Early Retirement Wanderlust Workshop
- Jackie Pickles
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
We are really excited to get going with our first ever Early Retirement Wanderlust weekend workshop.
After years of conversations with people in our Early Retirement Wanderlust community about retirement, money, purpose, travel, relationships and what life looks like when work is no longer at the centre of it, we wanted to create an opportunity to take those conversations a little further.
This will be a small, relaxed and informal weekend with a maximum of 30 attendees, giving everyone plenty of opportunity to join the conversations, meet like-minded people and hopefully leave with some new ideas about their own retirement journey.
Over the past few weeks we have been busy thinking and planning the structure of the workshop, activities and sorting out the location for a fun filled and purposeful weekend.
What the weekend is about
An opportunity to meet up with 30 like minded people who are thinking about or have recently retired.
Small and intimate workshops where you will have quality time to think about, share and plan for this exciting new chapter of life.
An opportunity to ask all the retirement lifestyle questions that keep you awake at night including some of the financial aspects, as our son Luke who is a fully qualified and accredited pensions and investment advisor will be there!
Spend time in nature in the heart of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales (weather not guaranteed!).
Looking for inspiration around travel, adventure, health and wellbeing.
Time to relax and have fun, share a few beers and perhaps a few stories.
What the weekend is not...
Although we absolutely love the campervan community this is not an ERW vanlife meet-up, it is a purposefully a small workshop based weekend that will give all participants quality time to reflect on their own retirement plans.
Dates
Friday November 13th - Sunday 15th November
Arrival anytime from 4pm on the Friday with drinks in the bar from 7pm to get to know each other.
Depart Sunday lunch time.
Location
The workshops will take place at a venue in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. Full details will be given once your place has been confirmed. We've chosen not to publish the exact address publicly because this is a small private gathering for our community.
Once your booking is confirmed, we'll send you:
Full venue address
Directions
Parking information
Public transport information
Arrival instructions
There are a range of accommodation options - it's not just for people who have a van.
Price
Prices will vary depending on the accommodation that you choose.
The workshop will be £100 per person to attend plus accomadation costs for the weekend
The self catering accommodation fees for 2 nights:
Grass pitch one person £36 (+£18 for EHU)
Grass pitch 2 people £46 (+ £18 for EHU)
Hardstanding 2 people £68 (inc EHU)
Small pod £120
Large pod £170
Posh new luxury lodge £400
Whats included
Your event fee includes:
Two nights in a beautiful location in the Yorkshire Dales in the accommodation of your choice
All workshop sessions and activities
Time to relax, explore and connect with other attendees
The opportunity to spend a weekend with Richard & Jackie and other members of the Early Retirement Wanderlust community
An afternoon walk and talk which could possibly end up at a cafe or pub!
Relaxed and informal evenings in the bar (not compulsory!)
Chats around the campfire about travel opportunities in retirement - it's not all about campervan travels
Whats not included
Travel to and from the venue
Personal travel insurance
Alcoholic drinks
Personal spends in the bar and on pizza!
This is an entirely self catered event - you will need to provide your own breakfast, lunch and dinners.
What can you expect
This isn't intended to be a formal conference or a series of lectures.
Our aim is to create a relaxed weekend where we can have some honest conversations about what retirement really looks like.
We'll explore subjects such as:
Retirement beyond the finances
How do you prepare for the psychological and emotional change that comes with leaving work?
What are you retiring to?
How do you create a life that feels meaningful when your career is no longer defining your days?
The money side
How much is enough? How do you balance enjoying your money today with making sure it lasts?
Relationships
How does retirement change your relationship with your partner, family and friends?
Health and wellbeing
How do we make the most of the years when we are fit and healthy enough to enjoy them?
Travel, adventure and experiences
How do you turn the freedom of retirement into a life you actually want to live?
There will also be plenty of time for conversation, questions, walks, relaxation and simply enjoying the weekend.
The final programme will be shared with attendees closer to the event.
Can I come on my own
Absolutely! We know that some people will be attending as a couple and others will be coming on their own.
One of the reasons we've deliberately limited the retreat to 30 people is to make it easy for everyone to meet and get involved.
If you're coming on your own, we will make sure you're welcomed into the group.
How do I book?
If you'd like to reserve a place, simply email:
Email Address will be supplied here (on this page) when the bookings go live on Sunday 16 August 2026 at 10.00am
Please include:
Name:
Email address:
Mobile number:
Number of places required:
Accommodation required:
We'll then send you the payment details and confirm whether places are still available.
Your booking isn't confirmed until payment has been received.
Because places are strictly limited, we will hold a place for 72 hours following our payment request.
If payment isn't received within this period, the place may be offered to somebody else.
What happens if all 30 places are gone?
Once all 30 places have been allocated, we'll operate a waiting list.
If somebody subsequently cancels, places will be offered to people on the waiting list in chronological order.
If you're interested in attending but the workshop is already full, please still contact us and we'll add you to the waiting list. We will be using the waiting list contacts for the early release of any future events.
Cancellations
Because the workshop has a strictly limited number of places and we need to make financial commitments to the venue in advance, payments are non-refundable once your booking has been confirmed.
However, if you subsequently find that you cannot attend, please contact us as soon as possible.
If we are able to fill your place from the waiting list, we will offer a refund. Any refund will only be made once your place has been successfully reallocated.
Cancellation by Early Retirement Wanderlust
In the unlikely event that we need to cancel the workshop, you will receive a full refund of your workshop payment.
We cannot accept responsibility for additional costs you may have incurred, such as travel, accommodation or other personal expenses, so we strongly recommend appropriate travel insurance.
Finally...
We hope this weekend will be about much more than retirement planning.
It's about taking a little time out to think about what you want the next chapter of your life to look like.
We're really looking forward to spending a weekend with some of you, having some great conversations, sharing experiences and hopefully creating a few new friendships along the way.
Richard & Jackie
Early Retirement Wanderlust
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