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Did you pay your deposit? Yay!!
Now that you’ve signed up and you’re all excited, it’s going to feel quiet for a while! Kind of anti-climactic, right?
Don’t worry, we won’t forget about you! There’s just not that much to report until we are approaching the event, and we pace ourselves. Here’s the run down:
MAP AND KEY TRAVEL
Hi, my name's Marion. I'm the short one in the picture. My assistant, Sandra, is the tall one. I'm not a travel agent who happens to work with ukulele people. I'm a ukulele person who became a travel agent specifically to work with Craig and Sarah. We are improving every year, and doing our very best for you. We both work part time, so please have reasonable expectations for reply times.
What's the total trip cost? Package costs are not locked in yet. There's a lot of discussion happening based on the 2026 post retreat surveys and decisions are being made about things like how many meals we include for 2027. That's why we have your deposit fully refundable until July 4. That way you can make a fully informed choice! For reference, 2026's lowest package cost $3800. I would plan on that or a bit more for 2027 unless we wind up cutting some meals. As soon as I know, you'll know!!
YOULI
You signed up on our software platform, Youli. You're looking at it right now.
Youli is the one-stop shop prior to and during the event. On Youli, you can view your invoice, make payments. You will also see important information, do assigned tasks. During the event this is where the schedule and music will be hosted.
Youli has two options for accessing your profile. The first is a“secret link”. Your Youli “secret link” is specific to you, so please keep it private. If you lose it, just email us and we can send it to you. The second (new this year) is registering with a login and password. Instructions for that are in the Info tab.
After completing your enrollment, visit the Tasks tab in Youli. Complete the Registration Details form to the best of your ability. It asks for information like room preferences, roommate requests, dietary needs, and t-shirt sizes. You can update this form later if anything changes, up to 90 days before the retreat.
Your initial payment secured your spot. If you don’t specify any additional room related items on the Registration Details form, you’ll be automatically assigned as 1 player in 1 room at our lowest tier as a default.
Like many companies, we are now allowing you to choose alternate payment methods to avoid credit card processing fees. This can be done via a bank transfer, or by mailing a check. That information is listed in the Info section of your Youli page.
TIMELINE
Now
Deposit
Fill out your Registration Details form now - it's in your Task List
Spring
Set up some flight alerts to look for good airfare! I'll send you an article on how.
July 4
Last day that your deposit is fully refundable.
Summer
Enjoy! But don't forget to work at completing your Registration Details form. I'll send you monthly newsletters to remind you.
Halloween
Registration Details are due so I can invoice you for your room and any other choices you've made.
Thanksgiving (US)
Final payment date
Did you buy trip insurance yet?
By December 31
Book your flight - or have us do it. Note: we don't have access to super discounts on flights, those days are long gone.
Now that you know your travel dates, complete the form for Verify Check In and Check Out Dates.
Complete a Rental Car Request if you need it.
Complete the Transportation form. That's for your transfers between the airport and hotel. You'll need your flight info to schedule it.
Last day to complete or update your Registration Details - changes after this may have a late fee.
Did you buy trip insurance yet?
Last day to move your deposit to another event in the same or next year, if you had to cancel this trip.
By Jan 31
If you had any changes or additional choices you made after the prior invoice, you'll receive an adjustment invoice. This should only be for things that weren't possible to complete by the prior deadline. We count on everyone being responsible, because the payments we make to the venue must be complete and on time.
Did you buy trip insurance yet? I'm not kidding, we have had several people who needed to use it.
NEWSLETTERS
We send monthly email updates with reminders, deadlines, and planning information. We may send extras for surveys, extreme weather, TSA shutdowns etc. Basically the last month or two there might be a lot.
Transfers - transportation from airport to hotel, and hotel to airport. Reminder: this is not included in your package. You can self-book via the link provided in Highlights on your Youli dashboard, or you can have us book you. In order to book your transfers, you will need your arrival and departure airline, flight number, and scheduled time. If your plane changes arrival/departure times, don’t worry! The transportation companies track arriving and departing flights and make adjustments automatically. No need to call us or them unless your flight number changes.
T shirts - Shirts can be requested in your initial Registration Details form. We will add the balance to your Youli so you can pay securely there. Tshirts will be waiting for you at the event. We do not order extras, so please be on top of this.
Event Menus - the meal lineup will be announced via email newsletter. Those of you who have already notated food allergies/restrictions in your Registration Details will receive a form that walks you through each meal and identifies where any gaps are so we can get ahead of it. We will work with the venue to make sure you are safely and appropriately fed!
Survey - a pre-retreat survey will be announced via email newsletter. Please complete it as soon as possible. It is very important that we have 100% participation in the survey. We use the information to assign groups and plan workshop content. EVERY RETREAT IS DIFFERENT, largely based on the survey information. Help us customize the event to YOUR needs by completing the survey asap.
Excursions - a link for excursions is available in the Highlights section of your Youli dashboard. You can self book through that link, or we can book you directly.
Zoom - we often schedule a zoom a few months prior to the retreat, and we’ll ask you to submit questions ahead of time. If you can’t attend, don’t worry. The Zoom will be stored in the Portal.
Portal - this is a secure storage area on Craig & Sarah’s website. The link and password will be in the email newsletters once it is established for your event. Prior to the event, this is where you can find any Zoom recordings. After the event, the Portal acts as a vault, holding all classroom materials, recorded workshops, and open mic, as well as the photos Craig takes.
Post Event Survey - I cannot stress to you how much we take survey results into account. We’ll ask you about elements of the event while it is still fresh in your mind, so we can keep improving and evolving. We want to create events where even if it is your 10th one, you are still learning something new every time!
EVENT TIME! YAY!!
While we are on site, any course-related issues go to Craig & Sarah & Cory to address. Marion will handle any issues that are specific to the venue or dining.
I'd like you to read this and imagine my stern mom voice: We have high standards for how our group behaves. Be kind to staff - we have a zero tolerance for people who mistreat the hotel workers. Pick up after yourself when a workshop ends - put your cups and wrappers in the trash. Just be a cheerful, flexible, responsible adult and you'll have a great time. Note: some people have not appreciated me making this announcement every year. Trust that it isn't about you, but know that everything we mention is for a reason and has a history. It's a small island, we have long standing relationships here, and reputation matters.
During the event, we will take deposits for the next year’s events. We give current attendees first crack at it, which has us 1/3-1/2 sold by the time we leave. Then we broadcast it to prior attendees, then Craig & Sarah's whole mailing list, which is thousands of people. If you want to go, don't wait. We do cap attendance.
I hope this was helpful! Please reach out to us if you need anything.
Marion
Some people LOVE Magic Links. Some people HATE Magic Links. We're always trying to make things easier for you, so this time we're offering an alternative: Traveler Profiles.
What's a Traveler Profile? It's kinda like every other website ever. You click HERE, and choose "Sign Up" to complete the form, where you'll create a login name and password. In the last field, be sure to select Traveler!
You'll be able to save your login and password however you normally do, and you won't have to look for your Magic Link again.
One benefit of this is that if you're signed up for multiple events, you will be able to see each of them inside your profile.
If you prefer not to use a credit card (or to avoid the processing fee), you can use one of these alternate payment methods and we will manually apply the payment to your Youli.
Zelle: map-and-key-travel
Mail a Check
Marion Koleski
Map & Key Travel
8773 E B Ave
Richland MI 49083
Kāhala, Honolulu, HI, USA 
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