MfH Retreat Attendee Info
Welcome to the Retreat!
We’re so happy to have you.
Please read the following in detail, TODAY. Most of your questions will be answered here. If you have any further questions, please email touring@marketingforhippies.com
Schedule & Location Details:
Wednesday, July 9, 2025: 10 am-6 pm (lunch from 1-3pm)
Thursday, July 10, 2025: 10am-6pm (lunch from 1-3pm)
Friday, July 11, 2025: 10am-6pm (lunch from 1-3pm)
Saturday, July 12, 2025: 10am-6pm (lunch from 1-3pm)
Sunday, July 13, 2025: 10am-1pm
LOCATION: Lila Music Center in Duncan, BC. The retreat will take place in the yurt beside Tad’s house. The address and local contact info will be provided to people who are accepted to the retreat.
The specific address is: 3228A Gibbins Road, Duncan, BC, V9L 1G8
EMERGENCY CONTACT FOR TAD: You can phone or text Tad at 1-780-885-8891. You can email him at: tadlington@gmail.com.
NETWORKING & CONTACTS GOOGLE SHEET: We’ve made a doc for you to coordinate one another’s details and share information. It’s a working doc for you as the participants, so feel free to make it work for you by editing it as you wish/need. You can use it to coordinate accommodation shares and/or ride-shares, if you wish. Find it HERE.
Please note that we will NOT be monitoring this spreadsheet, if you have any questions about the retreat or logistics, please email touring@marketingforhippies.com
WHAT TO BRING:
Slippers are great for wearing inside the yurt.
A refillable water bottle.
A journal or notebook and favourite pen for making notes. We’ll be doing some drawing too so be ready for that.
Your laptop or tablet for digital notes and such.
MEALS:
Meals are not included in the retreat, you will need to make your own food arrangements for the duration of the workshop, including lunch breaks. You can bring your own food and eat on location, or there are some great little places to eat within a short drive of the workshop location to choose from. We will be a twenty-minute walk from downtown. For groceries, I recommend the Community Farm Store (most organic), Country Grocer or Thrifty’s and for fresh juices, smoothies and raw, vegan desserts, it’s Glow. If you’re new to Canada, you’ve got to try the A&W Teen Burger (it’s the greatest of all burgers).
RIVER SPOTS FOR HOT DAYS:
Chemainus River Provincial Park (A 20-minute drive from the land). You can watch a wee video I made of it here.
Heritage Road River Access (A 7-minute drive)
If you’d like a pool to swim in or to hit up a sauna while you’re here, the Cowichan Aquatic Center is cheap as borscht and the sauna is great.
THINGS IN VICTORIA:
If you plan to swing through Victoria and want the best tacos in town, check out Maiiz. Best fish chowder is Red Fish, Blue Fish and best spa is HAVN. Two of my favourite farm to table restaurants are Charlotte and the Quail and Nourish. Best vegetarian, gluten and dairy free options is Be Love. Best beach is Spiral Beach.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS ON THE ISLAND:
Tofino is absolutely a place to visit if you have time. Sombrio Beach too. The Crow and Gate Pub up near Nanaimo is a legit, old English style pub. And Salt Spring Island is a quick ferry ride from Duncan and has one of the most charming Farmer’s Markets on the West Coast.
LODGING:
We’re not endorsing any of these, please do your own research and find the best fit for you.
Airbnb: This is probably your best option. Look for something near the venue address (listed above). Consider booking a home with some of your fellow participants.
OUR EcoVillage: You can also stay here, one of Canada’s leading eco-villages, it is a 30-minute drive away.
On Site: There are potentially some options to stay at the Lila Music Center, these will be subject to availability.
Option 1: Rent a room in the main house, there may be 3 bedrooms available with queen beds, each room is $100 per night. See the main house here.
Option 2: Rent the fancy Hobbit house for $130 per night. See the Hobbit house here.
For either of these two options, please email Cari at cari@cariburdett.com to check availability. If it’s available then an e-transfer would be due to hold your spot (refunds only available up to 1 week prior, after which no refunds).
PETS: There are live, free run chickens on the land and a garden and so dogs or cats are discouraged. Please do everything you can to leave them at home. If there’s no other option, you can discuss the situation with Cari Burdett whose land we’re on. If the pets are here they will not be allowed in the yurt and would likely need to stay in your vehicle during sessions. There are a number of dog kennels and daycares in the area that you can find here.
GARDEN: if there are any vegetables or fruits on the land they are that are ripe, you are welcome to harvest and pay what they would pay from a farm stand. Cari may put together things that will be ripe during your stay and then put a little Price Beside them on the chalkboard.
On Site Camping: We could accommodate about 10 to 15 folks camping on the land here.
It’s $30 CAD/night to tent (cash when you arrive is preferred).
There is a compost toilet.
There is no outdoor or indoor kitchen access on site for campers.
Please note that there’s no electricity on site, though you’re welcome to charge your devices at Tad’s house.
If you share an AirBnb with others it might not be that expensive and will probably end up being more comfortable.
TO BOOK CAMPING: Please email Cari at cari@cariburdett.com to let them know you’d like to camp on the land for the Marketing for Hippies Retreat.
TRANSPORT:
FLYING INTO NANAIMO: This is the closest/fastest airport option if you can make it work! You can rent a car from the airport and drive straight up to Duncan from Nanaimo.
BUS FROM NANAIMO AIRPORT TO DUNCAN: There’s also local transit from the airport to Duncan, check out BC Transit for this option.
FLYING INTO VICTORIA: You can rent a car from the airport and drive straight up to Duncan from Victoria.
BUS FROM VICTORIA AIRPORT TO DUNCAN: There’s also local transit from the airport to Duncan, check out BC Transit for this option.
FLYING INTO VANCOUVER: You can rent a car at the airport, then drive to catch the ferry from Tsawwassen to either Swartz Bay or Nanaimo, and then drive to Duncan. Nanaimo is the closer ferry terminal to Duncan.
FERRY: For help finding a ferry to either Swartz Bay or Nanaimo go to the BC Ferries website.
CAR SERVICE: There’s no Uber in Duncan but there are a few local taxi services. You can rent a car in Nanaimo, Victoria, or Vancouver from all of the usual rental companies, most of which operate from the airports.
LOCAL TRANSIT: Cowichan Valley Regional Transit Services, Island Link Bus Service, Vancouver Island Connector
PARKING: You can park at the venue but we encourage carpooling or walking (and finding a place nearby to stay).
Resources for folks who are new-ish to my work:
BEFORE you hit the road for the retreat, be sure to have:
Delved into your Ethical Marketing Starter Kit (1 hour)
Watched my Marketing for Hippies 101 Workshop (2.5 hours)
Payment Options: Please Read In Detail TODAY
1. Pay-what-you-can (PWYC):
This is how I invite you to pay. If you chose this option, you’ve already paid a $100 USD deposit to confirm your spot, so our thanks for that.
At the end of the weekend, in the last 15 minutes as we finish and settle up, you can pay whatever you want to pay on top of that. That amount will be a mix between the value you got and what you are able to pay. Whatever you pay is perfect. There’s no minimum. Truly.
You will have the option to PWYC in cash at the retreat (preferred), or to PWYC via credit card or PayPal using a link that will be sent shortly after the retreat.
I prefer to be paid in cash at the end of the retreat.
Refund Policy: The $100 USD deposit is fully refundable up until two weeks before the retreat. After that, it is not refundable.
IF NEEDED: You can pay in four instalments, for any amounts, spread out over a year. I’ve opted for this approach for my retreats because, in my experience, entrepreneurs are cash-flow poor and it’s easier to spread payments out rather than people feeling terrible that they can’t pay much all in one moment. If possible, I ask that the first payment be in cash at the retreat if you’re able. If you’d like to spread out your payments this can be done with post-dated cheques, or via PayPal.
If the amount you can afford to pay would be similar, I’d prefer a lump sum in cash at the retreat if you can.
2. Pay in Full at Market Value:
I offer this because PWYC makes some people deeply uneasy and they would rather just have it all settled before the retreat gets started. If that’s the case, you can pay the market value of $1500 USD upfront via credit card or PayPal when you register for the retreat. If you chose this option, you’ve already paid the $1500 USD market value, so our thanks for that.
Refund Policy: The $1500 USD market value payment is fully refundable up until two weeks before the retreat. After that, we can issue a partial refund, but we will hold back a $375 USD cancellation fee.
3. Payment Plan at Market Value:
Again, I’d rather you do PWYC but, if that feels uncomfortable to you, another option is to split the $1500 USD market value into instalments. You can make four payments of $375 USD within one year, with the first instalment due via credit card or PayPal when you register for the retreat. If you chose this option, you’ve already paid the $375 USD first instalment, so our thanks for that.
Refund Policy: The $375 USD first instalment is fully refundable up until two weeks before the retreat. After that, we will hold back the $375 USD instalment as a cancellation fee.
To be very clear: you are not expected to pay the $1500 USD market value unless you truly choose to do so. It’s a legitimate PWYC deal. No pressure. I want this to be accessible and sustainable for you.
I offer this because PWYC makes some people deeply uneasy and they would rather just have it all settled before the retreat gets started. If that’s the case, you can pay the market value of $1500 USD upfront via credit card or PayPal when you register for the retreat. If you chose this option, you’ve already paid the $1500 USD market value, so our thanks for that.
Refund Policy: The $1500 USD market value payment is fully refundable up until two weeks before the retreat. After that, we can issue a partial refund, but we will hold back a $375 USD cancellation fee.
3. Payment Plan at Market Value:
Again, I’d rather you do PWYC but, if that feels uncomfortable to you, another option is to split the $1500 USD market value into instalments. You can make four payments of $375 USD within one year, with the first instalment due via credit card or PayPal when you register for the retreat. If you chose this option, you’ve already paid the $375 USD first instalment, so our thanks for that.
Refund Policy: The $375 USD first instalment is fully refundable up until two weeks before the retreat. After that, we will hold back the $375 USD instalment as a cancellation fee.
To be very clear: you are not expected to pay the $1500 USD market value unless you truly choose to do so. It’s a legitimate PWYC deal. No pressure. I want this to be accessible and sustainable for you.
Duncan, BC V9L 1G8
Canada
