A short break in one of the most awe inspiring and beautiful places on earth. We'll be staying in a gorgeous house, checking out the Northern Lights and traversing the Golden circle. In between all of that activity they'll be a whole lot of guitar playing.

I love going to Iceland at this time of year because there is something within its landscape that lends its self to taking a deep breath-perhaps its the air-after a year in whatever populace our attendees have arrived at this retreat from. It's the comma, placed right at the end of the year. We love it, and we're sure you'll love it too.

Understandably, many people feel anxious about trusting their precious instrument to baggage handlers. That anxiety isn’t helped by the endless Reddit threads and online discussions on this hot potato of a subject.

The first thing you need to know is that almost everything you read online isn’t based on reality. We travel with hundreds of guitars every year, and they always arrive safely and undamaged. The process for ensuring your guitar reaches its destination safely is actually very simple:

1. Check it in as baggage. You can do this by selecting ‘musical instruments’ or ‘sports equipment’ when booking your flight.

2. Use a hard case or a well-padded gig bag. This provides essential protection for your guitar.

Other options include:

3. Buying a seat for your guitar. Some airlines allow you to purchase an extra seat for your instrument to keep it safe in the cabin.

4. Buying a guitar at your destination. You might want to treat yourself or pick up a cheap guitar from a pawn shop, which you can then sell back when you leave.

5. Hiring a guitar from The Guitar Social. On some retreats, we can provide a guitar for you to use during your stay.

If you have any questions or need support in this area, please don’t hesitate to get in touch — we’re here to help.

On a Guitar Social retreat, all the action happens in our communal spaces — the kitchen, the lounge, and, if you’re joining us in France, the castle grounds. Your room is simply a place to store your clothes and get ready for your next musical adventure.

Room shares are allocated with age, gender, and identification in mind. We also consider people’s personal interests and do our very best to match guests well. For example, on one retreat, we organised a room share for three women — those three still holiday together, and two of them even lived together in London for a year. You never know who you’re going to meet on a Guitar Social retreat!

If you prefer your own room, we’re totally here for that. All of our accommodation options include private rooms, and if single rooms are sold out, just send us an email — we’ll explore alternatives, like buying out a twin room.

Most of all, we want you to trust that we take the care and wellbeing of everyone who books a retreat with us very seriously. That’s why we take more than 150 people on holiday each year and why, no matter where you are in the world, if you type “guitar retreats” into Google, it’s The Guitar Social you’ll find.

We welcome all levels of players onto our retreats. The Guitar Social is a specialist in making mixed groups work; there isn’t an advanced song that can’t be made simple, and there isn’t a simple song that can’t be made complex. Every player has a place in a Guitar Social jam.

Furthermore, once you have booked, your retreat tutor will be in touch to get an understanding of where you are with your progress, and the workshops will be designed around your, and the wider group’s, needs.

We pride ourselves on being non-elitist, inclusive, and creative in the way we approach our workshops.

We limit retreats to about 15. This is a far cry from a guitar retreat in a conference room in a hotel on the motorway. This is small scale, boutique, bespoke.

Afternoon

After some lunch and drinks at the Accomodation, we'll be heading out to see the Northern lights on a coach excursion. The lights are famously temperamental, so, if you don't see them on your first night, you can reuse your ticket for a chance later again in the week.

Evening

Either delighted or disappointed by our trip out, we head back to the house for a wholesome dinner, some drinks and a jam to last until bed.

Workshops

1. Icelandic pop music discovered

2. 18th century folk traditions with a focus on Rimur music

3. Technical studies; we will spend 45 minutes each day exploring key areas of playing that meet the groups requirements and playing levels. This will vary depending on attendance and group playing level.

Afternoon

A four hour tour of the golden circle, an area of incredible natural beauty including stunning waterfalls, exploding geezers and rolling landscapes created by millennia of volcanic activity. This jaw dropping tour is done via coach and covers a vast area of the island, providing you with the opportunity to get a true feel for this one of a kind location.

Evening

Drinks and live music at Hús máls og mennigar

Workshops

1. A study of Nordic forms in music

2. Icelandic punk music

3. Technical studies

Late afternoon

It's time to explore the compact and fascinating city of Reykjavik. As it's December there'll be plenty of opportunities for some Christmas shopping in this permanently festive place and, somewhat less festive, a trip to the Icelandic punk museum, housed in an underground toilet and staffed by two anarchic genuine teenage punks. Expect to be told to fuck off on entry.

Evening

There's an array of interesting places to eat in Reykjavik with some rare items on the menu for the carnivorous adventurer and plenty on offer for those who like to stay on familiar ground.

From there we'll head to see a live band or two before making our way home for some late night jamming.

Workshops

1. Jamming pop songs from 90's and 00's Iceland

2. Creating an ethereal sound on guitar using alternate tunings

3. Technical studies

Afternoon

Lunch in Reykjavik and then a ferry across to the rarely visited Videy Island, a place described by some as a magical island that passes most tourists by. This former volcano was deserted by the last inhabitants in 1943-you can see the deserted village-but now homes 30 species of birds including puffins.

We'll be taking a walk, spotting some wildlife, imagining how the last inhabitants felt when they packed their stuff up for the final time before leaving ourselves, for one more drink in Reykjavik ahead of our closing party at the house.

Evening

Your host (Thomas) is cooking you a traditional Icelandic dish to be enjoyed before we sing and play into the night.

The last day on a Guitar Social retreat is dedicated to packing down and making our way home with as much ease as possible.

Check out is at 10.30am. Depending on your flight, you may wish to head to a luggage drop off point to store your luggage before stealing however many hours you have left in your new favourite City.