How hosted trips work
Updated 4 Oct 2026
A hosted trip is a trip planned and run by a named person: the host. You find it on hosted/trips, then you book it directly with that host, on their own site.
What a hosted trip is
Every hosted trip has someone behind it. It might be a yoga teacher running a week by the sea, a writer leading a workshop in a farmhouse, a chef taking a small group through a wine region, or a group of friends of friends heading off on a D&D cruise. The host had the idea, chose the place, built the days and decided who it's for.
That person is the reason the trip exists. You're not just buying a room and a schedule. You're joining something a specific person shaped, often around a thing they care about or teach. Many travellers pick a hosted trip because of the host first and the destination second.
Hosted trips come in all sizes and moods. Some are quiet and slow. Some are packed with classes. Some are mostly about the people you'll meet. A silent retreat and a board game weekend are both hosted trips, and both are listed the same way.
How it differs from a packaged tour
A packaged tour is usually a product sold by a company. The itinerary is designed to suit lots of people, it runs on repeat, and the guide on the day may be whoever is rostered.
A hosted trip tends to work differently:
- A named person runs it. You can usually find out who they are, what they do and why they made this trip before you book.
- It's built around a purpose. Rest, a skill, a shared interest, a community. The itinerary follows from that.
- Groups are often smaller. Not always, but many hosts keep numbers low so the trip feels like a group, not a crowd.
- The host sets the terms. Price, deposit, what's included, cancellation terms and who the trip suits all come from the host. They vary from trip to trip.
None of this makes one kind of travel better than the other. It's a different shape. If you like knowing who you'll be spending the week with, a hosted trip may suit you.
How booking works here
hosted/trips is a place to find trips, not a place to buy them.
- You browse the list or search by kind of trip, theme or place.
- You read the trip's page: dates, place, price, what's included, who it suits, and who the host is.
- When you're ready, you follow the link to the host's own site and book with them directly.
hosted/trips takes no bookings and no payments. We take no cut of what you pay the host. Your booking, your payment and any questions about the trip are between you and the host. That also means the host's own terms are the ones that count, so read them on their site before you pay.
How the list is ordered
Trips are listed by the soonest booking-closing date. The trips you'd need to decide on first come first, so nothing you'd want closes before you've seen it. You can re-sort by earliest trip, latest trip or price.
Nobody can pay to move up the list. Sponsored spots are always labeled, and the regular list is never for sale.
Each trip shows a status, so you know where it stands at a glance: Early access, Open, Closing soon or Sold out. There's a separate guide on what those mean.
Labels you'll see
Some trips carry labels to help you find the right fit:
- Adults only, when the host has set it that way.
- Who it's for, such as women only · men only · LGBTQ+ · faith-based · singles.
Some listings are marked Gauging interest. These are trip ideas a host is testing before committing. Tell the host you're interested, and you'll hear back only if it goes ahead.
If you don't see the right trip yet, you can set up a trip alert. You'll get an email when a new trip of the kind, theme or place you chose is listed.
Before you book
Because every host runs things their own way, it's worth asking a few questions first: what's included, what the deposit is, what happens if you have to cancel, and what a typical day looks like. We've put together a list of questions to ask a host to make that easier.
