When Harry Potter boarded the train to Hogwarts, his old life was gone forever. And today, American Retreats — the only magical travel agency in the world — is seeking bold Muggles who are ready to leave behind their magic-less lives behind and step into a brand new reality.
At what point do you say goodbye to more of the same American misery — and choose to experience magic, instead?
By Mike Reid | January 2026
Ok. You do remember what happened to Harry Potter — right?
First of all, you'll recall that the first 11 years of Harry Potter’s life were extremely bleak, bleak beyond belief.
But then, these strange letters start arriving in the mail, one after another, and one of them is even addressed to "Mr. H. Potter, The Cupboard under the Stairs," and so Harry’s aunt and uncle totally freak out, and they flee to a remote shack on a rock in the ocean.
And then, at exactly midnight on Harry Potter’s 11th birthday, this enormous, haggard-looking man bursts into the shack with such force that he knocks the door completely off its hinges.
And the haggard man introduces himself as Hagrid, hands Harry a birthday cake, and casually explains that he’s the groundskeeper at a school for wizards called Hogwarts.
Oh, and by the way, Harry’s a wizard, too.
And then Hagrid says, "Yo Harry, want to get the fuck out of here?"
And without a moment of hesitation, Harry’s like, "Absolutely."
But I guess Harry Potter’s decision must have been easy, because his life with the Dursleys was so bleak that he had nothing to lose by trusting the giant haggard-looking man.
Obviously, it’s not like Harry Potter had a job, or an apartment lease, or a girlfriend, or anything like that. And so, although you probably felt a little sorry for young Potter at the time, Harry's complete and total lack of anything going for him in life freed him to leave it all behind in pursuit of a more magical life.
On the other hand, when Princess Jasmine steps onto Prince Ali's magic carpet for the first time, she seemingly has everything going for her. She's the daughter of the Sultan, living a life of luxury inside the palace walls, and she's being courted by countless rich suiters.
But Princess Jasmine is bored.
Princess Jasmine feels trapped by her privilege.
And even her pet tiger Rajah isn't enough to keep her satisfied.
So Princess Jasmine impulsively and irresponsibly decides to step onto Prince Ali's magic carpet on a hunch that Prince Ali is actually Aladdin, the street rat she'd met (briefly) just days before.
And so, while Harry Potter and Princess Jasmine come from starkly different socioeconomic backgrounds, they both decide to take a huge leap of faith in order to escape magic-less circumstances.
Both Harry and Jasmine decide to put their trust in a sketchy stranger, and it's only after that moment of trust that they discover that a magical world does in fact exist after all.
And what's my point, you ask?
My point is that at this point you're probably wondering: But where exactly am I going? Where exactly are these retreats?
But, my American compatriots, wouldn't knowing your destination prematurely ruin the magic you've been hoping for your entire life?