This week, we’re opening up registration for a brand-new retreat specifically requested by our readers.

During our Coaching Program Summer Camp last year, we had such a wonderful, inspiring, and rejuvenating time simply being travel writers together, doing our own thing but in the company of others with similar goals, experiences, and issues to debate over meals and wine tastings, that our readers wanted us to expand it, so we’ve created a new retreat to do just that.

My First “Press Trip” will compress our summer camp experience into a few days rather than a seven-day group co-working session by taking out the work hours, but the spirit is the same:

  • learning about your travel writing self
  • small-group exploration
  • togetherness with like-minded travel  writers

You can learn more about the new event here, but to get a taste of the event that inspired it all, check out the full schedule (including stops) for our first-ever summer camp below.

Our Schedule for the Week 

Friday:

  • 10:40 am: Pick up for morning bus from New York
  • 5:00pm-on: Car arrivals. Guests arrive, tour the house and amenities.
  • 8:15 pm: Pick up for bus from New York
  • 8:30 pm: Dinner, introductions, discuss schedule for the week and everyone’s goals

Saturday

  • 10:00 am: Hot breakfast
  • 12:00 am: Departure for Sam’s Point State Park. Hike to top of Shawaungunk ridge. Visit sky lake and possibility for ice caves or berry picker cabins.
  • 4:00 am: Possible visit to Robibero Vineyards.
  • 6:30 pm: Wood-fired pizza dinner and tasting at Westwind Orchards.
  • 8:30 pm: Possible outdoor movie night at Hasbrouk House.

Sunday

  • 9:30 am: Hot breakfast
  • 10:30 am: Departure for Bashakill Winery and Reserve. Lunch and tasting at winery. Nature walk and wildlife watch in the reserve.
  • 5:30 pm: Departure for visit to Arrowhead Brewery for tasting.
  • 7:30 pm: Dinner and possible bonfire.

Monday:

  • 6:00 am – on: Breakfast on your own at your leisure and time to work of your choosing.
  • 12:00 pm: Departure for Benmarl winery. In the car, Gabi briefs on: Finding stories in the real world; how to approach our daily outings and your own research on the road to find the most and best stories.
  • 1:00 pm: Lunch on the grounds, tastings, opportunities for photos of vineyards and Hudson River Fjord.
  • 2:30 pm: Departure for downtown Beacon and Dia.Beacon. “Shuttle” service between the two to be arranged as needed. Recommended stops: Hudson Beach Glass. There are *a lot* of unique businesses in Beacon. Use this as an opportunity to walk around a downtown and get possible ideas. We’ll discuss the experience in the car on the way back and over dinner.
  • 6:00 pm: Departure from Beacon to return home for dinner.
  • 7:30 pm: Grill night with possible bonfire!

Tuesday:

  • 6:00 am – on: Breakfast on your own at your leisure and time to work of your choosing.
  • 11:30 am: Zumba with Jaime.
  • 12:30 pm: Lunch and learn with Vanessa and Gabi on magazine trends.
  • 1:30 pm: Departure for Historic Huguenot Street, time to explore and photograph on your own before tour.
  • 3:00 pm: 90-minute tour of Historic Huguenot Street.
  • 5:00 pm: Tour and tasting at Tuthilltown Spirits.
  • 6:30 pm: Stop for aperitivo (food available!) at Liquid Mercantile.
  • 8:30 pm: Dinner and decompress after a long day.

Wednesday:

  • 6:00 am – on: Breakfast on your own at your leisure and time to work of your choosing.
  • 11:00 am: Departure for Buck Beak Alpacas.
  • 12:00 pm: Lunch and learn: Expanding your horizons on magazine sections with Vanessa.
  • 1:00 pm: Visit with owners and photography alpacas. Visit the amazingly curated farm store.
  • 2:30 pm: Tasting at Prohibition Distillery.
  • 3:30 pm: Coffee and learn with Gabi on: Journalistic detail – the secret to stellar articles and pitches and how to get it.
  • 4:30pm: Leave to return home.
  • 7:00 pm: Dinner and decompress.

PLEASE NOTE: Thursday we have outings in the am and working time in the afternoon. 

Thursday:

  • 6:00 am – on: Breakfast on your own at your leisure and time to work of your choosing.
  • 9:15 pm: Departure for visit to High Falls. Note: we will be walking on some potentially uneven terrain during this outing.
  • 10:30: Canal museum visit and 5-lock walk.
  • 11:30: Time to explore High Falls.
  • 12:00: Depart for lake visit at Hasbrouck House with lunch and learn with Gabi: Teasing out the feature thread exercises and examples.
  • 2:00: Return home.
  • 3:30 pm: Gabi will be running the webinar at this time in the library.
  • 7:00 pm: Burger night with bonfire!

p.s. I thought you might also get a kick out of our list of summer amenities at the retreat house–from the writing-related to the pure summer fun ends of the spectrum:

  • Nespresso
  • Sodastream
  • Sauna
  • Ping pong
  • Board games
  • Croquet
  • Bocce ball
  • Frisbee
  • Yoga mat
  • Inflatable pool if it’s just too hot
  • Bonfire area and wood!
  • Movie projector (I will be watching Game of Thrones on Sunday and can set it up in a public space if others are interested)
  • Craft- and business-oriented books on writing
  • Literary magazines
  • Narrative travel books by luminaries in the field and first-time authors
  • Pillars of literature from the fiction arena as well
  • Beach towels for sitting out in the sun with a book of magazine
  • Farm tours available at any time upon request