Everybody needs a vacation now and then. We quench our need for adventure by exploring new places and recharge by relaxing and leaving work behind.
But these days, travel isn't just about getting away from it all. It's about improving your physical and mental health, getting away from the constant stress that surrounds us, and feeling refreshed and rejuvenated when we finally get back to work. Wellness tourism is taking over-and it's a trend that could help us enjoy happier, healthier lives.
A report published on the BBC website highlights how wellness tourism is growing in popularity. Now, you can stay at a luxury hotel and take advantage of a range of activities that involve more than just lying around the pool all day. Here's how wellness tourism can lead to the ultimate vacation.
In the United States, there are lots of vacation hotspots, but Florida tops the list for many people, thanks to the warm weather, fun atmosphere, wildlife, and range of activities. Nearly 70 million people visit Florida every year - and that's just for the theme parks.
Now, the Sunshine State is joining a number of idyllic places in offering wellness-centered spas and resorts that offer treatments like hydrotherapy and wellness counseling, in addition to more traditional spa treatments. Individualized wellness support in a sunny, beautiful location is just what some people need to go back to their lives and feel invigorated.
When you look at the state of physical and mental health in the United States, the wellness tourism trend makes a whole lot of sense. Physicians diagnose nearly 4.5 million children between the ages of three and 13 with anxiety, and around 1.9 million with depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). With these kinds of numbers, it may make sense to plan your next family vacation with wellness in mind.
But what's the difference between wellness tourism and, well, tourism? Mainly, the focus of the experience. Instead of planning activities purely for fun or to see the sights, wellness tourism is intended to help boost well-being, wellness, and overall health.
It's a big business now-reaching $639 billion in 2017. But wellness tourism isn't a new concept, and it's not something that's only reserved for the rich and famous. In fact, people have always practiced wellness tourism, whether to get away from their everyday lives or to search for more meaning.
Sure, you can plan lavish wellness-centered getaways that cost thousands of dollars, but that's not the only way to have a trip planned around well-being. It's all about your habits and headspace while you're traveling-not where you're traveling or what you're doing, specifically.
Women especially can benefit from the rejuvenating effects of wellness tourism. Physicians diagnose 50% more women with a mental illness compared to male patients, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and wellness travel can help women feel better in their mental and physical health.
In response to the needs of women travelers, a niche wellness tourism vertical is emerging that serves not only to heal - but to empower. Adventure wellness travel allows women to take on challenges and to use high-intensity travel experiences to feel tougher, wilder, and more independent.
Of course, every woman (and every person), is different. A wellness trip for one woman might be high-octane surfing and other tough physical challenges, while another woman might prefer a yoga and meditation retreat in Hawaii.
Wellness tourism is its own niche, but it translates into unique experiences for each person, depending on their needs, personality, and situation. There's a common thread, however, for wellness trips: they're usually based on shared experiences, community, and support.
For most Americans, everyday life is stressful and often detached. We don't take the time to just breathe or to go hiking, or even to spend time with the people we love. We don't necessarily have time for friends, or mindfulness, or processing tough events.
Wellness tourism might be the balm we need for our stressful lives. For a few days or weeks, we join together with other people who have similar values and pause to take a breath. We all need that, more often than we'd like to admit.