World Wellness Day is June 10th!
Feel-good getaways for every style of traveler.
by, Lindsay Lambert Day
It’s easy to make wellness a priority when you travel: The world is filled with lifestyle coaches, mindfulness guides, nutritionists, trainers, and spa technicians ready to help you embrace your happiest and healthiest self. Whether you’re looking to get a little active on vacation, turn your entire getaway into a health retreat, or you just want to indulge at a world-class spa in one of the world’s most beautiful places, we’ve got you covered. At Bayside Travel we can help you find the spa hotel, cruise line, tour company or destination to keep your vacation health focused.
The Spa-Packed Stay
Few things compare to human touch for calming the mind and body – remedying everything from sleeplessness to sore muscles. Add aromatic body scrubs, essential oils, and calming elixirs from natural and organic ingredients, and you’ve got a recipe for rejuvenation. Treat yourself to a stretching and massage combo designed to improve your sleep quality, or settle into a hotel spa with a hammam bathing ritual drawn from Arabian traditions. Marine-sourced ingredients, such as nutrient-rich black algae, can add a soothing touch to hydrating seaweed soaks in seaside resorts.
The Nutrition-Focused Reset
When cooked and curated by experts, healthy foods can be as enjoyable as they are beneficial. Picture a customized, nutritionist-designed menu sourced from local ingredients as you enjoy sun, sand, and surf. A tea sommelier can describe an ancient brew’s health benefits while showcasing the rituals of a traditional tea ceremony. Learning through diagnostic testing which sustainably sourced foods can help combat oxidative stress might help you achieve your ideal weight back at home: a win-win-win.
The Movement and Mindfulness Break
Out of Africa author Karen Blixen (pen name Isak Dinesen) said, “The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea.” Some sublime spots around the world offer all three in a single session. Sweat it out and release some pent-up emotions while re-centering yourself during a seaside yoga class. For a mellower approach to mental health, chat with a mindful-living coach on an ocean cruise to learn about healing meditation techniques. Or find your perfect blend of Pilates, barre classes, and beach bootcamps with a personalized exercise program designed to meet your fitness goals.
The Zen-Focused Getaway
Rest and relaxation can be the best medication for much of what ails us. Find both as you float peacefully in a swimming pool while taking in quiet desert surroundings or sink into a Japanese-style onsen soaking tub to ease tense muscles. If you’re craving a deeper connection to nature, silence your phone (or better yet, leave it in your hotel room) and try forest bathing, which has been proven to reduce stress, in a national park.
The Fresh-Air Escape
Some of our favorite wellness retreats pair heart-pumping outdoor adventures with spa treatments. Start the day with an invigorating hike or a leisurely canoe ride around an electric-blue lake. To let nature set your pace, climb into an inflatable raft to float down a river and through verdant forests teeming with colorful creatures. Add some altitude to the mix with an alpine bike ride, where you can pedal through peaceful meadows, along serpentine trails, and past sparkling lakes, with the wind at your back.
The Expert-Led Luxury Wellness Retreat
A consultation here, a personal training session there – everyday life can get in the way of even the best intentions for healthy living. Trade one-off sessions for an immersive health and wellness vacation to set the basis for good habits you can take home with you. For example, a weeklong tailored program of hiking and exercise classes or a steady diet of locally sourced, plant-based dishes can inspire some new meals and moves to add into your regular routine.