How to deepen your wellness journey with travel
A Wellness Travel Guide
Have you ever heard of the saying ‘travel is the best teacher?’
Well, I’d say that it’s not only an incredible teacher, but also an incredible healer.
And with many more of us beginning to explore this complex concept of wellness, we begin to understand that the journey can be a challenging one, one that we could often use a little help with.
So first, what exactly does wellness mean?
The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as ‘the active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.’
So why exactly would we need help with this? Surely it’s a common goal to achieve holistic health and we would, of course, be happy to make the choices that lead to this?
Unfortunately, it’s often not that easy. Though our journey to wellness is our own personal pursuit, there are many factors that can influence our efforts, creating perceived road blocks, and dampening our determination and self-belief.
From cultural and social pressures, to a negative mindset and an environment full of temptations and distractions, sometimes these factors can make our wellness goals feel a little, or extremely, out of reach.
So how do we break free from these influences and begin to make the choices that we know will benefit our mind, body and soul?
Wellness-focused Travel
Well, one option is to take your journey to another destination, quite literally.
Though this doesn’t necessarily have to be abroad, a change of both scenery and environment are key elements to the notion of wellness travel.
And why does this help to deepen your wellness journey?
For many reasons, here are 5 examples:
Change of routine:
Ever struggled to implement changes to your routine at home?
It’s normal to face resistance when everything around you remains the same.
Whether it’s getting up at the last minute and racing to get ready for work or groaning when the kids wake you up before your alarm, taking a wellness break means none of those triggers will be there.
You’ll have the time and space to rewire your mind and can often discover a new way at looking at old habits.
Cultural teachings:
Though lifestyles and outlooks of course vary from person to person, when it comes to life in one location vs another, there are often more similarities than differences.
So what happens when you travel to a completely new destination?
You gain exposure to a new way of looking at life. Whether it’s attitude towards work, raising children, spirituality or cuisine, you may find those different viewpoints to be inspiring..
And you may even decide to bring some home with you.
Self discovery:
How often can we take the necessary time we need for ourselves in our daily life?
We’re more switched on than ever and for most it seems there are endless commitments competing for our time from family, to friends, community and business.
You-time really is all about you. How do you want to spend your time? What new experiences and flavours would you like to try?
And how could all of these new experiences impact your life once you arrive back home?
Stress release:
Let’s face it, wherever you live, life can be stressful.
But when you choose to take a break away, most of these pressures are temporarily removed. And a lack of pressure and stress is a golden ticket to the headspace that we really need.
The headspace that brings us closer to our thoughts, inspirations and ideas.
A headspace that allows us to explore what it is that we really want.
Have you witnessed the effect of stress on your wellbeing?
Healing:
From skills based escapes like yoga and meditation retreats to outrageous adventure getaways and slow and discovery based travel, there are so many ways to experience healing through travel and the right route really is dependant on the person.
What are your goals?
What are you craving?
And which destination can meet your needs?
These are all questions that I will work through with you when planning your unique, wellness break.
Wellness Travel Styles
So now that you understand more about the healing powers of wellness travel, it may help to know a little more about the options that are out there for you.
Here are 4:
Wellness Retreats
Needing to create all of that wonderful headspace that we spoke about? Somewhere to break that daily routine, take well-deserved you-time, and discover more about yourself in the process?
Then a wellness retreat is the perfect place for you.
Especially created to promote health and wellbeing through facilities, activities and even design, wellness retreats allow you to take advantage of modern luxuries such as time, calm and choice through a host of physical, psychological, or spiritual activities.
Where to go?
Having just returned from this magical place, there’s only one place that could win this recommendation spot: Euphoria Retreat (pictured above).
With its mystical Greek woodlands, stunning spa and laidback but attentive approach to wellness, Euphoria is the perfect place to relax, realign and revitalise. From their rooftop hot tub, to the heavenly treatments, and the sumptuous meals, Euphoria is a feast for the senses as well as the soul.
https://www.euphoriaretreat.com/
Additional benefits apply according to the booking. Enquire with me now to find out more.
Medical Retreats
Stepping things up a notch, medical retreats are an excellent choice for those with specific and often challenging life goals. Weight loss, stress management and detoxing are just some of the programmes frequently featured along side many complementary therapies and diagnostic testing.
So why not just seek this help from specialists closer to home?
Well, technically you could. But medical retreats gift you with the time and space to both understand and implement the changes that you need to reach your goals. And you’re bound to love that mental clarity you get when your usual daily distractions are at bay.
Where to go?
SHA Wellness Clinic (pictured above) is one of the leading medical retreats in the world. Their method integrates eight holistic disciplines and they pride themselves on helping their clients reach their full potential.
But it doesn’t all have to be medical. The beauty of SHA is their combination of medical advances with dietary re-education and various natural therapies to improve and prolong the health of their guests.
And this all takes place in a beautiful spot in Spain, right on the Mediterranean Sea.
https://shawellnessclinic.com/en/
Additional benefits apply according to the booking. Enquire with me now to find out more.
Skill specific retreats
A retreat certainly doesn’t have to be focused on relaxation and reflection. Some of the most effective retreats around are those that focus on a particular skill.
From intensive yoga retreats, to hiking retreats, and even dance retreats, for some, breaking the perceived boundaries of your physical fitness or learning a brand new skill can be exactly what you need to find the growth and confidence that you’ve been lusting after.
Can you imagine the improvement and confidence that can be gained when practising one particular skill for an intensive period without distractions?
Or the improvement to both your fitness and your mindset after a week packed with hiking and nature immersion?
How to decide?
Start by thinking about your current hobbies and passions and then dig deep for those that you’ve always wanted to try. Many retreats are available at different levels. Now picture yourself there on a week-long retreat doing this activity daily. Do you love the activity enough to devote this time to it?
And luckily, you don’t have to make this decision alone! Share your thoughts and desires and together we can pick the best option for you.
Transformational Travel
Looking for personal growth but not interested in retreats?
Then transformational travel could be the route for you. After all, the Transformational Travel Council describes it as ‘any travel experience that empowers people to make meaningful, lasting changes in their life.’
Want to cultivate more compassion and more appreciation for the simple things in life? Maybe you’d like to meet the Maasai people in Kenya.
Fancy testing your physical fitness and clearing some mental space whilst connecting with nature? How about a trek in northern Vietnam?
How about eating good food, drinking good wine and quiet evenings to reflect, at the base of the mountains? Then Mendoza, Argentina could be the place for you.
How to plan?
Firstly, think about your goals for this trip. Then think about how you like to spend your time? How busy do you like to be? How much would you like to see? What activities will bring you the most joy? And the most insight? Where will you enjoy the cuisine and appreciate the culture?
These are just a few of the examples of what I would run through with my clients.
Do you like the idea of traveling for wellness?
And what would you really like to achieve?
Get in touch for a free consultation and let me help you plan your wellness-focused escape!
