Surf Office Alternatives for Team Retreats

The short list

Surf Office alternatives fall into a few groups: a local planner in one US region, a marketplace, a platform with planners behind it, a full-service model quoted per person, or an agency with a different budget level. Here are the nine alternatives we would consider first, with the reason each might suit you. Vantly publishes this page and lists itself first; the other options follow in alphabetical order.

1. Vantly, if your retreat is in one US city or region and you want a local planner who works there.
2. BoomPop, if you want to run events through a platform and start from a budget estimate.
3. Flok, if you're a distributed tech company that wants a strategy-led retreat.
4. Meet&Retreat, if you're planning for 10 to 200 people in the US and want a planner on site.
5. Moniker Partners, if you have a large budget and want a dedicated planning team.
6. Offsite.com, if you want a marketplace of venues with an optional done-for-you service.
7. Offsiteio, if you'd like a per-person quote with remote support across the Americas and Europe.
8. The Offsite Co., if you have a large budget and prefer a flat-fee model.
9. TeamOut, if you want to see a per-guest package and minimum before a first call.

Why teams look beyond Surf Office

Teams searching for Surf Office alternatives are often weighing a Europe-first provider against a planner in one US region. Surf Office calls itself a "Team Offsite & Company Retreat Agency" and says it has organized "1000+" events across "200+ destinations".

Its own pages lean toward Europe. Its locations page says Europe is "the most popular destination for business retreats" and lists Mallorca, Barcelona, Lisbon, Gran Canaria, Sicily and Athens, and its homepage customer stories are set in Porto, Mallorca, Ericeira and Lisbon. The "USA and Canada" region is one of five, with Palm Springs, Miami, Austin, the Catskill Mountains, New Orleans, Nashville, Montreal and Toronto.

To get started you send an inquiry. Its FAQ says "a short call (usually about 5 minutes)" helps shape the proposal, and that planning starts once you agree on the proposal and pay. It also says that in most cases staff do not stay with the group, since the retreat planner prepares everything ahead and on-site partners help if something comes up. Surf Office says it does not book flights for clients directly.

Surf Office can be a strong fit when you want Europe or another far-flung destination and a team that has done it many times. Teams usually look at Surf Office alternatives when the retreat is in one US region, when they want a published starting point, or when they want a planner on site. We did not find a price list on its site, only a Budget Calculator and a quote form. For a wider view of the market, see our best corporate retreat planning companies and our guide to corporate retreat cost.

1. Vantly: a local planner for one US region

Vantly is a procurement partner that connects companies with local event planners across the US. Its network has more than 1,000 local planners . Instead of starting with an agency team, you start with a planner who works in the region where your retreat happens.

How it works

1. You share one brief with dates, headcount, region and needs.
2. Vantly matches that brief with a local planner, who produces a turnkey event proposal with prices. We send it within 48 hours, at no cost. Any price still waiting on a vendor's confirmation is marked as an estimate.
3. From there, your local planner handles the venues and vendors, and you deal only with Vantly instead of many small vendors, with clear, structured invoices that are easy to reconcile. You sign one contract with Vantly.

You can browse local planners by city in the Vantly planner directory.

Vantly publishes this page and lists itself as the #1 pick, so read this entry with that in mind.

Best for: teams planning a retreat or offsite in a specific US city or region who want a planner with local knowledge of its venues and suppliers.

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2. BoomPop: an events platform with planners behind it

BoomPop's homepage lists an "Event Management Platform" and "Full Service Event Planning", plus a budget estimator that gives an estimate "in 1 minute or less". Its example events include US cities such as Nashville, New York City and San Francisco, and also Lisbon, Portugal and Barcelona, Spain.

Navan announced it had acquired BoomPop, which it describes as an AI-powered platform for meetings and events, with events "from 15-person gatherings to conferences with thousands". We did not find a price list on the pages we read, so the estimator is the way to get a number. For more, see our BoomPop alternatives.

Best for: companies that want to run events through a platform and can accept an estimate-first process.

3. Flok: strategy-first retreats for distributed tech teams

Flok calls itself a "strategy-first corporate retreat planning company for remote and distributed tech teams" and says it handles "the venue, the structure, the logistics, and the on-site operation". You can also bring Flok in for venue sourcing only. The client stories on that page include a 70-person retreat in Vail, Colorado.

Flok writes: "Most retreats land between $2,000 and $5,000 per person, all-in." It lists "distributed tech companies of 100 to 1000" as the teams it serves, which describes company size, not group size.

Best for: remote tech companies that want help designing the retreat around a goal, not only booking it.

4. Meet&Retreat: planning for groups of 10 to 200 with a planner on site

Meet&Retreat is based in Chicago and plans "groups of 10 to 200, across the US and select destinations worldwide". It says "We're on site for every trip" and that planning "starts at $8,000", set by program length, group size, destination and lead time.

It also offers rush planning with as little as 30 days' notice, and an $800 one-on-one strategy session for teams that want to plan on their own. Named destinations include Chicago, Napa Valley, Scottsdale, Nashville and Austin.

Best for: small and mid-size US retreats where a published starting point and an on-site planner matter.

5. Moniker Partners: large-budget retreats with a dedicated team

Moniker Partners says it is "best suited for trip budgets starting at $250k+" and that every trip gets a "full-time dedicated pod" of three planning experts. Its locations page groups past trips under Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, Europe and North America, with European examples such as Nice, Istanbul, Gran Canaria and Split.

Its FAQ says "We do not plan small team offsites, single-day events, nor health and wellness retreats" and suggests expecting "$750/pp per day for domestic retreats, or $1,000/pp per day for international retreats", with all expenses included. For more, see our Moniker Partners alternatives.

Best for: large-budget retreats where a dedicated team is the priority and the location is still open.

6. Offsite.com: a venue marketplace with an optional done-for-you service

Offsite.com says you can choose between "done for you" end-to-end offsite planning services or search its "Airbnb-style marketplace" of venues and vendors. It says booking requests get detailed proposals within 48 hours, and that end-to-end planning is offered at a "flat, per-person rate".

Its destination menu lists US cities such as Austin, Chicago, Denver, Nashville and New York, and international options including Barcelona, Lisbon, London and Rome. We did not find the per-person rate on the pages we read. For more, see our Offsite.com alternatives.

Best for: teams that want to browse venues themselves and can add planning help when needed.

7. Offsiteio: full-service offsites quoted per person

Offsiteio is built for "the Chief of Staff, People lead or EA who got handed the offsite". It says each proposal is "one upfront price per person", with flights quoted separately. Trips start from about $999 per person in the Caribbean and Latin America, depending on destination.

It lists 24/7 remote support on every trip and an optional on-site coordinator, and says its destinations are "Across the Americas, Europe, and beyond".

Best for: a first-time offsite owner who wants a per-person quote and support without a large agency team.

8. The Offsite Co.: full-service retreats for large budgets

The Offsite Co. says it specializes in retreats "with budgets of $300,000 or more". It describes a flat-fee model and says it manages flights, transportation and on-site logistics.

It recommends "about $750/night/employee + flights", and starting 6 months ahead, or 9 to 12 months for larger teams.

Best for: large-budget retreats where a flat-fee structure is the deciding factor.

9. TeamOut: per-guest packages with published minimums

TeamOut lists four options on its pricing page.

• Venue Sourcing: no charge, any group size.
• Standard: $199 per guest, $3,000 minimum, remote planner.
• Premium: $249 per guest, $15,000 minimum, planner on site.
• Agency: $299 per guest, $35,000 minimum, event producers on site.

A $250 deposit applies, and TeamOut says hotel rooms, food and activities are "billed at cost on top". It also lists packages for US destinations such as Park City, New York, Tarrytown, Waikiki and Charleston. For more, see our TeamOut alternatives.

Best for: teams that want to see the planning price and minimum before a first call.

Comparison at a glance

This table puts six options side by side on the same questions.

A planning price is not the total cost of the trip. BoomPop, Flok, Moniker Partners and The Offsite Co. are covered in the entries above.

Which option fits which job

A scenario: an operations lead planning a retreat for a US-based team

Picture an operations lead at a 60-person company whose team lives in Denver, Chicago and Austin. She wants a three-night retreat and has never worked with a retreat agency. Flights from three US cities to Lisbon add cost and travel time, so she is open to a US destination.

Surf Office's "USA and Canada" region lists Austin and Nashville, so a quote there is a reasonable first step. With Meet&Retreat, she could start from a published planning starting point and a planner on site. With Vantly, she could share one brief and ask for a proposal from a local planner who works in the chosen city, so the venue, the schedule and the vendors come as one plan. Comparing two or three proposals side by side usually settles it.

How to choose

The most useful question is where your team wants to meet. If you want Europe and an agency that has run many retreats there, Surf Office is a natural option, and Offsiteio, Offsite.com and Moniker Partners also list European destinations. If you want to see a planning price first, TeamOut, Meet&Retreat and Offsiteio each publish one. If your retreat is in one US region and you want a planner who knows it, Vantly is built around that. Whichever you shortlist, confirm current terms with each company before you decide. For ideas on the format itself, see our guide to company retreat ideas.

Frequently asked questions

How does Surf Office quote a retreat?

Surf Office's FAQ says you send an inquiry, and that a short call, usually about 5 minutes, helps shape the proposal. Planning starts once you agree on the proposal and pay. We did not find a published price list, but its locations page has a Budget Calculator that gives a cost breakdown after a few questions.

Does Surf Office plan retreats in the US?

Yes. Its locations page has a "USA and Canada" region listing Palm Springs, Miami, Austin, the Catskill Mountains, New Orleans, Nashville, Montreal and Toronto. Most of its examples elsewhere on the site are in Europe, so ask for US references in your quote.

Which Surf Office alternatives work for a team split between Europe and the US?

Offsiteio says it works "Across the Americas, Europe, and beyond", and Offsite.com lists US cities as well as Barcelona, Lisbon, London and Rome. Moniker Partners groups its past trips under Europe and North America, and BoomPop shows events in Lisbon and Barcelona alongside US cities.

Which Surf Office alternatives state a starting point?

Meet&Retreat says planning starts at $8,000, and Offsiteio says trips start from about $999 per person. TeamOut lists per-guest packages with minimums, and Flok says most retreats land between $2,000 and $5,000 per person, all-in. The Offsite Co. states a budget level it works with.

How is Vantly different from a retreat planning agency?

You share one brief with dates, headcount, region and needs. Vantly matches it with a local planner for your destination, and you sign one contract with Vantly. Vantly publishes this page, so compare it with the others using the tables above.

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