Paris Pricing

This retreat to Paris is perfect for you if you are an active person ready to find your creative inspiration in the City of Light with like-minded people. We will experience most places by walking, and you can expect daily yoga practices in the morning.  You don’t need any yoga or writing experience just an open mind, open heart, and a reasonably good fitness level for walking in the city.

This trip may not be right for you if you have conditions or injuries that limit your ability to participate in these kinds of activities. Please consult with your physician to make sure these activities are safe for your body. We will make every effort to accommodate your needs.  You are not required to participate in the hiking activities, if you wish to, you may stay at the lodge and enjoy some downtime.

What’s Included:

• Transportation for all scheduled activities
• 7 nights hotel in Hôtel Odéon Saint Germain
• 7 breakfasts
• 2 dinner meals with non-alcoholic beverages
• Transportation to activities in the itinerary 
• Entry fees and guide services (where applicable) for activities in the itinerary
• Excursion to Versailles
• Excursion to Montmartre
• Private Catacomb tour
• Daily Yoga/meditation practices
• Daily creative writing workshops
• The most amazing city experience ever!
• Lifelong friendships

What’s Not Included

• Airfare to/from Paris
• Transportation to/from CDG (will coordinate based on your flight times)
• Any items of a personal nature including souvenirs, personal care items, snacks etc.
• Lunch on all of the days
• Dinner on days 2-6
• Spa Services
• Alcoholic Beverages
• Tips

Your trip, your time!  

While we have planned this adventure to provide a good balance of activity and downtime, we understand that you may wish to ‘sit this one out’ occasionally.  Maybe sleep-in instead of doing a sunrise meditation or spend time in the spa instead of on the trail.  That’s fine by us! Just let your trip leaders know your plan so we can work with you.  

Most of our retreats are lodging based so you can easily stay and relax instead of participating in an activity and we work to make sure we have alternatives for anything on a trip that might be more difficult than the rest of the itinerary. However, on trips where we have a moving base, transition day activities may be required to get from one point to another in the journey.  

A 10% deposit is required at the time of registration, unless the booking is made within the 25%, 50%, or 100% amount due window in which case the deposit amount will reflect the amount of the trip non-refundable. Deposit is refundable up to 120 days from the start of the retreat. Cancellations between 90 and 119 days of the retreat will result in a 25% loss of the full trip price. Cancellations made between 60 and 89 days of the start date of the retreat will result in a 50% loss of the total trip price.

Any cancellation made between 59 days and the date of departure will result in the total loss of funds. Reservations made within any time window above will immediately subject to the cancellation policy for that time period. We reserve the right to cancel the trip at any time and for any reason including force majeure and in such an event we will refund the full price of the retreat.

We always recommend that you purchase trip insurance whenever making travel plans and strongly suggest you consider trip insurance that includes covid coverage. You can use our suggested insurance provider and choose a policy option that is best for you.

Payment Due Dates: 

10% Deposit upon reservation prior to January 15th.

50% of balance due January 25th

100% of the balance due March 25th

If you are traveling solo and would like to book the lower double occupancy rate simply check the roommate request form.  We will make every effort to match you with a same gender roommate, if we are unable to find a match, you will not be charged for the single occupancy surcharge.  

This trip is for adults only due to the nature of the activities involved.  Your partner and adult children 18 years or older are welcome to participate.

You will fly into the Charles de Gaulle International Airport on July 22nd returning on July 29th from the same airport.  

No.  We have people arriving from all over the US at many different times throughout the day so it’s not possible to coordinate a group transport.  However, CDG is a major international hub with plenty of transportation options to the hotel.  We can assist you in planning and we will be waiting at the hotel when you arrive to assist with check in.  

We make sure that every meal on every adventure is healthy and vegan friendly in keeping with our wellness adventure theme.  This ensures that vegetarians can be accommodated and of course those who eat meat will find options during most meals on our journeys unless specified in the itinerary as “vegan”.  Other dietary restrictions can usually be accommodated but we need to know these well in advance so that we can work with restaurants, chefs and other providers to ensure we can take care of your needs.  Please fill out the dietary restrictions section of the booking form at the time of booking and we will go to work to meet your requests.

Most parts of France are considered safe; however, crime does happen in all parts of the world so you should always exercise caution to avoid getting into a situation where you may be a target for pick pocketing, robbery, or assault.

• Always arrange for a taxi through your hotel or restaurant and never hail a cab on the street or accept rides from soliciting cabs.
• Always travel in groups of 2-3 after dark and avoid dark or vacant streets.
• Never leave your drink unattended in a bar and use caution when ordering mixed drinks in some kinds of places.
• Don’t carry more cash than you need and be discreet with it.
• Only bring your credit card and passport with you when you will need them.
• Avoid using ATMs after dark.
• Use common sense and ask the hotel staff if you are unsure about the safety of an area or activity.
• Leave the expensive watches and jewelry at home.

You should always exercise caution when traveling at home or abroad and check with the State Department website for any updates.

Late May in Paris is very pleasant.  Most of the time

temperatures get into the upper 60’s to Mid 70’s during the day and the low-mid 50’s at night.  Packing for this trip we recommend a light jacket or sweater for the evenings, catacomb tour, and the Seine boat ride.  Summer clothing for the daytime activities.  See the packing recommendations below.

France operates on 220V power.  Your devices such as cell phone chargers and laptop chargers will work with this output, however other things like personal care devices may not.   You will need a step-down transformer that will convert the 220V input into a 110V output. 

France also uses round plugs with are type C (2 round prongs ungrounded) and type E (3 round prongs grounded).  It’s best to bring a type E adaptor if you have grounded devices to plug in because it can accommodate both grounded and ungrounded devices.  

The tap water in Paris is considered safe and better for you than most cities.  You do not have to worry about drinking the water in France.

France uses the Euro and you can exchange your cash at the airport, city exchange offices (usually lower fees) or your bank here in the US might offer exchange service for a nominal charge before you leave.  Always notify your bank of your travel plans for the use of credit cards or debit cards. 

Passport with at least 6 months left before expiration from the entry date into France. You will need this throughout the trip. Check with your issuing government to be sure you don’t need other travel visas based on your country of origin. Currently US Passport holders do not need other authorizations to enter France for visits less than 90 days.

The vaccination recommendations for France are the routine vaccinations plus hepatitis A&B.  There are no vaccination requirements to enter France from the US.  

Packing List:

Clothing:   

• Comfortable clothes for travel days
• Casual clothes for walking around Paris
• Comfortable walking shoes.
• Sandals
• Shorts (not usually acceptable for men)
• Sport shirts or t-shirts without print for men.
• Light dresses
• Yoga Clothes
• Light jacket or sweater
• Underwear and Socks

Note Paris is a typical major city and if you don’t want to stand out as a tourist you will want to dress conservatively and fashionably much like you would in Manhattan or Beverly Hills. 

Gear:

• Travel Yoga Mat 
• Small Umbrella 
• Sun Protection: Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm, protective clothing.
• Camera

Toiletries and medicine:  

• Toothbrush and Toothpaste
• Shampoo, conditioner, and soap (optional, hotels have this)
• Hair Brush
• Deodorant
• Hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes
• Medicines including any prescriptions, Imodium, Pepto-bismol, Tums, eye drops, allergy medicine and Advil or Tylenol
• Travel first aid kit

Food:

• Snacks for the airplane:  Nuts, dried fruit, energy bars, trail mix, etc
• Food and snacks are readily available throughout Paris. 

Day One: (June 2nd) Arrive in Paris

Arrive at Hotel Odéon Saint Germain.

• Lunch on your own depending on your flight schedule.
• Free time to get settled and freshen up from the flight.
• Light yoga practice to stretch out from the trip.
• Opening dinner at Café de Flore
• Exploring the Latin Quarter

Day Two: (June 3rd) Paris and Versailles

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at Odéon
• Creative Writing Workshop Intro
• Explore BLVD St Germain
• Lunch at Les Deux Magots
• Travel to Versailles
• Dinner in Versailles Chez Molly
• Evening Musical Fountains and Lights in the Garden

Day Three: (June 4th) Pantheon-Luxembourg Gardens-Catacombs

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at Odéon
• Pantheon
• Creative writing workshop in Luxembourg gardens
• Lunch at Café Tournon
• Explore Gardens and Palace Tour
• Dinner at La Closerie des Lilas
• Evening catacombs tour

Day Four: (June 5th) Montmartre-Moulin Rouge-Romantique

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at Odéon
• Travel to Montmartre-Creative Writing Workshop
• Tram ride through village
• Lunch in Montmartre Imagine Café
• Explore Musee de la Vie Romantique
• Stroll around the village, cemetery, street artists and Café’s
• Dinner in Montmartre
• Sunset at Le sacré Cœur
• Return to Latin Quarter

Day Five: (June 6th) Luxor Obelisk-Arc De Triomph-Louvre 

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at Odéon
• Visit Arc de Triomph
• Basin Octagonal-Creative Writing Workshop
• Lunch near the Luxor Obelisk
• Walk through Jardin les Tuileries 
• Visit the Louvre
• Dinner Near museums
• Evening riverboat ride back to Latin Quarter

Day Six: (June 7th) Musée d’Orsay-Promenade Glissant-Eiffel Tower

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at Odéon
• Creative Writing Workshop-perhaps near museum?
• Explore Musee d’Orsay
• Lunch in 
• Stroll along Promenade Glissant
• Eiffel Tower
• Dinner near Eiffel Tower
• Boat ride back to hotel

Day Seven (June 8th) Pere Lachaise-Maison du Hugo-Bourquiniste

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at Odéon
• Cimitiere du Père Lachaise-Creative writing workshop
• Visit Maison du Victor Hugo
• Lunch near Bastille
• Explore Bouquiniste and Notre Dame
• Visit Shakespeare and Company
• Final dinner at Cafe Le Procope

Day Eight (June 9th) Say Goodbye to Paris

• Morning yoga practice
• Breakfast at Odéon
• Final Writing Workshop and closing circle
• Check out
• Lunch in Latin Quarter 
• Go Home

Creative Writing Workshop Agenda

Writing Workshop One:

Set creative intentions for the week ahead, get to know your fellow writers, then jump into a generative workshop that will have you filling your pages. The exercises we use can jump start new work, or help you see an existing project with new eyes. We’ll also explore how travel can make the world itself into a writing prompt.

You will leave the first workshop with a list of exercises you can use throughout our week together, and beyond. 

Writing Workshop Two:

Explore how contemplative practices like yoga and meditation can help us connect to intuition in our writing process. We will use our beautiful outdoor classroom to help us connect with our senses, along with a moment of meditation, then will generate new writing through a series of exercises. Author Anais Nin wrote: “we write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” Here we will do both.  

Writing Workshop Three:

Let’s consider some of the writers throughout history that used Paris as a muse, then put our voice among theirs! We will engage with some Paris-inspired readings, then will write back with our own words in this generative workshop.

Paint a picture using JUST WORDS. 

Being immersed in such an epic place as Paris, let’s explore how place—with all its descriptions and meaning—can show up in our work. Kick back and listen to a reading on place, then pick up the pen and explore your own place-based writing in this generative class. Once you learn these tools, any spot you find yourself in can act as an inspiration for creative work.

Writing Workshop Four:

Once we begin to fill our pages, how do we re-vision them? We will begin this session with a generative writing exercise, then will explore ways to edit, expand, and revise our own texts. We will take inspiration from some of the amazing writers that worked in these streets and will try our hand at some editing exercises that make the work fun, joyful and creative. 

Writing Workshop Five:

Let’s get (and give) feedback! The writers who worked in Paris certainly spent time working alone, but they also knew how to make use of community. We will engage in a writing workshop where you’ll have the chance to share work for constructive and loving feedback, and will learn how to help yourself and fellow writers in making a work shine. 

Writing Workshop Six:

Let’s keep the creative community going! We will open this session with a short, generative writing sprint—then will give and get feedback on our work. While all sharing of work is optional, it’s a great chance to learn your strengths as a writer and where opportunities are for new explorations. You’ll leave workshop with a roadmap for personal revision. 

Writing Workshop Seven:

The end is just the beginning! We will discuss tools of publication in our final writing workshop circle. If you’ve created something you’re proud of on our retreat, how might you get it out in the world?

12-14

Where:  

Paris, France 

When:

June 2nd-9th 2024

Arrival:  

We will have an opening dinner around 7pm on May 25th.  

Departure: 

You may depart Paris anytime on June 1st.  Hotel check out is 11am.

Activity Level: Easy/Moderate

Daily yoga, city walking.

Difficulty Level:

Easy-Moderate.  

Places Visited:  

Paris

Montmartre

Versailles

Meals Included: 

7 breakfasts and dinner on evenings 1 and 7

Included activities: Yoga/meditation, writing workshops, city exploration and tours, boat ride, Palace and Gardens of Versailles, Museums, Eiffel Tower, Cafes and boutiques of Paris.

We are all writers on some level, whether you spend your days writing mostly emails or social posts, or you have a job that requires more formal or technical writing, we each write to communicate everyday. We all have a creative side as well, some spend more time on that “side of the brain” than others, but the nucleus of creativity lies within each of us and we all find satisfaction in creative expression.

On this retreat we will explore how to unlock our creative energy and express our inspiration through words. You may never go down the path of writing for a living or even seek to be published, but you may find that the act of putting your thoughts and feelings on paper brings you a great deal of personal joy.

So you don’t have to be a “writer” to truly enjoy this unique experience, just a person with an open mind and a desire to explore your creative muse.