I remember from an early age I enjoyed traveling. Anytime my parents would say, “we’re going on vacation” that’s all I could think about. I enjoyed seeing new things and being away from the routine.
Fast forward to today and I still like to travel but my feelings toward it are different. When I moved away from home and got into the workforce travel became my therapy and savior. I worked in high stress environments with a lot of pressure, and I think I wasn’t ready for it. Travel was able to calm me down and help with putting things into perspective.
This year has been a turning point because I finally realized that I could turn my passion of travel into a career. I started to research the travel industry and came across the site “The Wellness Tourism Worldwide,” and soon realized that all these years of seeking ways to improve my lifestyle in my travels was considered to be “wellness travel.” Camille Hoheb, founder of Wellness Tourism Worldwide, defines wellness travel in the guidebook she wrote, The Guide to Selling Wellness Travel, as such: “wellness travel is traveling to improve one’s sense of well-being.” She also explains, in the guidebook, why are wellness and travel connected, “As we have learned more about stress-related disease processes, we are focusing more on wellness vacation and why they are important. Vacations are good for health, happiness and productivity. They promote mental health and family bonding. Travel presents an opportunity to decompress from work and the daily stresses of life, to get the creative juices flowing.” She goes onto mention that, “vacations have been proven to be beneficial in mind, body and spirit and proven to lower the body’s chemical reaction to stress.”
“The Guide to Selling Wellness Travel” spoke my language and I learned that there is a great need for wellness travel in this country. “Wellness is expected to be a trillion dollar industry by 2017.” You, too, may very well be a wellness traveler if you’re able to check off anything from the lists below. If you check more than one thing off you may want to research the many wellness travel packages that are out there. In the guidebook there are several examples of hotels and touring companies that offer wellness packages.
Why travel for wellness:
- Kickstart a healthy regimen
- Escape everyday life
- Reconnect with oneself, others, a community, a movement, nature or God
- Enhance one’s fitness or spiritual practice
- Quest for engagement, peace or higher being
Emotional Triggers of Wellbeing Travelers:
- “I need to celebrate!”
- “I know the goal but I’m stuck”
- “My life lacks meaning”
- “My relationship with my partner is worn down by everyday life.”
The guidebook really opened my eyes to a different world that is out there to help you. I was lucky enough to interview the writer of the guidebook: Camille Hoheb. Her interview is up on the blog, it’s the post after this one. If you’re interested in traveling and taking care of yourself I would recommend that you purchase the guidebook.
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