Are we there yet?

“My last retreat with Laughing Heart was one of the most impactful weeks of my life. It started right from the moment I met the facilitators. They were open, authentic and pure and I felt that immediately. Their retreats are full of surprises that turn you around and around. And the people they attract, I fell in love with every one of them and with humanity as a whole. It was just beautiful. Right now I’m so full of energy and I know exactly what i want to do.”

Kathrin, Germany

Welcome to the “Are we there yet?” An experiment in trust and randomness pilot event information page.

The “Are we there yet” adventure is a road trip with an edge. We won’t always know where we are going or even if we have arrived, but we do know getting there will be a little bit special (with hindsight). Think of it like a metaphor on life with choice and chance mixed in equal measure. The journey is the destination.

And the backdrop to our adventure, the breathtaking beauty of Greece, interspersed with its ancient myths and stories.

Our intention is to combine the child-like wonder of exploration with the joy or discomfort in the not knowing.

This is the first time we are running an event like this so we are looking for adventurers who are willing to explore this journey with us and be part of a group that is looking to cocreate something unique, special and …unknown at the moment.

Because this is a pilot event we will be running it as a not for profit experience.

An outline of what to expect, or not:

Our group will meet in Athens where we will spend two days/nights getting to know each other and co-create our experience.

We will tour the underbelly of the city, away from tourist hotspots, where creativity and magic occur and we will discover hidden gems in which to eat, indulge and dive deep into the edgy Athenian cultural cauldron.

As a group we will get to either choose one of three geographical regions for our road trip eg. Peloponnese, Epirus, or Thessaly. Or we will agree to let the dice decide…

And then we will set off for 10 days with 3 4x4s, a map, a guide, tents and dice.

We will explore some remarkable places; we will sit in life’s deep questions and find meaning in the unlikeliest of spots.

About half the road trip we’ll be camping and the other half in hotels (because we know we will still want a decent shower every now and again).

There will be time for meditation, reflection, storytelling and exercises to bring new levels of trust and awareness. We hope to build deep and profound connections and be inspired. The rest is up to the dice.

The key is trust that you will get exactly what you need.

This is an experiment. We are all embarking on this together. We can not guarantee any outcome except that you will likely see parts of Greece you might not have even heard of before.

So let us know.

• If you want to experience authentic Greece (not in a traditional tourist way).
• If you are ok with letting go of any control of your experience.
• If you are up for combining some inner work and self-reflection whilst indulging all of your senses.
• If you are up for taking a chance on an event that has not been done before.

Our Vision

Our vision for this journey is that we get to experience parts of Greece we never knew existed.

That we will create some great relationships, especially with ourselves.

That we all return wiser, maybe happier.

The facilitators

Aaron, Manos and Virginie have led retreats for Laughing Heart .

You can check out their bios in the People section of the site.

Energy wise think a little of Zorba meets Buddha with a lot of heart.

Both Manos and Aaron have been on a random based road trip around Greece before, however, this is a first in seeing what it would be like to do this again with a bigger group of like-minded adventurers willing to embark on an experiment together.

The ethos of this experiment

The ethos of this experiment will be democratically set during our time in Athens. We do ask, however, that you drop all expectations and notice where you’ve been holding onto them all of your life. Our invitation to you is to embark on a life-transforming journey that will change you in some way. How? We don’t exactly know.

This is an opportunity to really notice how you are showing up in life right now. How you form relationships, what’s important to you and what’s not. What triggers you? Can you be with it and let it go? What scares you and holds you back from being who you want to be in life before the world told you who to be?

We are interested in exploring what it means to live fully NOW, and how this is connected to your Good Life.

We’ll share our wisdom and we will tap into yours. We will be on this journey together with no real idea of exactly where all of us will end up both geographically and metaphysically.

But we do know it will be transformative.

And, it won’t be exciting all the time. Sometimes you might even be bored or scared as in life.

Are you up for it? Want to take a risk? Does the above resonate? Roll the dice and let us know.

Dates

31 May – 11 June 2024 (11 nights)

Itinerary

We will meet Friday 31st May evening in Athens where we will have some time to get to know each other. Saturday we will explore Athens off the beaten track. If you want to see the key tourist sites of Athens we suggest you arrive a day earlier or leave a day later.

Sunday 2nd June in the morning we will set off on our road trip together arriving back in Athens on the 11th June.

Accommodation on the road trip will be a mix of camping and hotels probably around 50/50 (but who knows, the dice will be deciding).

Costs

This trip is being run as a not for profit.

Costs will be determined based on the numbers participating but we see a maximum of 12 including 4 facilitators.

We expect it to be around 3-4,000 Euros per person max.

The accounting spreadsheet will be available to all for inspection and we offer complete transparency. Given the randomness of the journey, will be keeping a “live” spreadsheet with us so at the end we produce a final account.

We request that you come alone (no couples or groups of friends) We want this to be a deeply personal adventure.

Although there is a level of randomness/ uncertainty purposely built into this trip we would like to invite your trust that at all times we will have your wellbeing both inner and outer as our main priority.

What’s included: (pretty much everything)

• 4×4 rentals
• Camping gear
• 3 nights accommodation in Athens (2 at the beginning and one at the end)
• 5 nights hotel accommodation on the trip (the other 5 we will be camping)
• All meals throughout the trip
• Entry fees to any sites we visit
• Road tolls

What’s not included:

• Transfers to and from Athens
• Insurance
• Extra spending money

Upon confirmation of booking we will be in close communication to discuss practicalities and logistics prior to your arrival. The one thing we can tell you right now that is a must have on the packing list is your open heart and curiosity.

Upon confirmation of booking we will be in close communication to discuss practicalities and logistics prior to your arrival. The one thing we can tell you right now that is a must have on the packing list is your open heart and curiosity.

If you are still reading this and you feel a little nudge in your heart then please contact us and we will arrange for a video call to discuss whether this experience is for you or not.