Part One: Background and Basics
 
By Tannis Kobrinsky of Health Habitravels

A few years ago, if you wanted a dose of Pilates while on vacation your chances of finding instruction at a hotel or going on a Pilates retreat were slim. Now, more and more hotels, spas and cruise lines offer Pilates, as do a handful of retreat and tour operators. In 2003 I launched Health Habitravels, which is among the latter.  Since then I’ve led many 3-day to 2-week retreats and travel programs, some close to home, others far afield. Each endeavor has been its own adventure, with equal shares of challenges and rewards.

If, like me, you have a touch of wanderlust and teaching Pilates in paradise, either at an idyllic retreat venue or on foreign soil, sounds appealing, plus you’re brave enough to serve as inspirational nurturer, trouble shooter and rule keeper for a group of adults, then this primer on how to take your thriving hometown Pilates practice on the road and into the wilds is for you.

THE MARKETPLACE
In summer 2005, Jane Margolis wrote in The New York Times travel section, “With registration up at retreat centers, and yoga conferences selling out, mainstream properties have decided they want a piece of the $3 billion yoga industry.” This applies to Pilates in 2007, as venues stretch beyond yoga devotees to embrace Pilates enthusiasts.

But as the demand for mind-body holidays has grown, so has competition among suppliers. Management at several retreat centers have told me that presenters who used to easily draw groups of 20 people are sometimes falling short of the required number of participants because ther are so many more options now.  

But don’t let that stop you. There’s always room for new programs, and currently, creativity rules.  Proof lies in the lineup on yogafinder.com where you’ll find these hybrid holidays: Girls Yoga and Kayaking Weekend, Wonders of the World, a 10-day Egyptian adventure where you’ll scale Mt. Sinai then scuba in a diving town; and my own spring Galapagos cruise where we’ll test balance and core strength doing the Hundred on our yacht’s deck.  Including extra-curricular activities and instruction in complementary disciplines expands your audience and helps fill spaces needed to make your venture at least cover your own travel costs, and in the best-case scenario, be remunerative. But before you gather your group and say, “Let’s go!” make sure you have the rudimentary basics in place to assure either a restful retreat or smooth adventure.

BUSINESS BASICS
Business Licenses:  Depending on how you structure your programs, a business license may or may not be required.  Check in your county and state or province to determine this.  Establishing a DBA (Doing Business As), as I did with Health Habitravels, can be advantageous tax-wise, allowing write-offs for marketing and travel expenses. A license as a teacher who travels, which is akin to being a presenter or lecturer on any subject, is probably adequate. Once you have a business license, you’re required to file city and state revenue reports and perhaps pay taxes.

If you are recruited as a presenter at a host resort of retreat center and won’t have any business expenses you’ll want to write off, you can work as an independent contractor and won’t need a business license. In this scenario, you must bring a set number of participants, and as compensation you receive a percentage per participant plus lodging. My first venture was with Pura Vida, an R&R Resort in Costa Rica.  R&R which handles reservations and marketing for Maya Tulum and Pura Vidas resorts in Costa Rica and Georgia’s Smokey Mountains, estimates yoga retreats (Pilates fits in this niche) make up about 80 percent of Maya Tulum’s business and close to two-thirds of Pura Vida’s. R&R actively recruits teachers, offering wholesale rates for the students they sign up.  The teacher then adds his/her fee to augment personal earnings.  If a teacher recruits the resort’s required number of participants, R&R comps their resort stay. Jungle Bay Spa and Resort in the Caribbean, where I’m conducting an October program, works similarly. A situation like this may be the best route to take for your first endeavor, especially on foreign soil.  
 
Liability Insurance: Regardless of business license requirements your own liability insurance is a must. Most likely, if you’re a practicing Pilates teacher you carry liability insurance.  If not, and you intend to travel and teach, do purchase a policy at this career juncture.  Some venues where you teach will require inclusion as a second party on your policy.  Numerous organizations offer insurance policies for Pilates and yoga instructors.  You’ll need to join their organization to purchase your policy.  Check these to comparison shop:
•      ACE Fitness
•      AFAA 
•      NAMASTA                                                   
•      Pilates Method Alliance

Release Forms:  In addition to insurance policies, venues will require you and your participants to sign release forms. For your own protection, have participants sign a release form you generate.  If they have health issues, request that their health care provider approve that they are in adequate physical condition to attend movement classes and active extra-curricular activities that are in your tour. And always assure attendees that all classes and activities are optional.  Not everyone wants to zip-line through the jungle canopy or attend 6 a.m. classes.  After all, this is their precious vacation time to do with as they wish.
 
Travel Agents/Tour Operators:  Whether yours is a short retreat or long adventure, working with a travel agent or tour operator is advisable.  Sure, the Internet eliminates this need since direct access provides opportunities for you to personally book transportation, reserve lodgings and recruit tour guides all over the planet.  I’ve gone that route and made it work, but believe me it is work. If you don’t want that kind of stress and prefer to just teach, hire a travel expert. Discounts available to these pros can be passed on to your group. Put the savings toward surprise expenses that will inevitably arise no matter how carefully you calculate your budget.
 
BUDGET BASICS
Hard costs: If you are organizing and instructing, consider these components:  

• Accommodations
• Transportation to/from airport and on daytrips
• Taxes
• Tips
• Food
• Spa sessions
• Daytrip guide fees
• Entrance fees to attractions  

Decide what you’re including in your package, total the costs, then divide this among the participants, making sure to divvy your own costs evenly among the group. Be sure to add on approximately a 10-percent buffer to cover the invariable unexpected costs.

Initial costs:  Venues usually require a deposit for group reservations, as do tour operators.  Get deposit payments from interested participants ASAP. Do not invest large non-refundable amounts of your own to reserve the trip.  Find out if your deposit is applicable to future dates if your program fails to sell the first time. Be a diplomat.  Negotiate.

Your fee: Add in your fee per person to pay yourself, not only for teaching services, but for organizational time and effort. A free holiday may sound like ample payment, but don’t forget you are losing income you’d make at home, and if you are the organizer and teacher you’ll work a lot while “vacationing” in paradise.

Marketing:  Marketing costs can be written off, but factor them into your budget.

MARKETING BASICS
Answer the Who, What, Where, When and Whys that make your program unique.  Start promoting; a year in advance for long programs; six months ahead of time for shorter retreats.  Remember, you’re competing with many providers, among them famous presenters and well-known resorts.  Advertising can be astronomical.  There are ways to minimize your output.

Warm Market:  It is best to already have a “warm market” of 50-250 acquaintance contacts, among them students, clients, friends and family. You can reach them inexpensively via flyers and emails. If you have a website, send e-newsletters.  Try a service like Constant Contact to insure breaking through SPAM blocks.   

Cold Market: You’ll probably need to expand beyond that warm circle of acquaintances and reach out to strangers.  Here are some routes to explore:

• The Web: If you don’t already have a website, consider launching one. If you do, start linking once it is live. Post for a small fee on sites like yogafinder.com, yogavoice.net, yogamates.com. Post freely on sites like Craigslist, tribe.net and myspace.com.
• Health and wellness expos and fairs:  They’re in every community. To cut costs, considering sharing a booth with other businesses.
• Community organizations:  Join and/or speak at the Chamber of Commerce, women’s groups and charities.
• Professional mind-body expos: Be a vendor and/or attend Pilates and yoga conferences/expos.  Booths are expensive.  Simply attending and networking can be very beneficial.
• Brochures/flyers:  As your contact list grows, follow up with direct mailings of brochures and flyers every few months.  AND always have business cards on hand. Don’t be shy about providing them and telling people about your services.  As a client told me the first time I hesitantly mentioned my initial Costa Rica Pilates retreat, “You’re not trying to sell me anything, you’re offering me a wonderful opportunity to experience healthy travel.”
• Publicity:  If you have the means, consider hiring a reputable publicist. Or, “Guerilla” PR may be the way to go.  Spread the word via prweb.com.  If you have writing skills, write for as many publications and websites as possible.  Create a buzz about you and your programs.  Peggy Klaus, a communications expert and friend of mine, coaches everyone to brag about themselves and what they do.  There is no better marketing tool than belief in yourself and what you have to give to others.

You’ve got the basics in place and you’re ready to go.  See Part Two of of this series for advice on planning both short-and-sweet retreats and long, amazing adventures.

Pilates-, GYROTONIC®- and AFAA-certified Tannis Kobrinsky lives in Los Angeles and has taught movement and fitness for 30 years.  Also a freelance writer with a love of travel, she leads international Pilates/yoga travel programs via Health Habitravels. She’s zip-lined through Costa Rica’s cloud forest, hiked the Andes, snorkeled in Mexican coves, participated in Bolivian sacred ceremonies and made pasta in Italy. Contact Tannis at tannis@healthabitravels.com.