🏖️ Vacation Getaway
Pack your bags for a team journey! Reflect on our project like a dream vacation—spot hidden gems, avoid tourist traps, and keep those great experiences in our travel itinerary.
Template Columns
🗺️ New Destinations (Start)
Share new things we should explore or try, just like picking fresh spots for our next adventure.
Base column: Start✈️ Cancelled Flights (Stop)
Call out practices to leave behind, as we would avoid travel hassles on our trips.
Base column: Stop🌞 Memorable Getaways (Continue)
Highlight activities worth repeating, like the favorite moments we’d revisit on every holiday.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Vacation Getaway retrospective invites your team to reflect on recent work by exploring what to start, stop, and continue, themed as a collective journey. Uncover new opportunities, drop unhelpful habits, and celebrate what's worth repeating, all with an engaging travel twist.
When to use this template
Use this template after completing a project phase, sprint, or team milestone when you want to add energy and creativity to your review. It's especially effective for boosting engagement or when teams want to break out of routine reflections.
How to facilitate
Introduce the vacation theme and explain each column, encouraging the team to think using travel analogies for more creative insights.
Allow everyone a few minutes to independently add thoughts to each column: New Destinations for new experiments, Cancelled Flights for habits to drop, and Memorable Getaways for things to continue.
Invite team members to review all contributions and group similar items together, discussing overlaps and clarifying ideas as needed.
Facilitate a discussion for each column, prompting the team to share stories and examples connected to their cards, and encourage everyone to draw connections between themes.
Guide the team to prioritize 2–3 action items by voting or consensus, focusing on practical next steps and experiments.
Summarize key insights and actions in travel-themed language, ensuring responsibilities and follow-ups are clear.
Pro Tips
Play relaxing travel sounds or show vacation images to set the mood and spark creativity.
Ask open-ended questions like "Where do we want to journey next as a team?" to prompt deeper thinking.
Watch out for contributions stuck in 'routine' thinking; encourage team members to stretch their travel analogy.
Leave some time at the end for a quick temperature check—did the vacation theme help the team see things differently?
Encourage quieter voices to share by inviting everyone to pick one travel metaphor that resonates most with their experience.
FAQ
What if the team struggles with the travel analogy?
Briefly explain each column using concrete work examples alongside the metaphor to help with clarity.
How do I keep the conversation from drifting off-topic?
Gently redirect by tying back stories to the travel theme or project goals, and use a visible timer to maintain momentum.
Is this format suitable for serious or high-stakes reviews?
Yes, the playful theme can make tough conversations less tense. Address sensitive topics respectfully but keep the travel framework in place.
How should action items be documented?
Summarize them using travel language to reinforce key points, and clearly assign ownership directly after the session.
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At a glance
- Duration
40–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective