Be a Part of the Magic at the Mexico Monarchs Adventure Retreat!

On voyage February 2020

Can you relate to any of the following?

• You’ve got a big dream and vision and would love the support of a like-minded tribe to create the courage and confidence to JUST DO IT … and what better way to light your fire than going on a soul-nourishing adventure?

• You know you have a good life, and you don’t want to be ungrateful, but there’s just something out of alignment and you just need to feel more you again.

• You’re in a life transition and know that ADVENTURE is just the thing to pull you out of old ruts and set a bold new pathway for the next chapter of your life.

• With all the responsibilities and schedules in your life and career, you’re starting to feel mundane — and that horrifies you. You stand for adventure and doing really cool things, but it’s just not there in your typical day.

• You just love to travel with like-minded souls with a thirst for adventure, authentic connection, great food, and a desire to make a contribution!

Then this could be an ideal experience for your…

Hi! I’m Megan, and I’m so excited to introduce to you the Mexico retreat I’ve had in my heart and mind to share for a while now. This is a 1-week getaway that includes a mixture of travel experiences plus refueling, revamping and bringing in lots of attention to the beautiful adventurous spirit within you.

On this trip, you’ll get to explore and experience incredible features of Mexico, from its colorful culture, intriguing ancient ruins, and its unique natural wonders(as like I said, Monarchs! Everywhere! Wow!).

Retreat + Travel Experience – It’s a medley of the two to allow for a sacred space to focus on yourself, while also weaving in the splendor of venturing to new places and trying new experiences. This is designed to inspire, expand and enhance where you are in life, and come away with a recharged focus on living the life that makes your heart sing.

“Relaxing yet energizing, a joyful declaration of self-care and growth.”

Let’s spark that adventurous flame within you! 

Here’s some highlights of the experience…

Butterflies

Monarch butterflies are simply fascinating. Not only is the transformative lifecycle of any butterfly awe-inspiring – from caterpillar to cocoon, to flying beauty, but the generational lifecycle also has major wow factor! Monarchs hibernate in Mexico in the winter. When spring comes, they fly north to seek their favorite food supplies. Then they return the next winter to the very same tree in Mexico.

The shocker is… it’s not the same butterfly that returns, but its great grandkid! Butterflies have life spans of just a few months, so when one is born, they are born with the knowledge of specifically where to feed and where to migrate for the winter — even though they never meet their parents in the process. Then on they go with the mission to return to great grandma’s favorite snoozing location and unite with thousands of likeminded souls. What a phenomenal inner compass!

So what we’re doing is going all the way to the butterfly source. This Mecca, this Jerusalem, the Bethlehem of the flying insect world. The prettiest of flying insects, at that. Wanna see that with me?

Pyramids

Teotihuacan is a holy city built between the 1st and 7th Centuries A.D. by the Aztecs and includes the well-preserved ruins of the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon. There’s an acoustical feature here that blew me away the last time I visited.

This UNESCO World Heritage site embodies an air of mystery, as you think of all the stories of life in such a powerful Mesoamerican civilization of the past. Bonus: If you love a good glute and thigh workout, you’ll get that with lots of steep stairs you can climb.

Floating Gardens

The floating market of Xochimilco is alive with color, bustling with vendors, and brimming with charm. Explore this Mexico City neighborhood via vibrant canal boats. Sit back, relax, and view the gardens and architecture of the region.

Experiential Delights

We’re not just here to observe and see these treasures of Mexico. We’re here to experience them on a deeper level, as we’ll spend some of our time as a group, working on mindset and personal transformation. Giving you the time to focus on your goals, your dreams, and activate that beautiful adventurous spirit within you.

Plus, we’ve lined up activities that allow you to dive into activities that engage the senses, like dancing and feasting with locals.

Self-Care & Service

We’re fitting some very cool wonders into the schedule, but we’re also conscious of planning solo free time. Time for you to explore, indulge, connect, whatever you feel called to do in the moment. You’ll have the opportunity to simply just be.

Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to join together in community for a gem of a service project that’s lined up. At the moment, I’m keeping this opportunity vague as it shapes up, as I’d love to co-create some of the details with the group! But I think it’s something you’ll really enjoy, and also something that’ll help you stretch your comfort zone just a tad in the process.

Summed up, here’s a general framework of activities:

• Highlight: Head to the region where monarch butterflies go to hibernate. See thousands and thousands of these endangered, magical creatures as they navigate the place where they were born to reach, without ever being there before.
• Experience the mystique of Teotihuacan, the ancient Aztec holy city, and explore its pyramids
• Take a canal boat through the floating gardens of Xocomilco
• Learn the art of cooking, Mexican style, and dine with locals 
• Lead a local service project involving the community and collaborative art
• Eat, dance, prance, sing, laugh
• Wander, connect, journal, reflect, rejuvenate
• Partake in activities that re-awaken your joyful adventurous spirit

Why travel with Megan?

I’m all about  adventurous, culturally connected, globally heart-centered experiences. Sharing my passion for exploring and expanding on an inner and outer adventure is what I’m here to do on this planet.

Travel, for me, has been the most powerful catalyst for personal growth, intellectual growth, and social growth. It’s opened my mind  to new worlds and introduced me to experiences I never imagined existed. Plus it’s presented me with ways to better trust my own inner power – and inner compass.

I firmly believe that if travel (true, conscious, connection-based travel) were a required part of every nation’s education system, we’d be much closer to achieving world peace.

What makes me your gal to lead this trip? I’m a professional life coach and workshop/retreat leader with a background in all things travel, from travel writing and photography to tour directing, travel planning, and cruise line services. Plus I spend my free time traveling (naturally!) and instigating daily playful interactions. I strive to make experiences fun, supportive, light and inclusive.

Leading this particular adventure retreat has been on my radar for a while. Yet in the past couple years, I’ve been hibernating, symbolically –  like the butterflies we’re going to visit. A few years ago, my brother was diagnosed with cancer and then passed away in 2015. When this happened, I retracted from leading trips of all types. My idea of adventure and what I felt I could handle in my business changed as the grief hit me hard. Instead, I worked on my inner, spiritual adventurous growth. Little by little, one small daily adventure action at a time, I found my way back to the outward goals and dreams that have been inevitable as a part of my life’s work: Sharing adventure retreats like this.

So it’s with great pleasure, a fist pump and a big ol’ “Yippy!” that I present you with this travel opportunity. I invite you to join me to see this pocket of the world, experience the splendor, and say yes to this adventure.

Why Mexico? Why Monarchs?

I spent a summer living in Mexico while in college, staying with a local family and attending a Spanish immersion course. The whole experience was incredible. I made many friends, danced many a night away, and fell madly in love with the country.  This place, the culture, these people, the flavors, the landscape are what I’d love to share with you.

The Monarch butterfly experience is something I’ve wanted to witness since I first heard the phenomenon existed. It’s something on my life list (a.k.a. bucket list), and something that changes every year (as sadly, the butterfly populations are dwindling). I know this is a special and unique activity that others would like to experience, too. So why not check it out  together?

So, if you’re

• seeking a trip that’s more than  a stay-in-one-place retreat, but less active than an always-on-the-go travel itinerary
• feeling in a rut, that you need a way to feel a little more adventurous, yet with the camaraderie of a group of fabulous people
• an explorer at heart who wants room to expand personally, and also likes to connect with others who share the journeyer’s heart…

Then strap on your jet pack and let’s get going!

<<current itinerary is subject to minor changes>>

Itinerary

Day 1, Friday

• Arrive in Mexico City
• Enjoy a delicious dinner together
• Stroll the Zocolo – the city’s downtown quarter
• Meet with Conchero dancers and learn traditional dance moves

Day 2, Saturday

• Breakfast
• Morning retreat activity – meditation & marvels
• Visit to the floating gardens of Xochimilco, including a canal boat ride and lunch
• Experiential Mexican cooking class & feasting
• Retreat Theme: The Compass

Day 3, Sunday

• Breakfast
• Visit to the ancient pyramids Teotihuacan, ancient pyramids
• Lunch included
• Explore + Free Time
• Dinner on your own
• Retreat Theme: The Space

Day 4, Monday

• Breakfast
• Morning marvels
• Transport to Valle de Bravo
• Explore + Free Time
• Group Retreat Activity
• Dinner on your own
• Retreat Theme: The Fuel

Day 5, Tuesday

• Breakfast
• Visit to Piedra Herrada Sanctuary
• Horseback ride and lunch included
• Explore + Free Time
• Dinner on your own
• Retreat Theme: The Expansion

Day 6, Wednesday

• Breakfast
• Morning marvels
• Community Service Project making collaborative art
• Lunch included
• Free Time to enjoy the lake, mountains, charming towns
• Group activity
• Dinner together
• Retreat Theme: The Flight

Day 7, Thursday 

• Breakfast
• Group finale
• Transport back to Mexico City – airport (or option for Toluca airport transport)

Where We’ll Stay

I’ve carefully selected two hotels with incredible reviews and ratings across the board, that cater to top quality service, style and comfort. Upon looking at review after review, after word of mouth review, and more reviews, I’m happy to announce the two wonderful hotels where we’ll get our zzzz’s. These include the Zócalo Central Hotel in the heart of Mexico City, and Mesón de Leyendas in Valle de Bravo. Both an impressive 4.5+ star guest rating.

Pricing and Details

Summed up, you’ll get:

• 6 breakfasts
• 3 dinners
• 4 lunches
• 6 nights accommodation in beautiful, highly-rated hotels
• all activities mentioned in itinerary
• all transportation to scheduled activities
• joy inducing coaching activities to ensure maximum benefit as your personal empowerment experience
• space for personal reflection
• a translator & coordinator
• pre-trip and post-trip 1-hour coaching call
• pre-trip travel details support from Megan and her fabulous assistant
• all tips & taxes
• small group promises. this is a personal experience, not a bus load, so the group is limited to 10 attendees

What’s not included:

• travel insurance
• airfare to Mexico City
• meals not mentioned in itinerary

** SINGLE RATE Supplement available: Add $500. **

Your Adventurous Spirit, Activated…Ready to Join?

Super! This experience is limited to just 10 attendees to allow for a small, personalized experience. To ensure the best possible group dynamic, an application is required. If this sounds like the trip for you, then please apply below.  Once my team reviews and approves your application, we’ll get in touch to set up a one-on-one call with me to get better acquainted. And from there, if we agree this is a great fit, then I’ll reserve your space with a trip deposit.

How do you know if you’re a fit? If you’ve been reading this description and the words, “yes, yes, yes!” are echoing through your head, then chances are you’re right where you’re supposed to be…gearing up to join the trip. Sign up while there’s still availability by applying below!

— Apply here —

Be sure to apply while there’s space!

Apply by June 30th, 2019 and you’ll get

1. A special welcome gift in the mail (shhh – it’s a surprise!)
2. A bonus customized adventure boost session post-retreat (a $397 value)!
3. A one-on-one coaching lunch with Megan in Mexico

Questions? Contact info(at)youradventurouslife.com or go here.

FAQs