Could you use some quiet and private time to focus, reflect, and reboot?
Our self directed/creative Retreats happen during the off season in our old house in the south of France. Retreats are ideal for individuals: designers, project curators, postgraduate students, researchers, or writers – anyone working on a plan, project, text, or thesis.
John will usually be available to cast fresh eyes on your project – or not. Those interactions are optional. It’s your call. For the most part you will be left alone to work.
Also important: you get to breathe clean air, shop at the market, walk in the Cévennes.
Our guiding principles as hosts are: simple, convivial, and affordable.
What’s involved in a Retreat ?
Intrigued by the notion of designing for life, people come to a Retreat for two main reasons. You might be working on a live project, thesis, course, or book – and use your time here to move it forward. Or else you want to transform your working life completely, and use their time here to figure out how.
Our retreats are for designers of all kinds, ecologists, curators, team leaders, strategists, professors, postgrad students, researchers, artists, and writers.
We aim to help you stay focused and free to organise your days without any pre-defined activities from our side. We provide all necessities to make coffee, tea
and cook in the ground floor summer kitchen and/or the kitchen in the apartment on the second floor. Think cooker, refrigerator, oven, microwave, pots and pans etc. You can reach food markets, nature, rivers and so on in a few minutes by foot. We also have two guest bikes, or you can rent your own (regular or electric) from the rentals service round the corner.
We’ll invite you eat together with us occasionally, but you’re under no obligation to join. You live in the house with us like good neighbours: borrowing, sharing, chatting, eating and meeting when the need occurs.
Some of the projects people have worked on at a Retreat
How to apply
Tell us who you are, what you’re working on, why you want to come and what dates you’re applying for.
- To apply you can fill out this form.
- Or you can use our contact form on this website
- Or you can drop us a short email and send it to:
meeting [ at ] thackara [ dot ] com
Subject Header: Thackara Retreat
When your application has been accepted, we will inform you within one week.
Pricing
included:
Kitchen(-s), fridges, washing machine, dish washer, pantry basics and a hamper to get you started, your own bathroom, your own key, bedding, linnens, beach towels and more.
The pricing for the retreat is set on the above basis but we’re flexible so do get in touch with us if you want to stay longer or shorter.
Also included is exclusive time with John at the beginning and/or the end of your stay. It’s also possible to have more than one or 2 conversations (depending on his availability) at an agreed rate. Just talk to us!
Photos
Faq
Thanks John and Kristi for such a wonderful week. I got to reflect on a lot, help set priorities and direction in my project, as well as have a lot interested, organic conversations with people that give me a lot of new perspectives to draw on. Plus good food, wine, swimming and lots of laughs!
Dear Kristi and John, thank you for hosting us for our annual Holis retreat. We enjoyed our stay in your beautiful house. The nearby market is a festival for any food lover. The walks in the surroundings gave us an opportunity to have deep talks. Your hospitality made us feel at home. I’m grateful for that experience. Hope to be there again soon.
I genuinely enjoyed every single moment! Thanks to not only the fantabulous Thackara team but also amazing talents from diverse backgrounds who all were absolutely lovely, I had a very productive week. The right balance of fun & work in an absolutely gorgeous environment, which contributed to great creativity/ satisfaction
the perfect place to hide out and finish writing
that thesis, project proposal, or book
John and Kristi, your house is an absolute dream! I felt so welcomed and comfortable. You allowed us to take everything at our own paces, and gave us access to some beautiful places around Ganges. The mixture of one-to-ones and group conversations provided an effective framework to help push my design practice forward. I’m coming away feeling refreshed, excited to work, and with a whole new set of amazing friends!
I was working on my first book and it was amazingly helpful to
have the space (both mentally and physically) to concentrate
on this whilst getting constructive input and advice from JT
and other participants.
For me, the meet-up was truly life-changing; brilliant content, group company, accommodation, food and the waterfalls were to die for! John gave me the boost I needed and input from the group kickstarted a project so dear to my heart — thank you John!
Such a treat to meet one of your favorites… then spend a week in retreat. Thank you John and Kristi for the Meetup – the conversation, such loving guidance and deep listening. One of my favorite weeks.
This was my second Thackara meetup and it was magnificent;
a great way to meet people, relax, swim in the glorious river and move projects on to the next step.
Thank you – I hope to come back!
What a joyous week of indulging by doing the project closest to my heart, with support and company and a beautiful environment.
The Meetup was a wonderful experience and a unique opportunity to develop a better understanding of my personal-professional practice. After spending time with John and Kristi and the other meetupers in Ganges, in nature and on my own, I was able to develop a more cohesive story to define my personal-professional practice and goals. I’m forever grateful for this opportunity.