need to pack before you head on your retreat, while other items on the list are more to give you an idea of what to prepare yourself for. Either way, these are all things you need to make sure to bring when you are going on a retreat!
Lots of bikinis (location dependent)
In general, we choose bucket list destinations across the world for our retreats, and more often than not, this includes a tropical climate. This means lots and lots of opportunities to go swimming, whether it’s in a pool or the ocean, and plenty of fun water-related photo shoots! Even when we aren’t by the beach or near a pool, you’ll never know when a flower petal bath tub shows up on one of our retreats. So make sure you come prepared by packing a couple of extra swimsuits.
A positive attitude
Our retreats are fun and incredible, but they also include long days and lots of information thrown your way! On some of our Bali retreats, for example, we have all gotten up at 2am to hike Mount Batur for sunrise, only to head straight to the rice fields once we are down from the mountain for some exploring and photo shoots! This is usually deemed by our alumni as the most exhausting, yet their favourite day on the retreat! So make sure you have a positive attitude, otherwise you may miss out on those special moments that make each retreat special.
Your camera (if you have one)
Our retreats have a partial focus on content creation, and a camera is an important part of this. If you have one, bringing it on the retreat is a must, as you can get personalised training on how to use your exact camera in Manual mode, and what settings can help you create the perfect shot. If you don’t have a camera; no worries! Many women join our retreats without a camera, and use their new-found knowledge and skill in photography to help them better decide on what camera to buy when the time comes. Learning how to set up the perfect shot, and what to look for when creating killer content for brands is timeless.
An open mind
You’ll spend a week with women from all over the world, and you’ll get to know each and every one of them in a different way. You are all like-minded women with an incredible thing in common; you chose to invest in yourself and take your skills to the next level by joining a retreat! You’ll be instant friends, and we are sure that you’ll learn something from every single one of your fellow alumni. This is why it’s so important to keep an open mind to everything happening on the retreat, and trust that everything that happens is all part of the experience. You might meet someone who runs their business differently from you, or have goals you don’t quite understand, and in the end, you’ll be so much wiser from it!
A yoga mat (if specified)
Some of our packing lists will include a yoga mat, as daily yoga lessons are a part of most mornings on a Pangea Dreams retreat. You’ll start every day feeling refreshed and ready to take on whatever workshops are on the schedule.
Prepare to get emotional
You won’t know until you’ve experienced it, but trust us on this one. There may be some melancholy, there may be tears of overwhelm, there may be tears of joy (very likely). You may find yourself welling up simply by the power of connecting with so many incredible women on a deeper level. There will be lots and lots of laughter, fun stories and bonding moments, and more often than not you’ll find yourself way more emotional than you thought you would get on a retreat. But there is something so special about getting together this way, and every minute will be a part of the rollercoaster of emotions, learning and awestruck moments that make up the retreat.
All your smiles
Trust us when we say you’ll be needing them all. Bring your camera smile, your ‘good morning’ smile, your excited smile, your laugh until you cry smile, your ‘have a good night’ smile and your ‘we WILL stay in touch’ smile. Make sure to remember your ‘is this real?’ smile and your ‘this makes so much sense’ smile. The shy smile you send people you are meeting for the first time and the small smile you send a friend across the table during lunch will both come in handy. Seriously, just bring all of them.
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I love this! Cannot wait for Bali! xx
Yayy! Thank you so much – we can’t wait!
Me too!!! Im so excited to meet you in Bali 🙂
So excited too! 🙂 🙂