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It’s almost time to start planning your annual company retreat! Why not skip the usual company retreat activities and take your team to an exotic location, where you can create memories and bond over exhilarating adventures? Just think of everyone getting together and camping in the Canadian Rockies, sailing in Croatia, or kayaking in Scottish Highlands. Team bonding doesn’t get much better than exploring somewhere new together.
If the goal of your corporate retreat aligns with building relationships, bonding, creating a family-like atmosphere, an adventure abroad may be the ideal activity for you. This article details incredible corporate retreat ideas and activities for your team. We will also share some epic customizable, flexible pre-planned tours with a handful of options slotting in time to work and brainstorm before getting out and exploring as a team.
Sailing
A smaller company not in the mood for an active adventure may enjoy basking in the sun on a sailing trip. Imagine gliding along sparkling, tropical waters with occasional snorkelling, swimming, or other water sport activities? With a sailing trip, you can easily schedule time for pointed team building activities and work-related discussions. You’ll get a lot of time to relax and engage in conversation, making it possible to build in planned meetings or activities whenever you want.
It may be tough to schedule actual time for work if you’re in the middle of the sea, but you can always cater your desired activity to meet your needs. For example, you could spend a couple of days sailing and a couple of days relaxing on the beach after working for a couple of hours in the morning.
Croatia is a beautiful country with countless cozy towns and islands
Suggested company sailing tours
5-Day Sailing Adventure in Croatia: Spend five days exploring the crystal-clear Adriatic Sea by sailboat. Book a private boat and travel the sea to Croatian towns and islands while enjoying the sun and getting to know your team in a stress-free environment. This tour provides you with an experienced skipper.
Greek Sailing Adventure: Wake up to the soothing sounds of the glistening Aegean Sea! Like the Croatia tour, the Greek Sailing Adventure comes with an experienced skipper who morphs into your tour guide when you hop out of the boat and explore the coastal towns spanning Greece.
Hiking, backpacking, camping
Get away from the hustle and bustle of the workplace and wind to unreal views, witnessing lakes tucked into mountains and landscapes sprawled across valleys as a team. If you want to spend some time working at your hotel in the morning and exploring trails in the afternoon (or vice versa), we suggest staying in a mountain-based town near a lot of epic hikes (such as Banff, Squamish, Canmore, Jasper in Canada).
But those with the ability to ditch work altogether for a couple of days may want to go on a backpacking trip! You can find a selection of backpacking adventures that cater to all fitness levels. Just think of low-elevation pilgrimages in England, Scotland, and Europe, or more intense, scenic treks in the Canadian Rockies or Yosemite Valley. Many treks in Europe and the UK twist to hotels, while more wild, unruly backpacking journeys in the Canadian Rockies or Yosemite will have you tenting overnight.
And then there’s camping!
Camping creates a natural team-building environment with ease: stories around a fire, cooking food together, laughter over some questionable nights of sleep, and tapping into a survivor-like mode (without actually worrying about falling into a life or death scenario). You won’t have to worry about creating forced activities to bond your team. The whispers of the wild and the canopy of trees encourages this to happen seamlessly.
When it comes to company retreat ideas, camping ranks high. To top it off, amid the natural bonding, you can also set aside times for team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and get-to-know-you workshops. Research notes that immersing in nature helps to reduce stress, blood pressure, anxiety, which may help your team members discover different sides to one another. All in all, this may translate to a better, more welcoming and fun work environment!
Hiking, camping, backpacking tours for team building
Suggested company hiking, backpacking, camping tours
6-Day Canadian Rockies Hiking and Camping Adventure: Replete with quintessential Canadian wilderness, this hiking and camping tour in Banff National Park and Jasper National Park winds to natural treasures: soaring mountain peaks, glaciers, bright blue lakes. You’ll spend five nights roughing it (camping), so get ready for an incredible blend of hiking and camping. Just think of the stories your office will reminisce on for years to come.
Corsica’s Mountain and Sea Walking Tour: Spend seven days exploring the scenery adorning this French island flanked by the Mediterranean Sea. This relaxing, self-guided tour will have you and your team meandering the coastline, along gorges, and staying in hotels. A self-guided tour gives you a chance to attack each journey at your own pace but still gives you all the information needed, so you don’t have to make any hotel bookings or do route navigating!
Hiking & Island Hopping Ireland’s West Coast: Get to know Ireland’s storied, ancient history as you hike and explore four different islands. The hikes aren’t super intense, but they unveil mystical views and glimpses of Ireland’s rich culture. You’ll spend each night in a cozy hotel!
Hiking in Yosemite Valley Tour: Immerse in the wild over four days, following an expert wilderness guide to phenomenal viewpoints in the United States’ Yosemite Valley. Get your heart pumping as you backpack deep into the thick of the Sierra Nevada, and spend your nights chatting around a fire while nature whispers and roars in the background. This is an unforgettable 4-day backpacking trip!
Amalfi and Ischia Walking Tour: Italy’s Amalfi Coast is the ultimate dreamscape. With pristine beaches and a shimmering coastline backed by soaring cliffs, this walking tour immerses you into paradise (and gives you a chance to walk off all the pizza and wine). This isn’t a backpacking tour, so you’ll get to kick off your shoes and relax in the evening. You can organize fun group activities with everyone at the hotels, too!
Safaris
Safaris may take the top slot for most epic company retreat activities. If you have time to spare, your team deserves to go to East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania) or South Africa for an unforgettable retreat. View lions, giraffes, elephants, hippos, zebras, and more, roaming their natural habitat. Usually, safaris in East Africa and South Africa will have you staying in luxury tents overnight!
This type of company retreat will likely cost the most money, limit your working hours, but it will definitely be a trip to remember for everyone.
Suggested company safari tours
Best of Kenya and Tanzania Safari: Head to three of the best safari spots in the world: Maasai Mara National Reserve, Serengeti National Park, and Ngorongoro Conservation, where big game animals await. Sleep in luxurious tents (think: glamping)!
Safari tour
Best of Uganda Safari: This customizable tour explores the Albertine Rift Valley, where you’ll get a chance to spot lions, elephants, with the possibility of seeing a leopard. But that’s not the main highlight! This tour also leads you to chimpanzees and gorillas in the wild.
Kruger National Park Safari Tour: Kruger National Park is one of the most (if not the) most renowned safari hotspots in the world, and this 4-day tour gives you and your team a chance to go on memorable game drives in this region. Enjoy spa treatments and high tea outside of your thrilling safari adventures.
Kayaking
Spend hours paddling across glistening waters, admiring the coastline and soaring scenery from the comfort of a kayak. It’s easy to find a hotel near the sea or a lake, so you can spend your days basking in sunny sea hues as a group, and the rest of your time either working, engaging in team meetings, or meandering the town!
Kayaking is also a relaxing activity that will get everyone moving and outside, no matter their fitness level.
Group kayaking lessons on the lake
Suggested company kayak tours
Scottish Highland Sea Kayaking Tour: Get ready for you and your employees to paddle amid magical scenery decorated with rich Scottish culture on this sea kayaking tour. Every so often, you’ll ditch your paddles for hiking shoes and follow gentle trails to stunning views. Celebrate your adventures with your group at a collection of pubs!
Best of Galapagos Adventure: This tour on Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands isn’t entirely dedicated to kayaking—it’s more of a multisport adventure. You and your team will immerse into a montage of entertainment: go snorkelling, hiking, explore the culture, and kayaking. Stay in a selection of comfortable hotels!
Skiing and snowboarding
It’s January, things are chill at work, making it the perfect time for a company retreat. But when temperatures are low, where can you go? Look no further than ski resorts! You can find world-class resorts in Canada, the United States, France, Switzerland, Japan, Austria, Italy, to name a few.
Imagine spending your days hitting the slopes before bonding over apres ski during the day and getting all cozied up by the fire in the evenings. Ski resorts are great because all levels can find something for them. And, hey, if you don’t want to ski, most resorts offer cross country skiing or snowshoeing!
Team building ideas in the Canadian Rocky Mountains
Suggested company skiing and snowboarding tours
6-Day British Columbia Ski Tour: Get swept up in a sea of powder on this unforgettable British Columbia Ski Tour, which takes you to world-class ski resorts in Revelstoke and Golden’s Kicking Horse. Enjoy hot springs and evenings in mountain towns outside of your skiing and snowboarding adventures.
Biking
Get your entire team moving on a biking trip! To please all fitness levels, you can plan your corporate retreat in a place that doesn’t require too much exertion, such as Italy’s rolling countryside.
Biking sits high on the list of corporate retreat ideas because it’s easy on the joints—most people can do it. And you can find a route or tour that suits your employees. For example, if your group is super outdoorsy, look to rugged mountain biking adventures, but there’s also leisurely, scenic rides that you can do too.
Road biking tour through beautiful forest
Suggested company biking tours
Alba Bike Tour: The Alba Bike Tour is a leisure adventure that meanders to quintessential Italian wonders: rich culture, storied history, crumbling ruins, fantastic local cuisine and wine. The bike rides aren’t too challenging, so most of your team should be able to do it!
Vancouver Island Bike Tour: If you want ocean-inspired Canadian views and a little more challenge, the Vancouver Island Bike Tour is a great choice for you and your employees. This self-guided tour has you staying in relaxing deluxe hotels.
Finding the best corporate retreat activities for your team can be tough, but hopefully, this list helped narrow down your search!
Visit the company retreats page for more useful resources or see one of the following articles for more information:
- Company Retreat: Learn Why You Should Do Team Holidays
- The Best Destinations For an Adventurous Company Retreat
- Everything You Need to Know When Planning a Company Retreat
Company Retreat Articles
Check out our series of articles on adventure retreats to discover how you can build a stronger team.