Productive Retreats for Remote Teams

Illustation of a boat

Turn your online colleagues into real teammates

1000+
Offsites organized
10
Years of experience
200+
Retreat locations

Why organize a remote team retreat?

Remote work offers flexibility and access to global talent, but it can also make collaboration and relationship-building more difficult. That's why many remote-first companies organize retreats to bring employees together in person.

Time spent together helps colleagues build trust, align on priorities, collaborate on complex projects, and strengthen company culture. Many distributed teams meet once or twice per year to reconnect, share ideas, and create meaningful relationships beyond Slack and Zoom.

Organize your next remote team retreat with Surf Office

1000+ retreats organized ● 10 years of experience ● 200+ retreat locations

Sample Retreat Itinerary in Lisbon

For many distributed companies, retreats are one of the few opportunities to bring the entire team together in person. Here's an example of a 5-day remote team retreat in Lisbon based on a real retreat organized for Mattermost.

Day 1: Arrival & Team Connection

First hellos and easing in

  • 14:00–18:00Airport transfers and hotel check-in
  • 18:30–20:00Welcome dinner and team introductions
  • 20:00–22:00Informal networking and discussions

Day 2: Product Roadmap & Planning

Aligning on what's next

  • 07:30–08:30Breakfast at hotel
  • 09:00–10:30Product roadmap presentation and discussion
  • 10:30–11:00Coffee break
  • 11:00–12:30Product roadmap planning sessions
  • 12:30–14:00Lunch featuring local seafood and Portuguese cuisine
  • 14:00–16:00Cross-functional collaboration and idea development
  • 16:00–19:00Free time to explore Lisbon
  • 20:00–22:00Group dinner in the city center

Day 3: Design Hackathon

Build, present, celebrate

  • 07:30–08:30Breakfast at hotel
  • 09:00–10:00Hackathon kickoff and team formation
  • 10:00–12:30Project development and collaborative work sessions
  • 12:30–14:00Lunch
  • 14:00–16:30Final project presentations and team feedback
  • 20:00–lateCelebration dinner

Day 4: Team Trip & Local Culture

Out of the office, into Lisbon

  • 07:30–08:30Breakfast at hotel
  • 09:00–17:00Day trip to Sintra, including historic landmarks and local attractions
  • 13:00–14:30Team lunch and informal discussions
  • 20:00–22:30Traditional Fado dinner and live music experience

Day 5: Departure

A relaxed goodbye

  • 07:30–09:00Breakfast at hotel
  • FlexibleAirport transfers and departures

Recent retreats organized by Surf Office

Best retreat locations

Get 3 personalized venue proposals

Organize your next remote team retreat with Surf Office

Remote team retreat activity ideas

Looking for inspiration on how to keep your remote team busy on the retreat?
Here are some activities that Surf Office has hosted in the past:

company retreat activity beach

Head to the beach

Workday, a people analytics company, hosted its company retreat in Barcelona. The team spent at the beach with activities like stand up paddle, swimming, and a surfing lesson. A beach trip is good for big groups because everyone can do what they want. Some can swim, some can play beach volleyball, and some can veg in the sun.

company retreat activity gran canaria

Take a hike

Get away from the noise and hustle of the city and bring your team for a nature hike. Our destinations in the Catskill Mountains, Zion national park, and Gran Canaria are perfect for bringing your team on a hike for some fresh air.

company retreat activity

Treasure hunt

Break up your larger group in small teams and take a walk through the historic streets of Lisbon, for instance. See famous monuments, hidden gems, and learn about the culture of the city on a scavenger hunt. Get to know the city and each other in a fun way.

company retreat activity sailing

Sailing trip

Surf Office can arrange as many boats as necessary to take your company for a sunset sail. We’ve hosted short sailing trips for our retreats in Lisbon, Ericeira, Santa Cruz, Mallorca, Valencia, and Barcelona. These are memorable evenings out – usually with a stunning sunset!

company retreat activity ted talk

Host a speaker or Ted Talk

Invite a local expert to speak about something out-of-the-box. Or, have your employees volunteer to give informal Ted Talk-style presentations about something they’re passionate about. This approach leverages internal resources, uplifts individual interests, and shows your support for skills beyond work roles.

company retreat activity evbox

Share a meal

EVBox is a company focused on providing charging solutions for electric vehicles. Their group of 200 people joined Surf Office for a company retreat. In the process, we hosted a special dining experience in Lisbon with traditional dishes and drinks. Organizing meals can be a challenge for large groups: read what we’ve learned about making restaurant reservations.

company retreat activity

Hackathon

If you want to keep your team bonding business-focused, host a hackathon. Divide the large group up into small teams and work on a project. A traditional hackathon focuses on creative problem-solving – emphasis on “creative.” Don’t be afraid to make the hackathon open-ended to foster innovation.

FAQs about remote team offsites

What is a remote team retreat?

A remote team retreat is an event that brings distributed employees together in person to collaborate, strengthen relationships, and spend time together outside of video calls and messaging platforms.

Why are retreats important for remote teams?

Remote teams often communicate through Slack, email, and video calls. Retreats provide an opportunity to build stronger personal connections, improve collaboration, and strengthen company culture through face-to-face interactions.

How often should remote teams meet in person?

Many remote companies organize retreats once or twice per year. The ideal frequency depends on team size, growth stage, budget, and how often employees have opportunities to meet in person.

What should be included in a remote team retreat agenda?

A successful remote team retreat agenda typically includes collaborative work sessions, brainstorming, team-building activities, and informal social time. The best retreats balance productivity with opportunities to connect outside of work.

How long should a remote team retreat be?

Most remote team retreats last between 3 and 5 days. This gives employees enough time to build meaningful relationships while still making the most of their time away from home.

What are the benefits of a remote team retreat?

Remote team retreats can improve communication, strengthen trust, increase employee engagement, boost morale, and help distributed teams build stronger working relationships.

What activities work best for remote teams?

Popular activities for remote teams include city tours, cooking classes, sailing trips, surf lessons, hiking, escape rooms, and collaborative workshops. The best activities encourage interaction and help teammates get to know each other beyond their daily work.

What are the best locations for a remote team retreat?

The best remote team retreat locations offer good flight connections, reliable infrastructure, comfortable workspaces, and memorable experiences. Popular destinations include Porto, Tenerife, Belgrade, Istanbul, New Orleans, and Da Nang.

Are remote team retreats worth the cost?

For many remote-first companies, retreats are one of the most effective ways to strengthen culture, improve collaboration, and build long-term relationships between employees who rarely meet in person.

How do you organize a retreat for a distributed team?

Planning a remote team retreat involves choosing an accessible destination, coordinating travel, arranging accommodation and workspaces, organizing activities, and creating an agenda that balances work and social time. Many companies work with retreat planners to simplify the process.

💛 Wall of love 💛

The SurfOffice team helped me organise a great offsite abroad for my distributed team of 16 and the experience was seamless. Their clear communication made planning easy, and they thought of everything we might need. They have a great selection of hotels and experiences, helping us stay within budget without compromising on quality. What especially stood out was their real-time availability during the event, which helped us quickly solve a few last-minute issues.

Laura
Community & Events Manager

We recently worked with Surf Office to organize a company retreat in Lisbon, and the experience was nothing short of exceptional. From the very beginning, Simon was incredibly patient and supportive, helping us navigate multiple destination changes until we finally landed on Lisbon. His calm demeanor and willingness to ensure we found the perfect location made the planning process much smoother. Once we signed the contracts, Cristi took over and was an absolute star. Her patience, clear communication, and flexibility made all the difference. She understood our brief, even in its most creative form, and worked tirelessly to bring it to life. Cristi kept us on budget, coordinated seamlessly with the right production team, and managed everything through an intuitive dashboard on Coda. She was always a step ahead, anticipating our needs before we even voiced them. On the ground, Fernanda was a force to be reckoned with! She ensured that venues delivered on time and to the highest standards, making sure every detail was executed flawlessly. What truly set Surf Office apart was their ability to make us feel like a collective team rather than just another client. They handled sensitive information with discretion, tackled challenges with calm professionalism, and ultimately delivered an unforgettable retreat. We would work with Surf Office again in a heartbeat and highly recommend them to anyone looking to plan a seamless, well-executed offsite.

Medhavi
Talent Acquisition Manager

From the very first contact to the last goodbye, Surf Office was an incredible company to work with for our company retreat in Portugal. The customer service was top tier and every single person I interacted with was absolutely lovely, professional and so helpful.

Tracy
Head of Human Resources

We recently had our company retreat in Spain which was organized together with Surf Office and the experience exceptional. From the initial planning stages to the final details, the Surf Office team was professional, attentive, and incredibly helpful. They provided tailored recommendations for a venue and their local expertise and network made the entire process smooth and stress-free. The seamless coordination of accommodation, transportation, and activities allowed us to focus on creating meaningful connections within our team without worrying about logistics. The retreat itself was a huge success, and a big part of that was thanks to Surf Office's ability to anticipate our needs and adapt to last-minute changes. I would like to give a special shoutout to Romane who is an organization wizard and made sure everything works out as planned, Fernanda who was our on-site support and did an exceptional job even for the very short-term requests. If you're looking for a reliable partner to help organize your next retreat, I highly recommend Surf Office. Their expertise, attention to detail, and dedication to creating memorable experiences are unmatched. Thank you!

Alisha
Culture Manager

We have organized company retreats for our distributed 30 people team multiple times with Surf Office and the team has loved it every time. Surf Office has some great venues as part of their portfolio and do a great job helping to facilitate pretty much everything from accommodation, food, activities, airport transfers etc.

Kaylie
Director of People

Candela over at Surf helped us to organise our first ever team retreat in Portugal for 30 odd people (which included +1s and small children.) It honestly couldn't have been more perfect. Every detail was seen to and we felt completely supported. Our team came away from that trip feeling like a proper little family. Such wonderful memories. We honestly could never have done this without Surf and would recommend to anyone.

Gemma
Studio manager

Surf Office made planning our 20 person offsite a breeze! They found the perfect location for us, advised on places we weren't originally considering, and the organization/logistics were very smooth. As a small people team, having this extra help makes a world of a difference. Our team had a great time!

Leila
Head of People

We had a fantastic experience partnering with Surf Office for our 3-day company retreat in Costa Brava. From the early planning stages to the end of the event, everything ran smoothly and professionally. We first worked with Anthony, our Company Retreat Consultant, who helped us choose the right package. He was responsive, approachable, and clearly experienced—making it easy to select the hotel, which suited our needs perfectly. From there, we were supported by Romane, our dedicated Retreat Manager. She was absolutely great—well-organized, proactive, and always ready with thoughtful recommendations and local insights. Whether it was fine-tuning the schedule, adjusting logistics, or booking group activities like kayaking and hiking, she made sure every detail was handled. The mix of work sessions, team-building, and social time was just right. The hotel was comfortable, the activities were fun and well-coordinated, and the team dinners and beach events added a special touch. Everyone had a great time and felt the experience helped strengthen our team dynamics. Surf Office made it easy to plan and execute a retreat for 65 people without stress. We’d absolutely recommend them to any team looking to run an effective and memorable offsite—and we’ll definitely be working with them again.

Giulia
International HR Advisor

We had the pleasure of working with Surf Office to organise our annual company offsite in Portugal and the experience exceeded all expectations. From the initial planning stages to the final event, the team demonstrated outstanding professionalism, attention to detail and a true commitment to making our event a success. Every aspect of the offsite was handled seamlessly, including venue selection, team-building activities and logistics. They have a deep knowledge and network of local and trusted vendors.

Helen
Director of Market Intelligence

Organize your next remote team retreat with Surf Office

How does it work?

1. Tell us more about your plans

We would like to hear more about your plans and how we can make your next remote team summit a success.

Do you have an office in one location or is your team distributed? Can employees bring their partners? Is the retreat going to be more about work or fun?

2. Planning with your dedicated project manager

Even finding and booking one single restaurant for the dinner can be a painful project. Is the food going to be good? Is the price fair? How many of our team members have diet restrictions?

Each retreat is a combination of multiple smaller projects and with a large group the complexity might be scary.

But no worries, we mastered this process and made it fun and easy.

Our experienced project manager dedicated to you will help you with a whole organisation from searching for flights to crafting unique surprise activities for your team.

We will be your one-stop-shop for all of the logistics of your retreat. The Retreat Planner assigned to your group will work with you to book and coordinate everything from A-Z, providing you with peace-of-mind and a guarantee of quality and reliability from our local partners at the best possible prices.

According to our repeat clients and our first-time clients who have previous experience in organizing retreats in-house, this is the greatest value that we bring to them.

3. Detailed plan and schedule of your remote team retreat

At the end of the planning process you will end up with the bullet-proof schedule. There is no room for improvisation with a large group.

Everything must work perfectly, all the activities and transfers must be just-on-time.

Sounds like a dream end, right? That’s how we work.

You are ready for your epic remote team retreat.

How does Surf Office work?

OFF-SITE PACKAGE

Included in the package:

  • Private office
  • Accommodation
  • Dedicated pre-arrival Retreat Planner
  • Customized schedule with activities
  • Meal reservations
  • Online concierge service

LITTLE EXTRAS

We can help you to find an optimal location

As people are travelling from all over the places, we know how important is for you to find an optimal retreat location which will minimise the time for your team members.

Find an optimal location for your next remote team retreat

No matter how spread out around the globe you are, we’ll find the best location for you all to meet.

Flexible check-in

We understand the traditional hospitality check-in after 2 pm is not convenient for a distributed team coming in from all over the globe. We’ll have someone at the workspace at all times to receive guests and check you into the accommodation as early as possible.

Organization of a local meetup

Organizing a local meetup: Be it for hiring or networking purposes, we have a strong local community of tech people and remote workers in most Surf Office locations and can easily put together a meetup like the one for a previous Automattic group in Lisbon.


choose your location

Choose from hundreds of retreat locations in Europe, America, Asia-Pacific, and Africa.