How to book a retreat safely: the checks to make before you pay

Before you pay anything

A retreat is often booked months ahead, in another country, with someone you have only met through a website. A few checks before you pay are worth making whatever happens, and they cost nothing but an evening.

The order matters: find out who you are dealing with, get the important terms in writing, and only then decide how to pay. If any step feels rushed, slow it down. A good organiser will wait a day while you check.

Check who is running the retreat

Find the name of the person who leads the retreat and the name of the business behind it, and check that they match across the listing, the organiser's own website and the confirmation you will receive. Look for a postal address and an email address that a person answers.

Check the venue as well. A retreat names where it takes place: look the venue up on a map and on its own website, and see whether its rooms and setting match the photos. If the organiser rents the venue for the week, the venue can usually tell you whether the booking exists.

• Ask how long the organiser has run this retreat, and who teaches on your dates.
• Ask who you are paying: the organiser, the venue or a booking service. The name on the payment should match.
• Ask questions by email and keep the answers. A real organiser answers clearly and in writing.

Get the booking in writing

Before you pay, ask for a written confirmation that sets out what you are buying. An email is fine. It should name:

• the dates, the arrival and departure times, and the number of nights;
• the room type and whether it is shared;
• what the price includes (meals, sessions, transfers, excursions) and what it does not;
• the total price, the currency and the payment schedule: how much is due now and when the rest is due;
• the cancellation terms, both if you cancel and if the organiser does;
• who the agreement is with, by name.

If something you were promised in a message is not in the confirmation, ask for it to be added before you pay.

Choose how you pay

How you pay decides what you can do if something goes wrong. Pay a deposit rather than the full price months ahead, and pay it by card where you can: a card payment gives you more ways to ask for your money back than a bank transfer, depending on your card issuer and your country. A bank transfer to a personal account, by contrast, is hard to reverse once it has gone.

• Pay a deposit first, not the full price months ahead.
• Pay by card where you can, and keep the receipt.
• Check that the name on the payment page or the bank details matches the organiser in your confirmation.
• Do not pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency or a money-transfer service to an individual, whatever reason is given.
• Be wary of pressure: a discount that ends today, or a request to pay outside the booking you agreed.

Read the cancellation terms in both directions

It is easy to read only what happens if you cancel: how much of the deposit and the balance you get back, and by which date. Read that, and note the dates in your calendar.

Then read what happens if the organiser cancels, which is the part that matters most when plans fall through. You should expect your money back in full, rather than a credit for a later date you may not be able to take. Ask how quickly a refund is paid and in which currency, and what happens if the retreat is moved to other dates or another venue. If the terms do not say, ask, and keep the answer in writing.

If a retreat is cancelled or the organiser goes quiet

If a retreat you booked is cancelled, or the organiser stops answering, act early and keep everything in writing.

• Write to the organiser, ask for a refund under the terms you agreed, and give a clear date for a reply.
• Keep the confirmation, the payment receipts and every message.
• If you paid by card, contact your card issuer and ask what they can do. There are usually time limits, so do not wait.
• If you have travel insurance, read what it covers and tell your insurer.
• Check whether flights and other bookings you made for the trip can be changed or refunded.

When you book again, the same checks apply. They are quicker the second time, and they are the best way to make sure it does not happen twice.

Travel insurance

Travel insurance with cancellation cover is for the parts of the trip a deposit does not touch: flights, other bookings, and the cost of cancelling yourself if you fall ill. Buy it when you book rather than just before you travel, and check that it covers the activities on the programme, such as surfing, hiking or diving.

The checklist

• I know who leads the retreat, the business behind it and where it takes place.
• I have a written confirmation with the dates, room, inclusions, total price and payment schedule.
• I have read the cancellation terms, including what happens if the organiser cancels.
• I am paying a deposit rather than the full price, by card where I can.
• The name I am paying matches the organiser in my confirmation.
• I have travel insurance that covers cancellation and the activities on the programme.

When every line is ticked, book with confidence. You can browse retreats or start with retreats for beginners and one-week retreats.