Wellness Travel: Everything You Need To Know

There used to be a time when holidays meant going all out and splurging on anything and everything—food, shopping, and tourist places. Our travel itinerary used to be packed from day to night with a train to catch here and a museum to see there. But this has been changing. With work-life balance taking a backseat in our daily lives, we have started to long for that balance in our vacations. We want to leave behind those long days of Zoom meetings and unhealthy sleep cycles and switch to a routine that promises peace and well-being. And thus got started the trend of wellness travel.

What is wellness travel?

Wellness travel is travel undertaken to achieve physical, mental, and social well-being by indulging in physical, psychological, or spiritual activities. It allows us to stop and take a moment of respite from the ever-moving world to reconnect with ourselves and our roots. Often, when we go on vacation, we fill our plate with everything the destination has to offer, even when the plate becomes full. We let ourselves be swept away by the consumerist businesses and services fighting for our attention and money. While it looks like fun momentarily, we end up even more burnt out than we started. And lo and behold, work is around the corner again with the supposedly relaxing days already over. Wellness travel ensures that your experience is not reduced to this. It gives you an experience of what travel should be—a restoration of the spirit.

Belina was captured by our photographer in Bali during her wellness retreat.

The concept of wellness travel is based on the premise that we take time out to relax and reflect to reach a healthy state of body and mind. According to Deepak Chopra, a prominent alternative medicine advocate and founder of the wellness-oriented Chopra Foundation, wellness is an interconnected web of individual soul-searching and interpersonal experiences. Wellness retreats give you a chance to get away from the complications and anxieties of daily life and connect with people in the most fundamental way. 

How is wellness travel different from medical travel?

For some, wellness travel might feel like an accessory to medical travel—an added benefit at most. After all, when you are going away to a new city to get a treatment done, you might as well take in the scenic beauty of the place and reflect on your beliefs and relationships. The two forms of travel can go hand-in-hand, but they are different. Wellness travel arises out of a desire to actively work on well-being while medical travel is undertaken out of necessity.

Difference between wellness travel and medical travel.

Benefits of wellness travel

Sometimes the world gets a little too much and we find ourselves lost in the sea of faces. Or there are times when we find ourselves in limbo, questioning our beliefs, struggling to find something to latch on to. Or when we just feel exhausted, mentally and physically. It is in situations like these that wellness travel comes as an answer. It leaves us with more rewards than we expect.

Couple in white clothes relaxing after a couple of yoga sessions in the Bali retreat

Physical and social well-being

Wellness travel gives us a chance to actively devote our time to activities that help improve our daily habits and routine. This in turn brings about a positive change in our physical health. According to a study, retreat experiences led to significant improvements in multiple health and well-being indicators of the participants. Similarly, the collective and shared experience of the retreat fosters a space of trust and openness. The participants can share their vulnerabilities and form honest connections, unmarked by pretension.

Belina was shot by a Holidaygrapher photographer in Bali during her group wellness retreat.

Mental and spiritual well-being

Yoga and meditation retreats help align our thoughts and make sense of the incoherent mess that resides in our minds. They help us slow down and process events in and around us. Sometimes, our mental health is also disturbed by growing concerns regarding our spirituality. A peaceful retreat amidst nature helps us reconnect with our faith and engage in a dialogue about our spiritual beliefs. It helps us establish our place in the world and the conception of the world we believe in.

Belina’s moments of tranquility were captured by a Holidaygrapher photographer during her retreat in Bali.

The effects of wellness travel can be seen in our personal as well as professional lives. It helps us shed our tired skin and come back refreshed and rejuvenated ready to face the world. When we are sure of our place in nature and our relationships with everyone, the confidence we exude leaves a distinct mark on the work we do and the people we meet. 

Belina practiced yoga as part of her wellness retreat regime, captured by a Holidaygrapher photographer in Ubu, Bali.

Do not miss out on documenting this transformational journey. Like Belina, you can book a photoshoot with us. Our professional photographers will be sure to capture the best of you as you continue discovering the best in yourself.