Every year, our Guidebook offices come together for company retreats, or as we like to call them – Guidetrips. Hear from our own, Mallory, a recruiter in our SF office, on our adventurous weekend in Yosemite. The mountains were calling and away we went! Recently, the Guidebook team packed up our bags, boarded a charter bus (in the middle of bustling downtown San Francisco—an adventure in itself) and headed east to Yosemite National Park. Over the last eight years, our team has taken more than 10 company retreats. We wholeheartedly believe that spending time bonding outside the office is a worthwhile investment, and our annual trips have taken Guidebookers to places like Lake Tahoe, Blowing Rock (NC), Somerset (UK), and most recently, Yosemite! What I like most about these trips is that there is no “business agenda” for the weekend. No sales updates, no mandatory trainings, etc. The point is simply to step back from our desks and spend some time getting to know each other better. The bonding for this trip started on the drive over—4.5 hours on a charter bus will do that! I held down the front of the bus as DJ, while the back of the bus enjoyed some quite competitive games of Catchphrase. Once we entered Yosemite National Park, all eyes were glued to the windows taking in the scenery and, for some of us, anxiously trying to keep an eye out for bears.

Bonding in Yosemite

We made our way to Curry Village where we had a block of their tent cabins reserved for Friday and Saturday nights. Once we were settled in and unpacked (did you know that allscented items have to go in a bear locker?), the fun and games began. We cracked open some cold ones, set up our cornhole set and some of our sales team kicked off a game of Spikeball. As the sun set around camp, the tensions and stress of our work week melted away and we were able to soak in scenic views and friendly mosquitoes. On Saturday morning, we had several hikes organized by volunteer leaders! Options included Mirror Lake Loop, Yosemite Falls, or Vernal + Nevada Falls. We had a few ambitious folks talk about hiking Half Dome, but scorching temps (and a tricky lottery system) won out. The afternoon saw some of our team floating in the Merced River, while others hung back at camp making friendship bracelets or swimming in the pool. I’ve been told that disaster nearly struck as our CEO and two other teammates attempted some not-so-casual river rafting on an avocado float (like the kind you see on Instagram) that couldn’t quite stand up to the rapids. However, all three of them made it to our company dinner that night so all’s well that ends well. On Sunday morning, we dragged our tired (and for some of us, hungover) selves to the bus to make the trek back to San Francisco. Friendships were cemented (I love you, Mackenzie!) and our team definitely got to know each other better. For many of us, this Guidetrip was a reminder of exactly why we love working here: the incredible people. I’m already looking forward to next year’s trip...I just hope it’s a destination with WiFi. Want to join us on next year's company trip? Apply for one of our open roles today! We're always looking for exceptional talent to join the team! Check out the open roles at guidebook.com/careers.