When was the last time you truly took a break by going on an extended trip?
You don’t have time – I get it – but what if I told you the busyness that is your life is hurting the quality of your time.
Wellness Travel is trending, big time, along with everything else wellness. Research continues to flood in on the tremendous growth this particular industry niche is experiencing. People are finally seeing the value that comes from authentic experiences over flashy toys. Luxury travelers are spending over 100% more on trips that focus on health and wellness. Quality time spent away is translating to higher energy, higher productivity, and lowered stress.
This booming segment of tourism is thanks in large part to our obsession with working long hours, staying busy, and always being connected. We’ve become a society that sacrifices health and vacation days in exchange for stress and overwhelm out of fear of falling behind and being replaced.
How do you define what Wellness Travel is? Let’s look beyond spiritual quests, vitamin C showers, OMs and smoothies. Allow me to explain what I believe it really is.
Wellness Travel isn’t just a weeklong yoga retreat or a weight loss camp. It’s not completely giving up alcohol and wifi.
Wellness Travel is the decision to consistently step away from the motions of every day life in order to heighten awareness, focus and clarity, and then gain momentum. It’s not about getting away for the mere fact of getting away. It’s about using that time wisely and then bringing a mindful practice or new perspective back home with you.
Wellness Travel is being grateful for the time we get to explore our beautiful planet and not taking for granted we’re just a few generations removed from a world where leisure travel didn’t even exist. The freedom to spin a globe and pick a point for our next adventure with the ones we love most is a privilege. We’re blessed with the ability to dream of distant lands that will break us away from familiar settings and routines.
Wellness Travel is a reset. It’s a chance to see something in a different light. We travel to be in awe in a foreign land due to differences, but also to explore commonalities amongst diverse settings and cultures. Much like we find traces of ourselves in fictional characters from the books we read, we discover ourselves through the people and places we share similarities with on our travels.
Wellness Travel isn’t merely world-renowned spas that offer detox massages and one-on-one fitness consultations. It’s finding presence and inspiration. It’s embracing silence and spontaneity for freedom of thought.
Just because you’re in a beautiful tropical destination doesn’t mean you automatically turn off that noisy distraction that is your mind. You won’t suddenly stop stressing about your ‘To Do’ list. It doesn’t prevent you from getting into a fight with your spouse. Wellness Travel is understanding that and working to get back to the right mindset.
Wellness Travel is not getting upset because construction is blocking that monument you traveled so far to see. There goes my perfect Instagram post! It’s embracing the challenges and obstacles that come along with going on an adventure. It’s rolling with the punches and freeing your mind of expectation.
Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach, a leading business coaching program designed to step up progress and results in both business and personal life, is a big proponent of taking consistent free days. He believes that by taking more time off, your level of attention and intention goes up, which produces a higher quality of time – both in and out of the office.
Sullivan’s wife, Babs, played a huge role in that school of thought by giving him an ultimatum some 40+ years ago. “Take free days if you want a relationship”, she said. He’s more successful than he’s ever been – and he takes 100 days off per year!
Personal trainers are relied on to keep our workouts in check. Housekeepers keep our homes neat and tidy. Yoga teachers remind us to return to our breath. Dentists send biannual updates advising us to maintain our teeth. Smartphones alert us on when the next meeting is.
Who’s in charge of reminding you to take a vacation?
Who’s regularly checking in, not just to suggest it’s time to take that next trip, but to carefully curate your valuable time away from the office for the benefit of both your personal and professional growth?
We’re living in truly incredible times. In the near future we’re going to witness complete industry shifts and technological, scientific, and economic advancements that one would only associate with sci-fi movies. Many fear artificial intelligence and other digital technologies will outperform and replace humans, transforming our world as we know it dramatically.
As we enter this exciting time in human history, the demand for optimal human performance will only rise. Never before has it been more important for the world’s greatest leaders to focus on their physical and mental well-being. The need for valuable human creativity, innovation, intuition, connection, collaboration, and adaptation to solve problems is more pronounced than it’s ever been.
Wellness Travel and continually taking breaks is just one piece of that larger wellness puzzle.
No, I don’t know if you deserve a vacation. I’m not here to give you permission to take one. That’s on you. But I do know that without rest we perform at a lower level, without a change of scenery we hinder growth, and without constant breaks, we miss out on our greatest breakthroughs.
That’s what Wellness Travel really is. It’s an enduring process of personal growth.
I hope to assist you in your journey to the top.
Travel well,
Jeff