A plain-English guide to the Package Travel Regulations for UK yoga teachers, Pilates instructors, coaches and wellness professionals
This guide is general information to help you ask the right questions. It isn't legal advice. Every retreat is set up differently, so please get advice on your own situation before you make any decisions.
The short version
If you're planning a retreat abroad and you're based in the UK, here's what's worth knowing:
If you put together accommodation plus other parts of the experience (classes, excursions, treatments, workshops) and sell it as one retreat, it could count as a package under the Package Travel Regulations 2018.
If it does, you could be treated as the organiser. That can mean being legally responsible for the whole trip, including the parts run by your venue or other suppliers.
You may also need financial protection for the money your guests pay you, so they can be refunded (or brought home) if something goes wrong.
The rules apply now, and they’re being updated from 6 April 2027, so it’s a really good time to check how your retreat is set up.
The good news? There are simple ways to get the right protection in place without carrying it all on your own shoulders.
Why I'm writing this
I absolutely love that so many brilliant teachers and coaches are taking their communities abroad. I understand the power of travel. A retreat can change someone's year or their life.
But I've also seen what happens when things go wrong. I've worked with groups affected when a retreat centre in Vietnam went insolvent, and when mass flight cancellations hit trips to India during conflict in the Middle East. In moments like that, the big question is always the same: who's responsible, and who pays?
Most retreat hosts I speak to have never heard of the Package Travel Regulations. That's not your fault. Nobody mentions them on a teacher training course. But depending on how your retreat is structured, they could apply to you, so it's worth ten minutes of your time to understand them.
What are the Package Travel Regulations?
The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (usually shortened to the PTRs) are UK rules that protect people who buy holidays made up of at least two parts sold together.
They're the reason a family who books a package holiday gets their money back if the tour operator goes bust. They put responsibility on whoever puts the trip together and sells it, which is called the organiser.
These regulations can apply whether your retreat is in Cornwall or Costa Rica. What matters is how it's put together and sold, not where it happens.
Could my retreat count as a package?
It could, and more often than people expect.
A package is generally two or more different types of travel service for the same trip, put together and sold as one. The four types are:
Transport, such as flights, trains or coaches
Accommodation
Car or motorbike hire
Other tourist services, such as excursions, workshops, event tickets, spa treatments or activities
Most retreats combine accommodation with "other tourist services" like your classes, a cooking workshop or a boat trip. Where accommodation is combined with that kind of service, it can become a package if the service is advertised as an essential feature of the trip or makes up a significant part of the price.
And here's the thing. On a retreat, your yoga, Pilates or coaching usually is the essential feature. It's the whole reason people come.
A few examples
You book a villa, run daily classes, include a cooking class and a sunset boat trip. This could well be a package, with you as the organiser.
You run the classes only, and guests book and pay the venue directly for their rooms. This is less likely to be a package, but it depends on the detail of how it's arranged and sold.
You run a day retreat with no overnight stay. Trips of less than 24 hours without accommodation are generally outside the rules. But, again, it depends on the detail.
If you’re not sure whether this applies to your retreat, get in touch and we can have a chat.
What if it's just a one-off, or I'm a small business?
There's an exemption for packages arranged occasionally, on a not-for-profit basis, for a limited group. Think of a one-off church trip for its members.
The key words are "not-for-profit". If you're charging for your retreat as part of your business, even if it's only once or twice a year, this exemption is unlikely to fit. Being small doesn't take you outside the rules on its own.
What could I be responsible for as the organiser?
If your retreat is a package and you're the organiser, you could be responsible for:
The whole trip happening as promised, including the parts delivered by your venue, chef, driver or excursion provider.
Putting things right if something isn't as described. If you can't, guests may be entitled to a price reduction or compensation, including for loss of enjoyment.
Letting guests cancel without a fee if a problem substantially affects the trip.
Helping guests who are in difficulty while they're away.
Getting guests home if transport is included and things go badly wrong.
Giving the right information up front and having booking terms that meet the regulations.
That's a lot to take on when you thought you were just running a lovely week of yoga in Portugal.
What about the money my guests pay me?
This is the bit I'd love every host to understand.
If your retreat is a package, the organiser must have protection in place so that, if the organiser becomes insolvent, guests can get their money back for anything not delivered, and be brought home if needed.
The main ways this is done are:
ATOL, if your retreat includes flights. This is run by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Bonding through an approved body such as ABTA or ABTOT, for trips without flights.
Insurance that names your guests as the people insured.
A trust account, where an independent trustee holds guests' money until the retreat has happened.
A couple of things catch people out. A bank guarantee on its own doesn't meet the requirements. And your venue's insurance, or insurance against a supplier going bust, isn't the same as protection for your guests' money.
If deposits are currently landing in your business account and being spent on the villa deposit, it's worth pausing and checking where you stand.
What happens if my venue goes bust or flights are cancelled?
This is where all of this stops being theory.
If you're the organiser and your venue closes its doors a month before your retreat, your guests may be entitled to their money back from you, even if the venue has your money and isn't answering emails. If flights are part of what you sold and they're cancelled, you could be responsible for sorting alternatives or refunds.
Without the right protection in place, that could mean paying out of your own pocket. For a small business, one bad situation like that can be really hard to recover from.
What's changing in April 2027?
The government has updated the regulations, and the changes start on 6 April 2027. The main points are:
More set-ups will count as packages. Some arrangements where travellers select and pay for different parts of the same trip through one seller, which used to sit in a looser category called "linked travel arrangements", will be treated as full packages.
One looser category is being removed altogether, which simplifies things for some businesses.
Organisers get stronger rights to recover money from suppliers. For example, if a supplier fails to provide a service it agreed to, the organiser can get a refund from it within 14 days.
Bookings made before 6 April 2027 follow the current rules, so it's sensible to keep a clear record of when each booking was made.
If you're planning retreats for 2027 and beyond, this is a great moment to look at your set-up with fresh eyes.
So what can I do about it?
You've got a few options, and none of them involve giving up on your retreat dream.
Change how the retreat is sold, for example so guests book accommodation directly with the venue. This can reduce your exposure, but it changes the experience for your guests and doesn't guarantee you're outside the rules.
Become a fully set-up organiser yourself, with financial protection, compliant booking terms and the right insurance. Totally doable, but it takes time, money and ongoing admin.
Work with a travel professional who can take on the organiser side for you. This is exactly what I do through The Earthed Retreat Co. Powered by Travel Counsellors, I can build your retreat so that, depending on how it's structured, it sits within Travel Counsellors' legal and financial protection. Your guests are protected, the paperwork's handled, and you get to focus on the bit you love: holding space for your people.
A quick checklist before you take any deposits
Am I selling accommodation plus anything else (classes, meals, trips, treatments) for one price?
Where does my guests' money go, and is it protected if something goes wrong?
Who's responsible if the venue cancels, or a supplier lets us down?
Do my booking terms meet the Package Travel Regulations?
Does my insurance cover me as an organiser, not just as a teacher?
Will my set-up still work after the April 2027 changes?
Have I had advice on my own retreat's structure?
If you've answered "I'm not sure" to any of these, that's completely normal, and it's a great reason to have a chat.
Read more about The Package Travel Regulations and how they relate to retreats.
Frequently asked questions
Do the Package Travel Regulations apply to yoga retreats?
They can. If a yoga retreat combines accommodation with other services like classes or excursions, and is sold as one trip, it could be a package under the regulations. It depends on how the retreat is put together and sold.
Do I need ATOL for my retreat?
ATOL protection is generally needed where flights are included in a package. If your retreat doesn't include flights, ATOL won't usually apply, but other financial protection still could if your retreat counts as a package.
Is my retreat a package if guests book their own flights?
It can still be. Accommodation combined with other tourist services, like your classes or excursions, can make a package even without flights.
I only run one retreat a year. Do the rules still apply?
They could. The exemption is for occasional trips run on a not-for-profit basis for a limited group. If you're running your retreat as part of your business, the exemption is unlikely to apply, however often you run it.
Can I take deposits into my normal business account?
If your retreat is a package, guests' money needs to be protected through something like bonding, suitable insurance or a trust account. Taking deposits into an ordinary account without that protection could leave your guests, and you, exposed.
Do the April 2027 changes affect me?
They might. From 6 April 2027, some arrangements that weren't treated as packages before will be. If you're planning retreats for 2027 or later, it's worth checking your set-up against the updated rules.
Is this guide legal advice?
No. It's general information to help you understand the rules and ask the right questions. Please get advice on your own situation.
Know someone who runs retreats?
Please send this to them. Honestly, it could be one of the kindest things you do for a friend's business this year.
And if you're a host yourself and want to talk through your retreat, I'd love to hear about it. Book a free, no-pressure chat and we'll look at your plans together. [Add booking link]
About Sara
I'm Sara Dickenson, a Travel Counsellor based in Cheshire and the founder of The Earthed Retreat Co. I help UK wellness professionals host retreats abroad with the legal and financial protection in place, so they can focus on their guests rather than the small print. Find out more about me. I'm a big believer in doing things face to face, so if you're local, the coffee's on me. If not, let’s meet online.