Wellness-Driven Travel Trends
Jun 11, 2018 | by Aon
Using travel as a tool to take a break for rest and recovery from the daily grind isn’t a brand new concept. In fact, the word vacation itself derives from the Latin word “vacare”, which means to be unoccupied. Often, today’s travelers aren’t just looking to be idle. In fact, it may be quite the opposite, especially for the growing number of travelers exploring the trend of wellness travel.
Wellness travel is a term to describe vacation experiences designed to promote traveler health in mind, body and spirit. According to Global Wellness Institute’s 2017 Global Wellness Economy Monitor, the wellness tourism segment is a $563 billion industry worldwide, and growing.
So if you’re looking for your next vacation to center around miles of biking or hiking, hours of yoga or meditation, or simply focusing on well-being, the travel team at Aon Affinity, a leading provider of travel insurance and protection benefits, offers this advice for wellness travel seekers:
- As Unique as You – Wellness travel doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing extreme if you don’t want it to be. Yes, you may dream of paddleboard yoga, forest bathing and clean eating every day…or you may want to incorporate a blend of more traditional activity and relaxation (i.e. reading time poolside). Spaces like WeTravel feature individual travel organizers or Pravassa offers packages or custom travel experiences specifically crafted for the wellness traveler and their unique preferences and budgets.
- Chill Packing – Wellness travel is all about the experience and how it makes you feel, which is like a sign flashing “leave your baggage at home,” literally. Yoga and wellness expert Lara Alexiou says she lays out everything a week before a trip and then edits to remove the unnecessary bits. “I zip up that suitcase with less than half of my original pile,” Alexiou says. “Travel is about creating new experiences, not about dragging our regular old stuff around the world.”
- Health Check – Depending upon your destination(s), make sure all routine immunizations are up to date and find out if you need any travel-related vaccinations before you go. Take a moment to research and learn about the health risks in your destination from the region to the season. The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT) offers a country-to-country health directory.
- Insure Your Wellbeing – How far you are traveling, when you are traveling and who is traveling all should factor into a decision to invest in travel protection. Typically, the more complex the trip and the higher the costs, the greater the interest in protecting it. But no matter how simple or complex the travel benefits package is, understand the details and nuances in coverage before you go.
More than just pressing pause on life, wellness travel is designed to provide an enjoyable, well-deserved break with elements crafted to leave you feeling refreshed and in a brighter state of mind, not needing a vacation from your vacation.
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