I did yoga in Italy with my favorite wellness influencer: Inside the world of creator-led retreats

Yahoo

2 days ago

I'm sitting cross-legged on an artisanal yoga mat near the picturesque Ionian Sea with eight other women who've traveled across the globe to be here. I am perfectly still despite the beach flies and mosquitoes buzzing around. A photographer gently circles behind us, capturing the vibrant hues of the sunset and yogis. My yoga teacher Riva Gdanski, who has a social media following of more than 760,000 people, speaks softly but emphatically about setting an intention for today's practice.
I'm nearing the end of my five-day Yoga & Content Creation Retreat at the 250-year-old eco-friendly farmhouse Masseria Specula in Puglia, Italy, where I made orecchiette from scratch, crafted ceramics with local artisans, tasted farm-fresh olive oil, practiced three kinds of yoga and hiked to see flamingos in their natural habitat — all documented in glossy, Insta-worthy photo shoots. The women I'm with are all influencers (or aspiring influencers), and we're all trying to do the seemingly impossible: unplug while being plugged in. Along the way, we've picked up swag from small, sustainable and women-led brands: mindfulness journals, Satya yoga mats, swimwear from Mimi Flamingo, clean hair care products and organic sunscreen.
According to Statista, the global wellness tourism industry is growing at a rapid pace and is predicted to clock in at $1.35 trillion in 2028. The newest travel agents herding hundreds of excited wellness enthusiasts to exotic sanctuaries? Influencers like Gdanski, who are inviting their social media followers to hop offline and meet up IRL with like-minded devotees for retreats dedicated to sweat, relaxation and community. And while the experience doesn't come cheap, many fans are more than happy to follow their favorite content creators to the ends of the earth.
So what does an influencer retreat entail? It all depends on who's hosting it — and what your budget is. Broadly speaking, participants can expect all the bells and whistles of a spa vacation, plus face time with their favorite content creators, many of whom are leaders in the fitness and wellness space.
Plus-size trainer and adventurer Kanoa Greene has led small groups hiking the Swiss Alps, surfing in Costa Rica, paddleboarding in Mexico and rock climbing in Colorado through Nakoa Adventure. As a creator, these trips offer the chance to bond in person with the community she's built, while helping them feel more welcome on any terrain.
'As we move forward, it's more important than ever for us to provide spaces to connect with community,' Greene tells Yahoo, 'but ultimately, [it's about] having safe spaces to exist and be ourselves without judgment and fear.'
Prefer your relaxation a little less rugged? Taryn Toomey, owner of the celeb-loved workout the Class, has been hosting her Retreatments — billed as a 'transformational, immersive wellness experience' that 'blend[s] mindful practice with deep rest, community and exploration in some of the most spiritually charged destinations in the world' — for 10 years. This October, guests will head to Peru; the $5,800-$8,100 price tag includes luxury accommodations; daily movement and meditation sessions led by Toomey herself; nourishing, locally sourced meals; wellness programming (e.g., longevity panels, hot/cold therapy, hiking and sacred rituals) and a welcome gift; plus a 30-day subscription to the Class Digital Studio. But act fast: There's already a waitlist to sign up.
For those looking for something a little closer to home, celebrity trainer Kira Stokes is the latest wellness influencer to partner with Canyon Ranch. Her upcoming all-inclusive wellness retreat in the Berkshires, Mass., this month includes four workout classes led by Stokes (who will also join guests for an intimate group dinner) and 'curated daily group activities.' The three-day retreat starts at $1,800, which includes $400 worth of spa credit.
Meanwhile, Katie Austin, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and creator of her own eponymous workout app, will soon be offering 10 followers a free ride to her Camp KA retreat in Palm Springs, Calif., this September. The itinerary is still being fleshed out, but guests can expect a mix of high-energy workouts, outdoor activities, healthy cooking classes and nightly events designed to spark real connection, such as campfire confidence circles, themed game nights and sunset sound baths — all at no cost to the attendees.
'There's something magical about bringing people together in person,' Austin says. 'This experience is designed to be more than a getaway — it's a celebration of the work we've all been doing on ourselves and a chance to deepen the connection we've built online.'
It's not only yoga teachers and fitness experts leading these getaways. Influencers across the lifestyle space are also inviting their communities to engage offline. Cookbook author and private chef Gaby Dalkin, better known as What's Gaby Cooking to her more than 1 million followers, took 30 fans on a luxury yacht trip around the Galápagos Islands in 2022; the trip cost $7,300 per person for nine nights and sold out in one day.
The following year, Brittany Allyn, aka ThirtyWaves, held a retreat in Marrakech, Morocco, for 18 fans of her 'MeMoon' movement, which encourages women to take solo trips celebrating themselves. Dubbed 'WeMoon,' the six-day adventure cost $4,000 to $5,000 a person for sunset camel rides, visits to a hammam (Turkish bath), a private riad (traditional Moroccan guesthouse) and more.
And Women Work F#%k*ng Hard — a group for career women founded by former Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus and Kristin Merrick — partnered with the luxury experiential travel company Mira in 2023 to offer their high-performing female community a space to slow down, restore and reconnect with themselves and each other in a deeper way. Enter a Costa Rican retreat that featured a 4 a.m. canopy climb and other programming 'designed to open, ground and expand each guest,' according to Mira founder Katie Giblin.
'Think less yoga and smoothies — more energetic shifts, local immersion and somatic programming,' she tells Yahoo. More all-inclusive trips are in the works, with a price tag starting at $5,500.
So what's compelling people to show up and pay for these retreats? For many attendees, it's about having a vacation with a purpose, in the company of the creators who inspire them most.
Sol Han of San Francisco is a tech operations manager who moonlights as a Pilates and yoga instructor. She was the first to sign up for the Riva Gdanski retreat I attended in Italy, drawn by the opportunity to learn the practitioner's 'creative process' firsthand. 'I had been following Riva for a little over a year and admired her stories and beautiful shapes she created, so I was thrilled she developed this retreat to share her knowledge,' she tells me.
For others, it was a mix of education and cultural engagement that got them to book. Private fitness trainer and travel adviser Natalia Kahn had never been to Italy before, and Gdanski's retreat seemed like a perfect fit. 'I was craving connection with like-minded women, and knowing that this retreat included mindfulness, movement and authentic Italian experiences in charming towns was a great way to take it all in,' she says.
Han says she's noticed more influencer retreats popping up on her feed, which comes as no surprise. Amid the rise of AI, 'real human connection is more valuable than ever,' she notes.
People are getting a lot more out of these retreats than some swag and a suntan. Some people are coming home with friends, business contacts and job opportunities. Giblin says many women who attended the Mira x Women Work F#%k*ng Hard trip have since built 'business collaborations, launched weekly virtual book club meetups and dinner get-togethers and continued supporting one another across personal and professional endeavors.' Shookus, meanwhile, says she 'came home full of possibility and clarity ... and feel like there is sparkle in the air again.'
Yoga teacher and writer Nicci Rothe, who had never posted an Instagram Reel before Gdanski's content creation retreat but is now building her social media following, left a changed woman. 'I grew a new confidence in myself, and I realized that I can achieve higher goals than what I've been setting for myself,' she says.
And there are just the simple mental health benefits associated with getting away. Research shows that taking a vacation as short as four days can boost well-being for 45 days after your trip. If that vacation happens to be a community-building retreat, therapist Rachel Wright points out, all the better.
'Connection, novelty and intentional rest are key ingredients for long-term well-being, and curated retreats offer all three,' Wright tells Yahoo. The right retreat doesn't just give you memories; it gives you momentum, she adds. 'By stepping away from the noise of daily life and into a space designed for reflection and genuine connection, people often return not just feeling recharged, but with renewed confidence, clarity and the kinds of relationships that continue to transform their lives long after the retreat ends.'
As I write this, it's been a week since my trip. Eventually, my tan will fade. The olive oil will run out. The algorithm will move on. But what stays with me isn't the content I created on the retreat — it's the contentment, and community, I found.