1. YOUR RETREAT IDEA

☐ Decide what your retreat is about
☐ Define who it is for
☐ Decide what you want guests to experience
☐ Decide what you want guests to leave feeling
☐ Choose your main retreat theme
☐ Decide whether you’ll host alone or with another facilitator
☐ Think about your ideal group size

Keep it simple.

Start with three questions:

Who is coming?
Why are they coming?
What do you want them to get from it?

Everything else can grow from there.

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2. CHOOSE YOUR DATES

☐ Decide which season suits your retreat
☐ Choose your preferred dates
☐ Have one or two alternative dates
☐ Decide how many nights you need
☐ Check flight availability
☐ Check Birkihof availability

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Birkihof can help

Not sure whether your retreat would work better during Iceland’s long summer days, autumn evenings or darker winter months?

Tell us about the experience you’re trying to create and we can help you understand what different times of year could offer.

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3. WORK OUT YOUR NUMBERS

☐ Decide your ideal number of guests
☐ Decide your minimum viable number
☐ Work out your maximum group size
☐ Decide whether guests will share rooms
☐ Consider different prices for different room types
☐ Allow space for yourself and any additional facilitators

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At Birkihof

Birkihof can accommodate up to 18 guests, with around 16 often working particularly well for retreats.

We can help you understand the room configuration before you start selling your places.

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4. BUILD YOUR RETREAT BUDGET

☐ Venue and accommodation
☐ Your travel
☐ Facilitator travel
☐ Airport transfers
☐ Food and catering
☐ Activities and excursions
☐ Equipment
☐ Insurance
☐ Payment processing fees
☐ Marketing
☐ Photography or content
☐ Welcome gifts
☐ Additional staff
☐ Emergency/contingency fund
☐ Your own fee and profit

Don't calculate your price assuming every place will sell.

Ask yourself:

Would this retreat still work financially if I sold 70–80% of the available places?

And don't simply copy what another retreat is charging. Their costs, audience and business model may be completely different from yours.

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5. SORT THE ACCOMMODATION

☐ Confirm your venue
☐ Understand the bedroom configuration
☐ Decide who will share
☐ Decide where you will sleep
☐ Check bathrooms and facilities
☐ Confirm spaces for teaching and workshops
☐ Check communal areas
☐ Check outdoor spaces
☐ Confirm what’s included
☐ Check Wi-Fi if required

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Birkihof can help

We’ll help you understand how the accommodation can work for your group, including room arrangements, communal spaces and where you can hold your sessions.

Your group can have private use of Birkihof, giving you space to create your own retreat atmosphere.

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6. PLAN THE FOOD

☐ Decide whether meals will be catered
☐ Decide which meals are required
☐ Collect dietary requirements
☐ Ask about allergies
☐ Plan snacks and refreshments
☐ Consider food for excursion days
☐ Communicate meal arrangements to guests

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Birkihof can help

Catering can be arranged for retreat groups.

Depending on your requirements, this can include breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Meals are predominantly plant-based and dietary requirements can be discussed in advance.

Food can also be prepared for days when your group heads out to explore Iceland.

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7. GET EVERYONE TO ICELAND

☐ Tell guests which airport to use
☐ Suggest suitable arrival times
☐ Decide whether guests should arrive within a particular window
☐ Organise airport transfers
☐ Plan departure transfers
☐ Give guests emergency contact details
☐ Create clear arrival instructions
☐ Decide what happens if a flight is delayed

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Birkihof can help

Airport collection and return transfers can be arranged for retreat groups.

Talk to us about your group’s arrival plans and we can help with the logistics.

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8. CREATE YOUR RETREAT PROGRAMME

☐ Opening session
☐ Morning practices
☐ Workshops
☐ Coaching or teaching sessions
☐ Meals
☐ Icelandic experiences
☐ Excursions
☐ Sauna and wellness time
☐ Free time
☐ Social time
☐ Evening sessions
☐ Closing session

Don't overfill it.

Your guests have come away partly because normal life is already busy.

Give the retreat space to breathe.

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9. ADD THE ICELAND EXPERIENCE

☐ Decide how many excursions you want
☐ Choose local experiences
☐ Consider waterfalls and geothermal landscapes
☐ Consider nature walks
☐ Build in hot and cold experiences
☐ Leave flexibility for Icelandic weather
☐ Have an alternative plan if conditions change

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Birkihof can help

We can help you explore local experiences and excursions that work alongside your retreat programme.

These can include experiences around Iceland’s Golden Circle, forests, rivers, canyons, geothermal areas and waterfalls.

Valur can also guide selected local experiences.

You don’t have to research and organise every Icelandic element yourself.

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10. PLAN YOUR WELLNESS EXPERIENCES

☐ Decide which experiences complement your retreat
☐ Allow time for sauna
☐ Consider hot and cold experiences
☐ Consider a Sweat Lodge ceremony
☐ Build relaxation into your timetable
☐ Leave some completely unstructured time

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At Birkihof

Depending on your retreat, your guests can experience:

Sauna
Heated pool
Hot tub
Hot and cold experiences
Sweat Lodge ceremony

Sometimes the part guests remember most is what happens between the workshops.

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11. SORT THE PRACTICAL STUFF

☐ Terms and conditions
☐ Cancellation policy
☐ Guest travel insurance requirements
☐ Your business/facilitator insurance
☐ Emergency contact information
☐ Medical information where appropriate
☐ Dietary information
☐ Payment schedule
☐ Deposits
☐ Guest contact details
☐ Passport/travel information
☐ Any waivers or consent forms required for activities

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12. CREATE YOUR BOOKING PROCESS

☐ Retreat information page is live
☐ Dates are clear
☐ Price is clear
☐ What’s included is clear
☐ What’s NOT included is clear
☐ Room options are explained
☐ Deposit amount is clear
☐ Payment dates are clear
☐ Cancellation terms are available
☐ Booking button works
☐ Payment system works
☐ Confirmation email works
☐ Contact details are easy to find

Ask someone else to test the booking process before you launch.

Never make someone work hard to give you money.

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13. MARKET YOUR RETREAT

☐ Create your retreat sales page
☐ Prepare photographs and video
☐ Announce dates to your existing audience
☐ Email your mailing list
☐ Create social media content
☐ Talk about WHY you’re running the retreat
☐ Explain why you’ve chosen Iceland
☐ Show the venue
☐ Introduce the people involved
☐ Answer common questions and objections
☐ Clearly explain what’s included
☐ Share testimonials from previous retreats
☐ Create a payment schedule

Don't just sell Iceland.

Your potential guests already know Iceland is beautiful.

Sell how they’re going to feel while they’re there.

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14. 8–12 WEEKS BEFORE

☐ Review booking numbers
☐ Confirm accommodation
☐ Confirm catering
☐ Confirm airport transfers
☐ Confirm excursions
☐ Confirm facilitators
☐ Collect outstanding guest information
☐ Check dietary requirements
☐ Review payments
☐ Start sending useful information to guests

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15. 4 WEEKS BEFORE

☐ Finalise room allocation
☐ Confirm arrival times
☐ Confirm departure times
☐ Finalise your programme
☐ Confirm catering requirements
☐ Confirm excursions
☐ Check equipment
☐ Send a packing list
☐ Send weather and clothing advice
☐ Send final payment reminders if required
☐ Share emergency contact information

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16. ONE WEEK BEFORE

☐ Reconfirm transfers
☐ Reconfirm catering
☐ Reconfirm activities
☐ Check the weather outlook
☐ Review your programme
☐ Save guest information
☐ Pack teaching materials
☐ Pack personal essentials
☐ Download important documents
☐ Give yourself some breathing space

At this point, you shouldn't still be building the retreat.

You should be getting ready to host it.

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17. WHEN YOUR GUESTS ARRIVE

☐ Welcome everyone
☐ Show guests around
☐ Explain practical information
☐ Confirm meal times
☐ Explain the programme
☐ Give everyone time to unpack
☐ Don't overload the first evening
☐ Eat together
☐ Let everyone settle

Your guests have travelled internationally.

Give them time to arrive physically and mentally.

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18. AFTER THE RETREAT

☐ Thank your guests
☐ Ask for feedback
☐ Request testimonials
☐ Ask permission to use photographs
☐ Share retreat memories
☐ Review what worked
☐ Note what you'd change next time
☐ Calculate your final costs and profit
☐ Keep in touch with your guests
☐ Consider opening a waiting list for your next retreat

And finally:

☐ Start thinking about the next one.

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YOU DON'T HAVE TO PLAN YOUR ICELAND RETREAT ALONE

You bring your people.

You bring your knowledge.

You bring the reason you’re all coming together.

Birkihof can help with the Iceland part.

From accommodation and catering to airport transfers, local experiences and the practicalities of bringing a group to Iceland, we’re here to help.

You don't need to have everything figured out before contacting us.

If you know roughly:

What kind of retreat you'd like to host

When you'd like to come

How many people you're hoping to bring

How many nights you'd like to stay

That's enough to start the conversation.

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READY TO START PLANNING YOUR ICELAND RETREAT?

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BIRKIHOF | ICELAND

You bring your people. We'll help with the Iceland part.