Hot take: Spending $200 on a weekend friendship retreat was either the best or worst thing I ever did for my social life

I dropped $200 on a two-day retreat in Austin last month focused on helping adults make friends, and it was honestly amazing-I met three people I actually text with now. But my coworker spent $150 on a similar thing in Dallas and said it was just awkward icebreakers and forced small talk that led nowhere. Do you think paying for structured social stuff is a legit hack or a total scam for grown-ups trying to find real friends?

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blairstone16d ago

Was the Austin one structured differently than the Dallas one, or did it just come down to the specific people who showed up? Like, did they have actual facilitated conversations where you had to share real stuff, or just the usual "where are you from" game that dies after two rounds? I think the whole thing hinges on whether the retreat forces you past that awkward surface level or leaves you hanging there.