Company Retreat Ideas: Choose Best Activities for Your Team

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.

Table of contents

Sailing
Hiking, backpacking, camping
Safaris
Kayaking
Skiing and snowboarding
Biking

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.

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!

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

Kayaking

Skiing and snowboarding

Biking