What Happened When Our Client Had to Cancel Her Alaska Cruise (And Why She Got Every Penny Back)
She had been planning her first Alaska cruise for almost a year. Then her doctor told her she needed surgery. Here's what happened next - and why she didn't lose a penny of her $7,000 investment.
Why Your Team Needs You to Leave
There's a story a lot of leaders tell themselves about why they can't take a vacation. Here's the uncomfortable truth: staying isn't leadership. In many cases, it's the thing holding your team back.
Why 10 Days Might Be the Most Important Number in Travel
It takes the average American four days to stop thinking about work on vacation. For a week-long trip, that leaves less than half your time actually resting. Here's the case for going longer.
The 4-Night Way Into Luxury Cruising (And Why Everything Is Already Done For You)
Four nights. Ocean-front suite. Every experience pre-arranged before you board. Here's why Explora Journeys' shorter sailings might be the most effortless introduction to luxury cruising you'll find.
The Mediterranean in Winter Is the Best Travel Secret Nobody's Talking About
More than ten years ago, we sailed the Mediterranean in November. We had it almost entirely to ourselves - and it quietly changed the way I think about travel.
Five Cities. Seven Nights. Zero Check-Ins.
Five destinations. Seven nights. Zero check-ins, zero airport runs, zero "who has the booking confirmation." Here's the mental math that convinced our clients to ditch the land trip.
You Have a Financial Advisor. Why Don't You Have a Travel Advisor?
You trusted an expert with your portfolio. You trusted one with your legal work. So why are you still spending Sunday nights comparing cabin categories? Here's what a travel advisor actually does.
Why Alaska Should Be On Every High Achiever's Radar (And Why We Almost Missed It)
We tried to get to Alaska in 2025. We waited too long and lost the sailings we wanted. Here's what we learned - and why 2027 might be your year.
Untethering in Progress …
It took seven full days on a ship before I stopped mentally composing emails I couldn't send. Here's what I've learned - and what I'm still figuring out.
Why Group Retreats are the New Client Retention Strategy
Most retention strategies are built around the product - better content, better tools, better onboarding. What they're missing is the one ingredient that creates loyalty that actually lasts: shared experience. This post makes the case for group retreats as a retention strategy across three audiences - coaches and consultants, professional associations, and small business owners - with data on what retention is actually worth and why a ship at sea is one of the most effective containers for the experience that makes people stay.
How to Price Your Coaching Retreat So Your Clients Say Yes
The anxiety coaches feel about pricing a retreat isn't really about the math - it's about the frame. And the frame is entirely in your control. This post walks through what a cruise retreat actually costs (with real numbers), why the all-inclusive model changes the pricing conversation entirely, and the specific framing moves that make a retreat investment feel like an obvious yes for the right clients. For coaches ready to stop underpricing their retreats and start designing them with confidence.
🚩 First Mate's Log: Why People Come Back From Retreats Different
You've seen it: someone goes away for a retreat and comes back shifted - clearer, quieter, more decisive. It's not the agenda that does it. It's the environment, the removal, the space to finally think. This post explores why retreat transformation is real, what it actually looks like when it happens, and why a ship at sea is one of the most powerful containers for it. For coaches, association leaders, professional development directors, and small business owners who've wondered whether a retreat is really worth it - this one's for you.
Venue Scouting Report: Could the Scarlet Lady Host Your Next Professional Retreat?
Before co-founding Untethered Voyages, Elizabeth Pochop spent years as an Executive Assistant - sourcing venues, managing group travel, and making sure events actually worked. Here's her honest evaluation of the Scarlet Lady as a professional retreat venue, through both lenses: the EA who knows what breaks when the venue isn't right, and the retreat planner who knows which ships do something genuinely different. Strong yes - with a few things every planner should know first.
🚩 First Mate's Log: The Question Every Coach Should Ask Before Planning a Retreat
Most coaches start planning a retreat by asking logistics questions - how many people, how many days, what's the agenda. But there's one question that changes everything, and it comes before any of that: What do I want my clients to be able to do after this retreat that they can't do right now? Here's why that question matters, and how the answer shapes every decision downstream - from length and programming to sea days versus port days and the environment itself.
The Real ROI of a Group Retreat (And How to Actually Measure It)
How do you know a group retreat is worth what it costs? It's the question every coach, association leader, and small business owner eventually asks — and the answer is more measurable than most people realize. Here's a framework for understanding the real ROI of a group retreat across four return categories: retention, referrals, revenue acceleration, and depth of work. With specific ways to measure each one.
🚩 First Mate's Log: Why the Caribbean in May Is Having a Moment
May is the Caribbean's best-kept secret - the crowds are gone, the weather stays, and the islands show up differently when they're not performing for peak season. For group retreats, it's quietly perfect: better pricing, more spacious ships, and a moment in the professional calendar when people are actually ready to be present. Here's why we're telling everyone about it this year.
What to Look for in a Coaching Retreat Venue (And Why a Ship Beats a Resort)
Choosing the right venue for your coaching retreat isn't just a logistics decision - it's a design decision. The container shapes everything: the presence your clients bring, the depth of the work, and whether the transformation lasts. Here's what to actually evaluate in any retreat venue, and why a cruise ship outperforms a resort on nearly every criterion that matters for coaching work.
🚩 First Mate's Log: What We're Seeing Right Now
The events landscape is shifting - and if you work with clients, lead a professional community, or run a small business team, you're probably feeling it. In our latest First Mate’s Log, we share what we're actually seeing right now: why people are raising the bar for in-person experiences, why cruise retreats are gaining real traction with coaches, consultants, associations, and SMBs, and why the planning window for 2027 is quietly closing. No trends report. Just what we're observing from the field.
How We Find the Right Ship for Your Retreat (So You Don't Have To)
Choosing the right cruise ship for your coaching retreat shouldn't require a 3-hour Google spiral. Here's exactly how we do the matchmaking work for you — from discovery call to 3 curated proposals — and why most coaches find their "heck yeah" option in the very first round.
The Retreat You Keep Putting Off (And the Real Reason It Hasn't Happened Yet)
You know you should do a client retreat. You've known for a while. So why hasn't it happened? It's not a priorities problem — it's an activation energy problem. Here's what that means, what it's costing your clients, and how to finally get the retreat off the back burner.