How to Plan a Reading Retreat

The most bookish fun I had this year was hosting a reading retreat with my friends! I learned so much in that process and want to share those tips and tricks with you so that your reading retreat goes off without a hitch. Share any advice you have in the comments below.

Guests
The first step in planning your reading retreat is to decide if you’re planning a solo retreat or inviting guests. When considering which guests to invite, think about the type of retreat you’d like to go on. Does it mainly involve quiet reading time? Do you want to include other activities like a morning hike? Think about the bookish friends you have who would match the vibe you’re hoping to create and reach out to see if they’re interested.

If you want to go the extra mile, once details are finalized you can create an invitation in Canva for everyone!

Budget
Whether you’re planning a retreat by yourself or one with your best bookish friends, you’ll need to take budget into consideration. This budget will impact where you stay, your meals, planned activities, and the amount you’re prepared to spend on any bookstore visits. Make sure you and all of your guests are on the same page for any split costs involved, and take time to go over your own budget for personal costs like books you may want to purchase.

Plan
Before you think about where your retreat will be, think about what you would like to do on your retreat and ask your guests what their ideal retreat looks like. Knowing if your group wants to visit bookstores or experience literary history can help you plan both the location of your retreat, as well as the best place to stay. Keep this list, we’ll use it again later!

Location
Taking your budget and guests’ ability to travel into consideration when thinking about the best location for your retreat. One of the guests may be interested in hosting or you could book a hotel or rental. Aside from budget, make sure any location has enough room for the number of guests and is outfitted with the things you need for your ideal reading retreat such as internet access, a television for adaptation viewings, space to cook or eat together, and spots to curl up and read.

For my group, we chose an Airbnb in a tiny beach town in the off-season. It gave us the low-key getaway we wanted: allowing us to explore a new town and visit bookstores while having a place to return to with enough cozy chairs for us all to lounge and read in.

Activities
Pull out that list of your group’s ideal reading retreat and start planning your activities! If bookstores were on the agenda, you can plan a bookstore crawl. Check to see if any bookstores or libraries are holding events your group can attend.

If your group includes movie buffs, adaptations are a must. Foodies will want to scope out restaurants or plan shared meals. Creative types can enjoy a bookish craft together such as embroidery, bookbinding, or making a book nook.

It’s especially fun to plan activities that fit with the types of books you and your guests enjoy reading. For example, at the historical romance reading retreat I hosted we played Marrying Mr. Darcy, The Plot Thickens, and Deadly Dowagers. 

Maybe you’re a book club and want to make time for having a meeting. Check out book club kits for activity, food, and discussion inspiration!

And of course, you’ll want to set aside quiet time to read together!

Once you have your activities, consider making a schedule. It doesn’t need to be rigid, but it can be helpful to list everything out to ensure you make time for all of the exciting plans you have for your retreat.

Gift bags
This is completely optional, but it made my reading retreat so special. To create the goodie bags, I asked each guest to bring one self-made blind date with a book, as well as five versions (one for each person on the retreat including themselves) of an item they think everyone would like to receive. One person gave out eye masks that we used the next morning, one person brought matching tea cups for everyone, and someone else gave out homemade bookmarks. This is a fun way to create mementos from your trip together. 

What is your advice for anyone planning a reading retreat?

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