Cancellation Policy

1. While you're on the waitlist

Joining the waitlist is, and always will be, completely free and non-binding. You can leave the waitlist at any time, for any reason, with no cost and no questions asked. Being on the waitlist never obliges you to accept an invitation, and never obliges grounds to extend one.

2. Once your booking is confirmed

A binding contract is formed only once you have accepted your invitation, paid the full retreat price, and received written confirmation from grounds (see our Terms & Conditions, Section 2). From that point, the following applies:

Confirmed bookings are, as a general rule, non-refundable. This reflects the reality of how we plan: we commit to venues, chefs, facilitators, and small group sizes well in advance, on the basis of confirmed numbers, and those commitments cannot usually be undone once made.

2.1 The waitlist safety net

If you do need to cancel a confirmed place, we will always try to help. If grounds is able to fill your place with another suitable participant from the waitlist, we may, at our sole discretion, refund your payment, minus a reasonable administrative fee to cover the cost of rebooking and processing.

• This is offered as a courtesy where circumstances allow — not as a guaranteed right — because whether a replacement participant can be found in time depends on factors outside our control, including how close it is to the retreat date.

• The administrative fee reflects real costs (such as payment processing, updated logistics, and administrative time) and will always be communicated to you clearly before any refund is issued.

• If we are not able to fill your place, no refund will be given, regardless of the reason for cancellation.

2.2 If grounds needs to cancel or reschedule

If grounds cancels or reschedules a retreat - for example because a minimum number of participants was not reached, or due to a force majeure event described in our Terms & Conditions - you will be offered a full refund or a place on an alternative date, at your choice.

3. Travel insurance

Recommendation: Because confirmed bookings are generally non-refundable and grounds does not include travel insurance, we strongly recommend that every participant takes out comprehensive travel insurance shortly after booking - including cover for trip cancellation, medical emergencies abroad, and travel disruption. This is entirely the participant's own responsibility and choice of provider.

5. How to cancel

If you need to cancel a confirmed booking, please email us at hello@groundsretreats.com as soon as possible. The sooner we know, the better our chances of finding a replacement participant from the waitlist on your behalf.