How to launch your own retreat

Lessons and learnings after four successful writing retreats in Portugal

In case you didn’t know, I run writing retreats for women of colour in the Portuguese countryside. I’m about to launch my fifth, from April 28-May 3 2025 (a few spots left) and I’m very excited. Firstly because the next one will feature a talk from none other than Booker Prize-winning author Bernadine Evaristo who is a writing hero of mine. And secondly because it’s such a privilege to bring together like-minded writers in a space where creativity can flourish. I get to help others develop their confidence and writing voice, and it’s honestly the most fulfilling part of my little freelance life.

For five days at Take World, 10 women gather in a countryside mansion, 45 minutes outside of Lisbon, nestled in the enchanting town of Sintra. This magical place is home to grand palaces, sleepy seafood restaurants, and beaches framed by jagged limestone cliffs. It's the perfect place to get cracking with your writing project, blissfully uninterrupted by the outside world. I run Take World with fellow writer, Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, who is amazingly talented and just so happens to be one of my best friends. We’re constantly inspired by all the amazing people we host. So far, we’ve had almost 40 women from the UK, US, Germany, Jamaica and Switzerland.

I always get asked though: how do you start something like this? And: does it make money? Good questions, aha.

I started Take World while living in Lisbon, feeling stuck with my third book, a novel. I felt cut off from other creatives, but that isolation also became a gift—it encouraged risk. Away from the constant comparison that often curses creatives living in London, I found the freedom to try something new. Had I been in the UK, I think fear might have taken hold. But in Lisbon, where the sun was always shining and a seafood supper cost just £10, an unending stream of possibility flowed through me. I put out the feelers on Instagram, bought a domain. And voilà— Take World was born.

I am a fully self-employed writer and author which I generally love, but of course there are ups and downs. I love that my work transports me across the globe, meeting and learning from others. I love writing on a range of topics; columns for The Guardian, my travel book, Black Girls Take World, a memoir, Raceless and all my travel features. I love making content on TikTok and I love the thought something I’ve said or written may have helped some people view the world a little differently, or imbued them with a sense of excitement or confidence.

What I don’t like though: the unstable income, the poor rates of pay in journalism and the sense that you need to constantly bang on doors to make stuff happen, and that stuff happening is dependent on decisions from other people, in media and publishing.

Take World gives me freedom and working with other writers inspires me, too. If you’re thinking of doing something, similar know that there is a fair amount of risk involved. Financial yes, but also inter-personal. Running a retreat is a people-facing job, and a 24/7 one, at that. I don’t go through a company, or outsource the admin to anyone. The risk is all on me. And people are investing in me as much as they are investing in Take World.

But I’m a hyper-independent Scorpio who doesn’t really like following societal rules about how I should work or live. I get really turned on by the autonomy and freedom that comes from being self-employed and I enjoy collaborating with female creatives. I am a fairly extroverted person and I’m also a travel writer and mentor with an interest in Portugal. Take World felt like a no-brainer. It’s my creation. Fulfilling, intentional work that doesn’t rely on a brand or business to prop it up. Yes, I love that I can make money on my own terms. And the fact that I may be playing some small part in widening the network of other black and brown writers in this world, means a lot to me.

Our schedule is fixed but flexible and after four retreats I think we’ve nailed it. Each morning we start with poolside yoga, then set intentions over our breakfast. We write until our chef-prepped lunches of grilled sea bream or jerk chicken are served outside in the sun. The afternoons are reserved for more writing, languid beach hikes, writing workshops and restaurant dinners in town.

If you’re keen to start something similar, here are some tips.

First of all, I would recommend first breaking down your retreat research into steps.

Step 1: Think about your ‘why’

Why do you want to host retreats? Is it to build a sense of community, or authority in your field? Do you love people, or travel? Will it be home or abroad? What makes your retreat stand out? You need a clear intention so you can carve out a really incredible product and market it to the right audience.

Step 2: Do some market research

Google is free. Find out what currently exists, how much they are charging and where they take place. Consider taking part in another retreat to see how it feels. I attended a black women’s retreat in Spain many years ago. The sense of community and connection stayed with me and I tried to re-create that at Take World.

In-person research for venues is also essential. Living in Lisbon meant I was able to travel to venues and check them before handing over money, which I’d highly recommend.

Step 3: Work out how you’re adding value

Portugal’s popularity as a digital nomad base and retreat hub is soaring but niching-down and marketing only to women of colour, initially worried me. Would I get enough attendees? In the end, it paid off. Keeping your retreat broad may attract more clients, but with a niche, you can really cater to specific clients. Also consider additional extras: I hire private chefs, a yoga teacher and work with restaurants and black-owned brands for our goodie bags.

I also recruited writers like Nikesh Shukla, Abigail Bergstrom and Kuchenga Shenjé, Kai Harris and Ore Agbaje-Williams to speak in-person and online. Also consider charging less and taking less profit in early retreats to ensure happy customers.

Step 4: Promote your retreat in ways that are authentic to you

I personally love video content and don’t find it at all embarrassing, but many people I know would rather pull out their pubes than speak on camera. Either way, it’s a case of it’s pick your social media fighter, because your retreat can’t exist if people don’t know about it. At the very least you need a website. I’ve asked other writers to re-post my content and also run Instagram and TikTok ads. I’m considering leaving little posters in book-shops, too because guerrilla marketing, baby.

Step 4: Remember the planning of a retreat is only half the job

This part I didn’t know until my first retreat. I thought, “Great, I’ve got paying customers, the chef is booked. Now I can relax and maybe even get some writing done myself.” Nuh-uh. Running a retreat is a 24/7 job. You’re the go-to person for everything—whether someone forgets their adapter, gets injured, or has a shellfish allergy. To save yourself some stress, consider having participants sign waivers and obtain personal travel insurance.

If you’re not a people person—someone who enjoys checking in on others, listening to their hopes and dreams, helping them feel safe in a foreign country, and guiding them through common travel worries—then running a retreat probably isn’t for you!

Thankfully, running Take World has been a mostly stress-free experience.

We’ve even had women travel overseas for the first time to attend. It always amazes me that someone would leave the comfort of their own life to connect with me in-person after reading my work, or watching a little TikTok I made in my bedroom. That’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly.

I’m also so grateful to have Charlie by my side. We complement each other well—she picks up the slack when I run out of steam and vice versa. I love the multi-hyphenate nature of running Take World. One of my favourite moments is our last-night writing workshop, where we share and analyse extracts of each other’s work over cheese and wine. It’s such a meaningful way to close out the week, and getting insight and feedback from other female writers, who are often the intended audience for our work, is incredibly special.

Sometimes, I’m able to offer fully-funded places to writers who can’t afford to attend (so far, this has come out of my own pocket). Hopefully that will be possible again at the next retreat, so follow us on Instagram to keep up with that. In the future, I’d love to partner with a company or brand to offer a fully-sponsored spot for one writer but I know how hard it is to pump cash out of brands. If you know of any businesses that might be interested, please shout—I’d love to make it happen each time, because making Take World more accessible is also a goal.

Thinking about running your own retreat or been on any stand-out ones? I’m doing consultancy calls for retreats so reach out here, or on Instagram if you’d like to chat. Or if you’re interested in our 2025 slot there’s a few spots left.