Bold Venture Yoga

YOGAHOTDISH ON THE ROAD

A few years ago, we decided to take YogaHotDish on the road. That said, we’re not “group travel” people. “Group travel” has a lot in common with “group exercise.” If you come to class, you know how we feel about that…

Unlike Other Retreats...

Somewhere between an “all-inclusive” cruise/tour and a backpackers’ hovel, you’ll find YogaHotDish-to-Go Tours. They’re not like other Yoga Retreats: we’re literally a “Mom and Pop” operation and we don’t just do yoga all day.

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The Thunderbird Way...

Back in the 1990’s, Thunderbird was the only MBA program (actually it was the world’s first MIM degree) that required a foreign language, along with political economy and cross-cultural communication in one’s area of geographic concentration. Thunderbird isn’t for everyone. If you hate group-projects, don’t want to extend yourself to speak a language conversationally, and think being culturally sensitive is for whimps, then a TBird degree isn’t for you. If you eat your meals in the hotel and fly home Fridays to be home for the weekend, you’re probably not a TBird. Thunderbird is famous for its alumni network, a major reason why Arizona State University acquired our school. Many programs call themselves “international”; but, are alumni really working overseas right after graduation? Are half the students from outside the US? Thunderbird draws a pack-you-suitcase and sofa-surf-until-you-make-it mentality. Many wind up being entrepreneurs and have the network to thank, if not for a job, then for a place to stay, an introduction to a business partner– and yes, even a spouse!

WHY TRAVEL WITH YOGAHOTDISH?

Global Network

I am proud to be one half of a Thunder Couple. My husband Joe and started dating overseas and had a global courtship spanning Japan, Singapore, and London. He and I both had International jobs, mine in Tokyo, his in Singapore. We were “digital nomads” before it was a thing and have probably traveled to 30 countries multiple times between us. Additionally, we have experienced living abroad at various socio-economic levels from starving students, to business owners, to perk-laden corporate ex-pats (not necessarily our favorite).

Planned Spontaneity

We’re on-the-fly problem-solvers and cultural infiltrators. We find the footholds– food, business, language, and make the connections. Our travel style: Planned Spontaneity. We don’t need or necessarily even want everything to go smoothly. We’ve been on the road enough to know that setbacks are often setups: for finding a new restaurant, running into a fellow Tbird on the busiest street in Hanoi (Lance!), or ending up at an outdoor concert because you took a “wrong” turn.

01 We're not here to hold your hand and book your airfares.

You’ve done enough traveling to book flights. rental cars, ubers, etc. You’ll have the names and contact info of the other travelers should you want to buddy up.

02 Private properties--no "retreat centers."

Many yoga retreats are held at centers hosting multiple groups simultaneously. By pooling our resources, we usually end up in a place that surpasses any hotel or smaller AirBnB you’d rent on your own and it’s just us. Youl’ll know most of the people from your classes as we don’t recruit random people off the internet. Everyone there will at least a friend of a friend or a relation.

03 We plan yoga around the travel, not the travel around the yoga.

Chilly in the AM? Let’s do an indoor activity then and have an outdoor yoga class in the afternoon once things warm up. Major day trip? Fine, maybe we don’t do yoga that day at all. Remember, you can do yoga at home!

A B&B Without the Bricks and Mortar

A decade living abroad and on Cape Cod, we always joked we were running a B&B. We loved giving friends the “insider” tour and cooking up the regional specialties for dinner.

The thing is, we never lived anywhere longer than 3 years. We can’t imagine being hunkered down in one market for an extended period of time, dealing with home repairs and upkeep. Think of us like that fun couple who run a B&B where the husband (and sometimes charming daughter) cooks, the wife teaches yoga, and they magically appear in the places you want to be.

During our years living in Asia, Europe and Cape Cod, Joe honed his culinary skills. From steak to seafood, hand-thrown pizza to paella, Joe is comfortable cooking for larger groups. That said, his status is “amateur.” You may be asked to chop something or to help load the dishwasher. Dealing w/ special diets (gluten free, vegan) is just too tricky. Meals are family-style though so everyone usually finds something they like,. If you want to learn how to cook the evening’s specialty or just “talk food” (or wine) Joe’s happy to have the company!

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

Painting the picture of a YogaHotDish Tour!

01 Ditch the Itinerary!

Itineraries are for corporate tours. The goal is to “detach from linear time”–not let it run your vacation! What if Monday is perfect beach weather but you’re supposed to go to the museum? Good luck trying tweak a typical tour; you can bet your bathing suit you’ll be on the beach in a parka Tuesday having spent Monday indoors! We show up with great “crowdsourced” ideas from your fellow travelers, our connections etc. Then we sketch a rough outline at the first few meals. Who wants to do what? Smaller groups form based on interests and disburse to do what they want, when they want.

02 Everyone has a role to play (you'll find yours!)

The group starts to “form and storm” (small group comm.101) as people get to know each other, find their niches: maybe you have a great sense of humor or an excellent sense of direction. You’re good at reading maps or facial expressions and know when someone needs encouragement. Don’t be a passive spectator in your own vacation! This is “travel improv” and you’ll go home with stories to tell– stories you helped to write.

03 Cheaper than a "luxury vacation" but more expensive than what you'd pay for a hotel room.

Conventional yoga retreats are priced upwards of $300/day. Sure, that includes a lot of yoga, meals etc; however, it’s really expensive when you consider that most destinations are beach towns in LDC’s (less developed countries). Frankly, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all from Cabo to Koh Samui. We prefer more interesting destinations with higher standards for personal safety, yet manage to stay well under that $300/day bogie.

Mr. HotDish is a country risk analyst so we debate things like the legal system, political situation, and healthcare while deciding on destinations.

01 Ditch the Itinerary!

02 Everyone has a role to play (you'll find yours!)

03 Cheaper than a "luxury vacation" but more expensive than what you'd pay for a hotel room.

When doing the math, don’t forget about all those misc expense you incurr on drinks/snacks/tips while staying in a hotel. And please don’t forget all the time and money you spend shopping, stocking the fridge and cooking in an AirBnb–we do that for you. Most Yoga retreats are priced upwards of $300/day. Sure, that includes a lot of yoga, all meals etc; however, it’s really expensive when you consider that most destinations are beach towns in LDC’s (less developed countries). Frankly, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all from Cabo to Koh Samui. We prefer more interesting destinations with higher standards for personal safety, yet manage to stay well under that $300/day bogie. Mr. HotDish is a country risk analyst so we debate things like the legal system, political situation, and healthcare while deciding on destinations. He was also a bouncer in college which has come in handy.

ARE YOU READY?

Packing your bags, are you? Where to? Cool your jets a second and fill out a contact form already. Oh, and if you’re new to The Dish, then please show up and take a class FIRST–even if it’s on Zoom. Find out if the YogaHotDish tribe is your tribe.

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