Holidays are about indulgence; to some travellers this means checking into a luxury five-star hotel overlooking an infinite blue sea. To others, it’s making the most of this time away to totally unwind – whether that’s joining in with sunrise yoga on the beach, or taking an extra five minutes to snooze on the sand.
We’ve highlighted some of the top trends that are driving wellness travel in 2020, so you can seek a little R&R for yourself…
Get Your ZZZ’s
Research from The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) – a trends forecasting team predicting new directions of health and wellness – has found that catching those all-important ZZZ’s should be at the top of your agenda when it comes to staying healthy, especially when you travel.
Sleep deprivation or insomnia is unfortunately a common problem, caused by crazy work schedules, late-night Netflix binging, or efforts to meet those harsh deadlines before you fly. Sound familiar? According to a recent report, the influence of circadian rhythms (the sleep-wake cycle in response to light e.g. sleeping at night and being awake in the day) will soon become much more important, especially with regards to limiting jet lag.
We wont bore you with any more biology…
In short, the travel industry is gradually beginning to think about providing solutions to boost the quality of sleep, with GWS stating that some technologies have already been designed to help eliminate jet lag with timed light exposures – cue the innovative Timeshifter app.
I think it’s time for a nap…
Adventure Holidays
The Great Outdoors has never been so appealing, with more and more travellers wanting to soak up the world’s natural beauty by foot, bike, paddleboard and beyond. Better still, there’s an abundance of exciting ways to do so.
Whether you want to entertain the kids with thrill-seeking watersports, embark on a coastal hiking excursion or hop on horseback and meander through the hills – spending time in the fresh air and being active on your holidays can be a huge boost for your mental and physical health. So much so, it’s changing the way that we travel as a whole.
An entirely different type of bucket-list has been born in recent years, set to overtake the ‘fly-and-flop’ beach stop. Adventure holidays are all the rage in 2020, with people travelling to their favourite destinations and ticking off thrill-seeking experiences. From facing famous challenges such as trekking Machu Picchu in Peru, to diving in the Underwater Museum of Cancun, or touring the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens – what better way to appreciate the natural beauty of this world?
Luxe Living
Beyond all-inclusive offerings of unlimited cocktails by the pool, luxury travel is another key aspect of the wellness movement (spoiler alert: quite the opposite of adventure holidays).
Think yoga retreats, eco-friendly hotels, meditation courses and culinary experiences like no other – wellness travellers are now paying premium to overhaul their mind, body and soul by staying at some of the most unique hotels around the world.
Head to some of the wellness retreats available and you’ll feel as though you’ve been catapulted into the future, with incredible workshops and treatments that focus on energy balance, nourishment, floatation, fitness goals and more. Surprisingly, not all of these retreats are located the other side of the world, with the hilltop SHA Wellness Clinic offering a taste of paradise from as nearby as Alicante, Spain.
Get Fit, Get Smart
Since the innovative Apple Watch graced our shelves back in 2014, the health and fitness industry has exploded. A few years and significant advances in technology later, wearable fitness trackers are all the rage – and you’ll be hard-pushed to find a fitness enthusiast donning a bare wrist.
Complete with built-in health, recovery and activity data, wearables such as the Apple Watch, Fitbit and Garmin offer state-of-the-art technology that track your every move, from your steps to your heart rate, stress levels, menstrual cycles, sleep patterns and a whole lot more. Including telling the time, of course.
This has provided a fantastic opportunity for fitness lovers to truly understand what a healthy balance looks like on the inside, as well as the outside. Whether you’re jogging through your local town or hiking one of Europe’s gorgeous coastal trails – you can take this wellness trend with you.
