Your guide to crafting a wellness travel lifestyle.
As the world becomes more even fast-paced and stressful, many of us are seeking ways to prioritize our health and well-being.
One awesome solution? Embracing a wellness travel lifestyle!
If an approach to travel that focuses on exploring in ways that lead to better well-being, more sustainable self-care, and deeper personal growth is your thing, this might be just what you need for your wellness toolkit.
As a travel coach, not only do I advocate for this lifestyle, but I live it and know it well.
Years ago, I left the long work days behind and moved to Italy, to build this exact kind of lifestyle. One based on continuing my work in the world and balancing it with my passions…wellness, travel, & photography.
It moved the needle in my life from burnout and surviving, to more engaged and thriving.
One of the core beliefs that drives my work today is this: travel has always been about wellness. It comes in finding yourself as you explore the world, connect with others, immerse in nature, & experience the awe-inspiring beauty of it all.
With that in mind, let’s explore some of the simples steps you can take to build a wellness travel lifestyle and embark on your own transformative journey.
What is Wellness Travel?
Many of us have our own ideas about what wellness travel is and can be. And therein lies the true potential, that travel can be intentionally personalized to support your wants, needs, & desires.
The Wellness Tourism Association defines wellness travel as, travel that allows the traveler to maintain, enhance or kick-start a healthy lifestyle, and support or increase one’s sense of wellbeing.
So, when we talk about wellness travel, we’re simply talking about intentionally traveling in ways that benefit and enrich the mind, body, and spirit.
It makes sense to travel in this kind of approach as it’s really an organic way to deepen our experiences and connections.
Benefits of a Wellness Travel Lifestyle
There are many benefits of adopting a wellness travel lifestyle.
Here are three important ones:
- To start with, engaging in a wellness travel lifestyle can have a significant impact on your overall health. From reducing stress levels to improving sleep quality, wellness-focused activities and practices can enhance your health.
By prioritizing self-care during your travels, you’re investing in your long-term health and happiness. - This type of travel allows us to disconnect from our daily routines and immerse in an enriching environment. By stepping away from the chaos of everyday life, you have the time to focus more on your overall well-being.
Ultimately, giving you the headspace you need to rest & rejuvenate. - In addition, a wellness travel lifestyle promotes self-discovery and personal growth. Through a variety of activities, as well as personal encounters with people & places, you have the opportunity to explore your inner landscape and gain a deeper understanding of your own needs and desires.
This self-awareness can lead to long-lasting positive changes in your life.
Now, let’s take some ways to establish a deeper wellness travel lifestyle.
Building a Wellness Travel Lifestyle
It is easy to fall into thinking that only yearly vacations are restorative and wellness-oriented. Yet, wellness travel is that and so much more.
A lifestyle is simply a way of living.
All you need is intentional planning & resources to make it happen. Personally, that’s been my experience.
Making travel a regular part of your life to enrich your experiences and grow your mind, body, & spirit is a priceless investment in yourself.
For years, my lifestyle has included travel, and the wellness part was a natural extension of both my personal priorities and professional experiences.
Coaching, education, health & well-being are the foundation of my work and my dearest values. Meshing it with my lifelong passion of travel simply evolved over time.
Making your travel lifestyle a reflection of your values is key to making it work for you.
Since wellness affects different aspects of our health, there are various ways to tie it into travel.
For example, if being eco-friendly is an important personal value, look for ways to practice more sustainable travel. Or adopt a slow travel approach if your priority in supporting personal well-being as well as that of local communities.
Whatever resonates with you in your daily life, extend that into your explorations.
Deepen How You Look at Wellness
Sometimes wellness travel is put into a box and defined by things like spas, retreats, and hotels with luxury amenities.
Yet, it is so much more!
Since wellness is a dynamic process of change and growth, we like to define it as traveling in ways that enrich the mind, body & spirit. Leaving the door wide open to the many possibilities that call to each and every one of us.
Wellness is the journey, a holistic lifestyle based on awareness and choices that support our mind & body. It’s much broader than any one practice or approach. It’s a combination of many small actions we take to weave together a life of purpose and vitality.
Meaning a wellness focused adventure can be a fantastic trip beach trip connecting with friends & family, a solo getaway to nurture quiet reflection, or an immersive dive into a different culture.
Any way you slice it, wellness is a way to engage with the world and wellness travel is a pathway to better well-being, self-discovery, & personal growth.
What it looks and feels like is up to you.
Broaden How You Define Travel
Travel isn’t just galavanting across the world to see The Coliseum in Rome. In fact, the word “travel” encompasses being anywhere that’s not home for any length of time.
When you look at it this way, a world of possibilities open up.
Things like staycations, impromptu days out, day trips, & weekend getaways can (and should) be a part of any wellness travel lifestyle.
In reality, taking advantage of weekends for day trips and getaways, means you can travel more often. This results in having more regular opportunities to charge the batteries, which can help prevent burnout.
A wellness travel lifestyle is fluid and can include a mix of different things. Which of these describes how you like to travel?
- Road Trips
- Local Day Trips
- City Break Weekends
- Annual Vacations
- Spa Days
- R & R Weekends
- Blending Work Trips with Leisure Time
- Pairing Travel with Family Events
Perhaps it’s all of them?
In fact, an ideal wellness travel lifestyle is a fluid mix of regularly scheduled local outings, day trips, weekend getaways, and dreamy vacations. Providing the best of all worlds and keeping you happy, sane, & healthy!
That’s exactly what mine has always been. It has allowed me to spread wellness travel as a practice more evenly across the year while enjoying weekends with friends in places like Warsaw, London, & Edinburgh.
In addition, it gives me flexibility in exploring the local area with last minute day trips.
Adopt a Stretch Your Resources Mindset
There’s no doubt that for most of us, time and money have a huge influence on how, where, & when we travel. Certainly, many of us wish we had more of both!
But, it can be counterproductive to focus on what you don’t currently have. So instead, shift your mindset and attention to making the most of your resources.
Here are a few simple ideas that can help you make the most of your time:
- take all of your paid time off
- combine work trips & leisure
- add a vacation day onto a weekend or paid holiday
- invite friends & family to travel with you
Here are a few ideas to stretch your money a bit further:
- travel in low season
- take free walking tours (use a google search)
- look for discounts (student, senior, teacher, military, etc)
- buy tourism passes
- get a travel credit card
Build Travel into Your Schedule
A lifestyle is not a one time thing, it’s a routine.
Travel as a wellness practice is a really exciting prospect, especially if you love to explore and want to be well in the world.
Crafting a routine of regular travels to recharge your mind and body can look however you want, and it can be done on any budget. The key is to make it work for you based on your needs, desires & resources.
Begin by drafting a plan across a span of time that work best for you. Here is one simple approach:
- Start by looking at the year as a whole, especially if you take a regular annual vacation.
- Then further break it up into quarters or seasons. Consider already existing paid holidays or when you might be able to add in an extra vacation day to find the potential for long weekends.
- Then look at events and festivals to see where you can work in weekend getaways and day trips.
Once you’ve laid out a framework you can then focus on the joy of travel planning and make adjustments as needed.
Embracing a Wellness Travel Lifestyle
A wellness travel lifestyle offers a transformative approach to travel, prioritizing self-care, rejuvenation, and personal growth. It’s entirely possible to build a lifestyle that works just perfect for you, and for it to be ever-changing.
By making this lifestyle your own, you can experience the benefits you’re looking for: enhanced well-being, and a deeper connection with yourself, others & the world. Which an investment well worth making.
Grab your free wellness travel planner and start planning your next adventure today!
until the next time…
…live well – travel well – be well
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