Are retreats worth the money? If you've ever found a retreat that looked like everything you've been craving, then seen the price and started doing the mental math, this episode is for you.

Kelly Morgan Merly, Retreat Experience Designer and founder of Bucket List Retreats, takes an honest look at retreat costs, from cozy glamping weekends to celebrity wellness retreats. Learn what's included, what's not, how a retreat compares to a regular vacation, and how to tell if a retreat is worth it for you.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Retreat vs. vacation: why the total cost matters more than the price tag
• What's usually NOT included in a retreat: flights, transfers, travel insurance, tips, add-ons and single supplements
• The DIY math: could you plan the same trip yourself for less?
• How experienced retreat leaders negotiate group rates and unlock experiences you can't book alone
• Why retreat prices vary so much, and what really goes into a retreat's price
• Retreat red flags to watch for before you book
• How to know when the right retreat finds you

RETREAT NEWS
Forget Party Bachelorettes, Wellness Getaways Are The 2026 Bride's New Obsession! by Apoorva, WedMeGood, October 16, 2026
https://www.wedmegood.com/blog/forget-party-bachelorettes-wellness-getaways-are-the-brides-new-obsession/amp

RETREAT REVIEW
Women's Spring Reset Glamping Retreat with Paradise Taylor in Marble Falls, Texas (April 16–18, 2027), reviewed with the 5 B's™ of Choosing a Retreat: Basics, Beauty, Benefits, Believability and Belonging.
https://www.wetravel.com/trips/women-s-spring-reset-glamping-retreat-paradise-taylor-0577910048

Celebrity comparison: Leading Women: A Sutton Foster Retreat at Canyon Ranch, by Helen Andrews, Health Club Management, July 28, 2026
https://www.healthclubmanagement.co.uk/health-club-management-news/Tony-Award-winning-actress-Sutton-Foster-to-lead-Canyon-Ranch-retreat-featuring-Hugh-Jackman/363335

TELL US IN THE COMMENTS
Finish this sentence: "I'd happily pay for an experience where I didn't have to…" And have you noticed retreat prices creeping up?

WATCH NEXT
Find Your Happy: Dominican Republic Retreat 2027 Experience

TRAVEL ON MILES
Learn how to earn and spend travel miles with The Daily Drop (affiliate link):
https://dailydrop.com/pro?via=ma0lty

EXPLORE & CONNECT
Bucket List Retreats: https://bucketlistretreats.com
Podcast: https://bucketlistretreats.com/podcast
JOIN US IN JANUARY - Find Your Happy Again Retreat, Dominican Republic: https://bucketlistretreats.com/dominican-republic
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Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/bucketlistretreatexperiences
Shop: https://BucketListRetreats.etsy.com

If not now, when?
Your Retreat BFF

Retreats for women over 50: is 50 too old for a retreat? If a little voice has ever told you a women’s retreat is “something a younger woman would do,” this episode is for you.

Somewhere along the way, someone handed you a rulebook. Don’t be too loud. Don’t be too much. And whatever you do, act your age. On Bucket List Retreats: The Podcast, we’re tossing that rulebook out.

In this episode:

✨ Retreat News: JourneyWoman surveyed 530 women over 50. 71% plan to travel outside their home country in 2026–2027, nearly 3 in 10 were 75 or older, and half prefer to travel solo. Meet the “Ageless Adventuress.”

✨ Retreat Review: The Yukon Explorer, a women-only trip for travelers over 50 from JourneyWoman and Mosaic Earth Travel, run through the 5 B’s™ of Choosing a Retreat.

✨ The questions you’ve been afraid to ask:

• Am I too old for this?
• What if I can’t keep up?
• What if I’m the oldest one there?
• What if I go alone?
• Is this the chapter I’ve been waiting for?

✨ The one question to ask any retreat host before you book

✨ For retreat leaders: designing for guests over 50 with options, not requirements

✨ Your assignment: Write down one rule about your age you’re ready to stop following. Then cross it out.

If you’re dreaming of your first retreat, solo travel after 50, or your next adventure with a circle of women, this episode is your starting point.

Resources mentioned:

• JourneyWoman Survey: https://journeywoman.com/news/empowered-savvy-and-determined-the-era-of-the-ageless-adventuress-is-here-women-over-50-arent-waiting-to-travel-in-2026/
• Yukon Trip Announcement: https://journeywoman.com/destinations/north-america/canada/journeywoman-partners-with-mosaic-earth-for-women-only-trip-to-the-yukon-in-august-2027/
• Yukon Explorer Itinerary: https://www.mosaicearth.ca/tours/yukon-explorer-journeywoman/

Listen next: Our two-part conversation with Karen Talavera on solo retreating. [ADD LINK]

Next week: Are retreats worth the money?

Know a woman who keeps saying “maybe someday”? Send her this episode.

EXPLORE & CONNECT
🌴 https://bucketlistretreats.com
🎙️ https://bucketlistretreats.com/podcast

Come on Retreat with Kelly in January! 🌺 Find Your Happy Again Retreat: https://bucketlistretreats.com/dominican-republic

Join us on Socials!
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Tiktok - our fav :https://www.tiktok.com/@bucketlistretreats
🛍️Retreat Shopping: https://BucketListRetreats.etsy.com

If not now, when?

Your Retreat BFF

Is Fun on Your To-Do List Yet?

In this episode, we’re putting fun right where it belongs: on your actual to-do list, next to the bills and the errands. Because “after” never shows up. Your list is never done, so the fun you’re saving for later keeps getting pushed back.

In this episode:
✔ Why “someday” isn’t a destination
✔ The surprising truth about where retreat breakthroughs really happen.
✔ Why fun feels like cheating, and why joy that only happens by accident isn’t a plan
✔ For retreat leaders: why your guests are waiting for you to go first
✔ Your challenge this week: one fun thing, small, medium, or bucket list, with a real date next to it

Plus, a zip line adventure through the jungles of the Dominican Republic, and a shout-out to friend of the pod Karen Talavera, who puts what makes her feel fully alive at the top of her list.

RETREAT NEWS
Do you believe rest is something you have to earn? You’re not alone. A new survey found most Americans badly need a break, yet believe rest has to be earned first.
Read the story (Men’s Fitness):
https://www.mensfitness.com/news/americans-take-the-fewest-vacation-days-of-any-wealthy-nation-the-bigger-problem-is-we-think-we-have-to-earn-the-rest

RETREAT REVIEWS
Bunk One by Camp Social: summer camp nostalgia, elevated. A women’s retreat on a private ranch in the hills of San Diego, with campfires, stargazing, a Galentine’s Glow Party, and a letter to yourself mailed back six months later. Come solo, leave with a whole new circle.
https://campsocial.com/pages/bunk-one

FREE “SOMEDAY LIST” TEMPLATE
Ready to move your dreams out of the someday pile? Grab the free Someday List template:
https://canva.link/o4pwpjb405ai4xf
Or comment SOMEDAY on Instagram @bucketlistretreatstm and we’ll send it right to you.

FIND YOUR HAPPY AGAIN
Join us in the Dominican Republic this January for zip lines, jungle adventures, and a week designed to help you find your happy again.
https://bucketlistretreats.com/dominican-republic

No pen required. Everything you heard about is right here in the show notes. And while you’re down here, give the show a thumbs up or a like!

EXPLORE & CONNECT

Bucket List Retreats®:
https://bucketlistretreats.com

Podcast:
https://bucketlistretreats.com/podcast

Find Your Happy Again: Dominican Republic Women’s Retreat:
https://bucketlistretreats.com/dominican-republic

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3yNtFg49cUzO72L6wXNpGC

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bucketlistretreatstm/

Facebook:
https://facebook.com/bucketlistretreats

Facebook Community:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bucketlistretreatexperiences

Shop:
https://BucketListRetreats.etsy.com

Subscribe to Bucket List Retreats: The Podcast for new episodes every Friday at noon Mountain Standard Time. Share this conversation with one friend who could use a little encouragement to try something new.

If not now, when?

Your fun can’t wait for “after.” Put it on the list.

Your Retreat BFF