People travel for several reasons. You might travel for work, for leisure, for an escape, or an adventure. Traveling can be stressful for some, and for others, it can be a life-changing experience. Why not try traveling for your health? That’s what a wellness trip is all about.
What is wellness travel?
As its name implies, it’s a trip you take for your mental and physical wellness. An opportunity for you to get away and focus on your health. A journey for mental, physical, and even spiritual healing. It’s also one of the more popular forms of travel nowadays. People, especially millennials and other younger generations, are becoming more health-conscious by the day.
Studies have shown that younger generations are more health-conscious than older generations. But this growing trend of health-consciousness doesn’t only affect younger generations. It has also begun to influence the choices that baby boomers make when it comes to their health. More people are starting to realize the importance of taking care of one’s well-being. And what better way to focus on your well-being than to take a trip that’s sole purpose is to take care of your health?
How do I plan a wellness trip?
1. Have a goal in mind
A wellness trip can take many forms. It all depends on which aspect of your health you want to focus on. If you want to work on your physical health, you should plan physical activities such as hiking or camping in the mountains. If you’re more into water sports then surfing or renting boats is the better option for you.
But if you’re looking for more mental and spiritual healing, you could have a meditation retreat. If you have a religion and want to get closer to your God/s, you could even go on a religious retreat. And if you want a holistic wellness trip that focuses on your overall well-being you could always plan a trip that has both physical and spiritual activities such as yoga retreats or spa vacations. It all boils down to what goal you have in mind.
2. Pick a place
Picking the right place is an important factor in your wellness trip. You have to understand that a trip like this has some level of commitment. Ideally, you would want to pick a place where you know you could dedicate yourself to your goals. If you want to put your body to the test and you love to hike, why not go somewhere that is full of mountains.
There are plenty of great states with great hiking trails. You could even do a multi-day hike and give yourself to nature. If the ocean is your preferred spot tons of beaches offer retreat packages as well. And if the outdoors isn’t your ideal retreat location then maybe a resort or spa would be better.
Places that are peaceful and quiet are the greatest venues for a wellness trip. If you want to go out of the country, some of the most famous countries for wellness travels include:
- Thailand
- Indonesia
- India
- New Zealand
- Germany
- Spain
3. Plan your activities
Much like any travel you have to plan your activities, you also have to plan the food you eat and stick to it. Yes, this is still a vacation of sorts. But unlike other vacations where you’re used to overindulging, you have to remember that the whole point of this trip is to take care of your health. That means planning out activities that will exercise your body or mind and feed you nutritious food.
Don’t worry, if you booked yourself a spot in a wellness retreat, most times they’ve already got these activities — including your diet — all planned out. Don’t be discouraged by this, the diets aren’t restricting at all. And in the end, if you don’t want to follow other people’s schedules you could always plan out your trip. Just make sure you don’t lose sight of your goals.
4. Achieve your goals
If your goal for this trip is to lose weight, learn a new skill, or discover your faith. Whatever it is, you have to make the most out of it and try to achieve that goal. And if you don’t quite come close to your goal, that’s fine. As long as you come out of this trip refreshed and reenergized.
The greatest thing about a wellness trip is that you get something amazing out of it. Whether it’s a new lesson or a different perspective in life — a wellness trip can be a life-changing experience.