Is Wellness Travel The New Approach to Self-Care
When we think about traveling, we think about packing our stuff, waking up early, and hoping we haven’t forgotten anything.
Usually, travel prep was something that had to be done in a timely manner. After all, there was a schedule to keep. Traveling was a sort of quiet pressure. A necessary first step to get to our destination.
However, there’s a different kind of philosophy behind traveling today. And a different kind of travel called wellness travel. Something that was once a niche has become more prominent today. In wellness travel, it is less about going from one destination to another and more about embracing a balance.
It’s about health, connection, and peace.
What Is Wellness Travel
Wellness travel is a type of tourism focused on maintaining or improving personal well-being regarding physical, mental, and spiritual health.
When thinking about wellness travel, some people envision spa days or yoga retreats, but wellness travel goes beyond those things. It focuses on the experiences that improve physical health, emotional well-being, and spiritual clarity.
It’s a type of travel that encourages those who partake in it to return home rejuvenated rather than exhausted.
Some ideas for where to do some good quality wellness traveling:
- Places in nature
- Eco-retreats
- Meditation times
- Culinary experiences focused on nutritional values
- Movement practices like hiking, pilates, or swimming
- Digital detox escapes
The goal isn’t escape; it is to realign yourself with yourself.
The digitally saturated world of today is something few can escape, and there is no question that it takes a toll on us. Deteriorating attention span, instant gratification, and many more are just some of the new issues that have arisen with technological development. And these issues don’t even scratch the surface.
Anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress (and more) are reportedly increasing.
Because of that and more, we are now in need of realigning ourselves more than ever, and that is where wellness travel comes into play.
Something Different
It’s been some time since the pandemic was over. After it ended, a lot of things had changed.
One of the changes it brought was a shift in the intention of traveling.
Different priorities and questions have emerged. Questions like, ‘Will this trip help me relax?’, or ‘Can I build healthy habits or fix my bad habits while on this trip?’ And the question of how this trip will make someone feel when they return home.
Such issues usually require a different approach, like prioritizing fewer destinations in order to get a deeper experience.More quality than quantity.
It’s not just about rushing between attractions and seeing as much as you possibly can in a short amount of time available to us. It is because of this new emerging mindset that the new travel destinations and accommodations were designed around. Hotels and retreats have increased natural elements in their design and architecture, which has a calming effect and generally creates more spaces oriented toward relaxation.
The Calming Psychology of Water
Nature has always had a profound effect on us. Why wouldn’t it?
It’s a place from where we came, and despite the overall urbanization and vast human-made infrastructure, it is still around us, albeit in some places more than others.
The largest part of nature is water, and an integral part for all life in the whole world. It is no surprise that water is one of the most powerful elements when it comes to wellness travel. There is something called the blue space; it is an aspect that explores a correlation between people and their proximity to water, and the blue space shows that the closer people are to water, the better their mood and the lower their stress levels.
Exactly how much is speculation, but one thing is sure, and that is that many people enjoy ocean horizons, hot springs, bathing in pools, or just enjoying watching still water.
Using water to increase the atmosphere of a place isn’t just for specialized places.
A lot of homeowners build pools in their own homes just for that very same reason.
Outdoor wellness spaces are becoming increasingly popular, especially in suburban regions where people have larger backyards. A lot of people go for specialists when designing their outdoor spa center simply because different regions have different issues to deal with.
Here’s a quick example:
A custom pool designer in Paoli PA will tell you that all your pool installations/piping needs to be winterized, otherwise you could end up with cracked pipes and massive water bills after you suffer a leak because of freeze-thaw-related damage.
But a pool contractor in Phoenix AZ won’t care about harsh winters, but will rather focus on high summer temperatures which can melt poor-quality plastic, dark colored materials which poorly reflect heat causing them to heat up A LOT, plus water evaporation and water cooling without which using your pool or jacuzzi becomes unbearable – which can’t really help you relax; unless your idea of relaxing is getting super stressed out. In that case, you’d enjoy maximum relaxation.
The general idea reflects a growing truth that wellness travel doesn’t end when the trip does.
Conclusion
Wellness travel is expected to grow both in popularity and in the ability to expand the ways it prioritizes and helps with mental health, a healthier life, and general, deep, and meaningful experiences that it offers.
In a world that is often focused on speed, wellness offers a gentle counterbalance to that. It is good to stop and take a deep breath. Not everything has to be an act of consumption; sometimes it can be an act of care.
Life is precious, and because of that, we should keep a modicum of wellness in it.
Amélie is a health and wellness junky. Certified yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance in the Vinyasa and Ashtanga styles, she has a Yoga Instructor Certification – Level I (300 hours) and Yoga Instructor Certification – Level II (200 hours) under her belt. She also has a certified Open Water Diver certification with PADI and SSI Scuba Schools International Freediving Level I certification with SSI Scuba Schools International. She’s been vegan for over 15 years and is obsessed with anything wellness-related.