Avalon reports a 200% rise in retreat bookings as founders, executives and investors seek structured spaces for recalibration beyond conventional wellness
Executive burnout is reaching unprecedented levels, and a growing number of Europe’s founders, investors and senior leaders are travelling in search of something that traditional luxury holidays and conventional wellness retreats cannot provide: genuine recalibration.
Avalon, a luxury retreat organisation operating between Barcelona and Ibiza, has recorded a 200% increase in bookings for its ayahuasca and plant medicine retreats over the past year, driven overwhelmingly by founders, investors, entrepreneurs, creatives and executives seeking structured opportunities to step away from relentless professional pressure and reconnect with themselves.
The trend mirrors a wider shift taking place across the leadership landscape. According to the Q2 2026 Vistage CEO Confidence Index, published this July, 70% of CEOs experience burnout at least occasionally, while 28% report feeling burnt out frequently or every day, both figures having increased year-on-year. One CEO surveyed described modern leadership as a constant accumulation of pressures, with AI, geopolitical uncertainty, rising costs and market volatility all arriving simultaneously.
For many arriving at Avalon, success itself is no longer the challenge. They have built businesses, led international teams, raised investment and achieved financial milestones. Yet many arrive carrying the same question: why has external achievement failed to deliver the fulfilment they expected?
Rather than positioning plant medicine as an escape, Avalon approaches it as a carefully structured process of self-inquiry. Retreats centre on facilitated plant medicine experiences, including ayahuasca, supported by comprehensive preparation, psychological screening and extensive integration. The organisation believes the greatest transformation happens not during the ceremony itself, but in the weeks and months afterwards, when participants translate moments of insight into meaningful changes in leadership, relationships and everyday life.
Retreats take place across Barcelona and Ibiza, hosted within carefully selected five-star boutique hotels and private luxury villas that are exclusively transformed into intimate retreat spaces. Rather than remote jungle settings or clinical environments, Avalon combines exceptional hospitality, privacy and comfort with a deeply considered therapeutic programme. The Mediterranean setting, slower pace of life and connection to nature form an integral part of the experience, creating an environment where participants can genuinely disconnect from the pressures of everyday life.
“Many of the people who come to Avalon aren’t searching for success, they’ve already achieved that,” says Alejandro Carbó, Founder of Avalon.
“They’re looking for clarity, perspective and a deeper understanding of themselves. Barcelona and Ibiza provide the ideal setting because they combine world-class hospitality with the space and tranquillity needed for genuine reflection. We see plant medicine not as a solution in itself, but as a catalyst for conversations and changes that continue long after the retreat ends. The real work is always the integration.”
Every retreat is supported by comprehensive psychological screening, experienced facilitators and structured aftercare before, during and after each programme. Alongside its core retreats, Avalon also offers men-only experiences focused on emotional literacy, connection and personal growth, as well as non-ingestive modalities including holotropic breathwork for those seeking expanded states of consciousness without plant medicine.
As interest in plant medicine continues to grow across Europe, Avalon’s client base is increasingly distinct from traditional wellness tourism. Participants are typically experienced entrepreneurs, investors and senior leaders accustomed to evidence, due diligence and measurable outcomes, applying the same level of intention to their psychological health and leadership development as they do to their businesses.
The organisation also distinguishes itself through its collaborative model. Rather than centring around a single public figure or guru, Avalon operates through a multidisciplinary collective known internally as “The Family.” The team brings together facilitators, therapists, integration practitioners, musicians and indigenous ceremonial leaders from Brazil, Colombia and Peru alongside professionals trained in contemporary therapeutic and somatic disciplines. The structure reflects Avalon’s belief that meaningful transformation is best held collectively, ethically and with deep respect for the traditions from which plant medicine originates.
While interest in psychedelic therapies continues to accelerate globally, Avalon maintains a responsibility-first philosophy, prioritising participant screening, transparency and long-term integration over sensationalism. Rather than presenting plant medicine as a standalone solution, the organisation sees it as one part of a broader conversation around leadership, self-awareness and sustainable personal development.
Increasingly, travellers are seeking experiences that leave them changed rather than simply rested. For Avalon, that reflects a broader evolution in luxury travel itself, where personal transformation, privacy and meaningful connection are becoming just as valuable as exceptional hospitality.
“We’re seeing high performers become just as intentional about their inner lives as they are about building companies or managing investments,” adds Alejandro Carbó. “Leadership today isn’t only about resilience or productivity. Increasingly, it’s about self-awareness, emotional intelligence and having the capacity to navigate uncertainty without losing yourself in the process.”
With bookings increasing by 200% over the past year, Avalon believes executive wellbeing is entering a new era, one where investing in psychological resilience and personal growth is becoming as fundamental to leadership as strategy, innovation and financial performance.
