Bucket List Retreats - The Podcast cover art

Bucket List Retreats - The Podcast

Bucket List Retreats - The Podcast

By: Kelly Morgan Merly
Listen for free

Season's Savings | £0.99/mo for 3 months

£5.99/mo after 3 months - terms apply. Cancel monthly

It’s a podcast—but it’s also your planning pep talk. Hi, I’m Kelly Morgan Merly, welcome to Bucket List Retreats-The Podcast: We are taking you through the fun and joy that is planning retreats, group trips, girls getaways, reunions, and more. Want to organize something unforgettable.? Skip the stress and focus on what really matters—connection, transformation, and adventure. Join us for fun retreats reviews, positive and inspiring guests and, of course, the ins and outs of group travel and organization.

2026 Kelly Morgan Merly
Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary
Episodes
  • Is 50 Too Old for a Retreat? (Over 50 & Just Getting Started)
    Oct 23 2026

    Retreats for women over 50: is 50 too old for a retreat? If a little voice has ever told you a women’s retreat is “something a younger woman would do,” this episode is for you.

    Somewhere along the way, someone handed you a rulebook. Don’t be too loud. Don’t be too much. And whatever you do, act your age. On Bucket List Retreats: The Podcast, we’re tossing that rulebook out.

    In this episode:

    ✨ Retreat News: JourneyWoman surveyed 530 women over 50. 71% plan to travel outside their home country in 2026–2027, nearly 3 in 10 were 75 or older, and half prefer to travel solo. Meet the “Ageless Adventuress.”

    ✨ Retreat Review: The Yukon Explorer, a women-only trip for travelers over 50 from JourneyWoman and Mosaic Earth Travel, run through the 5 B’s™ of Choosing a Retreat.

    ✨ The questions you’ve been afraid to ask:

    • Am I too old for this?
    • What if I can’t keep up?
    • What if I’m the oldest one there?
    • What if I go alone?
    • Is this the chapter I’ve been waiting for?

    ✨ The one question to ask any retreat host before you book

    ✨ For retreat leaders: designing for guests over 50 with options, not requirements

    ✨ Your assignment: Write down one rule about your age you’re ready to stop following. Then cross it out.

    If you’re dreaming of your first retreat, solo travel after 50, or your next adventure with a circle of women, this episode is your starting point.

    Resources mentioned:

    • JourneyWoman Survey: https://journeywoman.com/news/empowered-savvy-and-determined-the-era-of-the-ageless-adventuress-is-here-women-over-50-arent-waiting-to-travel-in-2026/
    • Yukon Trip Announcement: https://journeywoman.com/destinations/north-america/canada/journeywoman-partners-with-mosaic-earth-for-women-only-trip-to-the-yukon-in-august-2027/
    • Yukon Explorer Itinerary: https://www.mosaicearth.ca/tours/yukon-explorer-journeywoman/

    Listen next: Our two-part conversation with Karen Talavera on solo retreating. [ADD LINK]

    Next week: Are retreats worth the money?

    Know a woman who keeps saying “maybe someday”? Send her this episode.

    EXPLORE & CONNECT
    🌴 https://bucketlistretreats.com
    🎙️ https://bucketlistretreats.com/podcast

    Come on Retreat with Kelly in January! 🌺 Find Your Happy Again Retreat: https://bucketlistretreats.com/dominican-republic

    Join us on Socials!
    📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/bucketlistretreatstm
    👍 Facebook: https://facebook.com/bucketlistretreats
    💬 FB Group: https://facebook.com/groups/bucketlistretreatexperiences
    🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3yNtFg49cUzO72L6wXNpGC
    Tiktok - our fav :https://www.tiktok.com/@bucketlistretreats
    🛍️Retreat Shopping: https://BucketListRetreats.etsy.com

    If not now, when?

    Your Retreat BFF

    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • Why Fun Might Be Exactly What You Need
    Oct 17 2026

    Is Fun on Your To-Do List Yet?

    In this episode, we’re putting fun right where it belongs: on your actual to-do list, next to the bills and the errands. Because “after” never shows up. Your list is never done, so the fun you’re saving for later keeps getting pushed back.

    In this episode:
    ✔ Why “someday” isn’t a destination
    ✔ The surprising truth about where retreat breakthroughs really happen.
    ✔ Why fun feels like cheating, and why joy that only happens by accident isn’t a plan
    ✔ For retreat leaders: why your guests are waiting for you to go first
    ✔ Your challenge this week: one fun thing, small, medium, or bucket list, with a real date next to it

    Plus, a zip line adventure through the jungles of the Dominican Republic, and a shout-out to friend of the pod Karen Talavera, who puts what makes her feel fully alive at the top of her list.

    RETREAT NEWS
    Do you believe rest is something you have to earn? You’re not alone. A new survey found most Americans badly need a break, yet believe rest has to be earned first.
    Read the story (Men’s Fitness):
    https://www.mensfitness.com/news/americans-take-the-fewest-vacation-days-of-any-wealthy-nation-the-bigger-problem-is-we-think-we-have-to-earn-the-rest

    RETREAT REVIEWS
    Bunk One by Camp Social: summer camp nostalgia, elevated. A women’s retreat on a private ranch in the hills of San Diego, with campfires, stargazing, a Galentine’s Glow Party, and a letter to yourself mailed back six months later. Come solo, leave with a whole new circle.
    https://campsocial.com/pages/bunk-one

    FREE “SOMEDAY LIST” TEMPLATE
    Ready to move your dreams out of the someday pile? Grab the free Someday List template:
    https://canva.link/o4pwpjb405ai4xf
    Or comment SOMEDAY on Instagram @bucketlistretreatstm and we’ll send it right to you.

    FIND YOUR HAPPY AGAIN
    Join us in the Dominican Republic this January for zip lines, jungle adventures, and a week designed to help you find your happy again.
    https://bucketlistretreats.com/dominican-republic

    No pen required. Everything you heard about is right here in the show notes. And while you’re down here, give the show a thumbs up or a like!

    EXPLORE & CONNECT

    Bucket List Retreats®:
    https://bucketlistretreats.com

    Podcast:
    https://bucketlistretreats.com/podcast

    Find Your Happy Again: Dominican Republic Women’s Retreat:
    https://bucketlistretreats.com/dominican-republic

    Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com/show/3yNtFg49cUzO72L6wXNpGC

    Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/bucketlistretreatstm/

    Facebook:
    https://facebook.com/bucketlistretreats

    Facebook Community:
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/bucketlistretreatexperiences

    Shop:
    https://BucketListRetreats.etsy.com

    Subscribe to Bucket List Retreats: The Podcast for new episodes every Friday at noon Mountain Standard Time. Share this conversation with one friend who could use a little encouragement to try something new.

    If not now, when?

    Your fun can’t wait for “after.” Put it on the list.

    Your Retreat BFF

    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • It’s Not Too Late to Become Someone New | Discover Yourself on a Retreat
    Oct 9 2026

    Have you ever said, “That’s just not me”—then tried something new and surprised yourself? Discover how going on a retreat can open the door to self-discovery, personal growth and interests you never knew you had.

    In this episode of Bucket List Retreats: The Podcast, I’m exploring why it’s not too late to become someone new. Stepping outside your routine can give you room to try solo travel, creative activities, new friendships or a little adventure—without needing to reinvent your entire life.

    We talk about:
    • Moving beyond familiar roles and old ideas about yourself.
    • Trying something new, even when you’re a beginner.
    • How retreat experiences can help you discover what you enjoy.
    • Bringing new interests and habits home after a retreat.
    • Enjoying a hobby without turning it into another job!

    In Retreat News, we take a thoughtful look at BookRetreats.com’s State of Retreats 2026 Report, including interest in creative retreats and learning new skills. We also examine who was surveyed and what the findings can—and can’t—tell us.

    In Retreat Reviews, we explore The Embodied Reset from 3B Movement in Provo, Utah, using The 5 B’s™ of Choosing a Retreat: Basics, Beauty, Benefits, Believability and Belonging. From Pilates and dance to creative workshops, we look at the experience advertised and the questions I’d ask before booking.

    For retreat leaders and planners, there’s a useful question here too: what do your guests get to try, discover and bring home?

    Plus, I share a little about returning to podcasting after nine years and how I felt after my own recent retreat.

    A bucket list is about experiences that make us feel fully alive—not only places to visit.

    What’s one thing you’ve been calling “not me” that you’re curious to try? Tell me in the comments!

    EPISODE RESOURCES

    State of Retreats 2026 Report:
    https://bookretreats.com/blog/the-state-of-retreats-report/

    The Embodied Reset — 3B Movement:
    https://www.3bmovement.com/embodied-reset

    Additional retreat details:
    https://myembodiedreset.com/

    EXPLORE & CONNECT

    Bucket List Retreats®:
    https://bucketlistretreats.com

    Podcast:
    https://bucketlistretreats.com/podcast

    Find Your Happy Again — Dominican Republic Women’s Retreat:
    https://bucketlistretreats.com/dominican-republic

    YouTube:
    https://www.youtube.com/@Bucketlistretreats

    Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com/show/3yNtFg49cUzO72L6wXNpGC

    Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/bucketlistretreatstm/

    Facebook:
    https://facebook.com/bucketlistretreats

    Facebook Community:
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/bucketlistretreatexperiences

    Shop Bucket List Retreats:
    https://BucketListRetreats.etsy.com

    New episodes every Friday at noon Mountain Standard Time. Subscribe on YouTube or follow wherever you listen, and share this conversation with a friend.

    If not now, when?

    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet