The Wellness Vacation

Working on your mental health while on vacation.

If you are reading this, there is a good chance you are a sailor or fond of the ocean. While the idea of a wellness vacation has never crossed my mind, I recently had a conversation about wellness while on a sailboat, and, well, a sailing vacation does help you reset your mind and soul.

Wellness Tourism: The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness tourism as travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s personal well-being.

Wellness travel is a type of tourism focused on enhancing one’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being while exploring new destinations. While I used to associate wellness with a spa retreat, the truth is that we all reset and contribute to our self-help differently. For many sailors, that is simply by being out on the water.

I set out to foster a bit of wellness while on a sailing vacation, and I found a few helpful things that made my sailing vacation much more enjoyable and mentally beneficial.

First, Dolce Far Niente. The Italian phrase that means “the sweetness of doing nothing” is what I have been trying to implement on all of my travels. Dolce Far Niente is a concept that perfectly complements wellness travel. It’s about embracing and savoring moments of stillness and relaxation without guilt or pressure to be productive. This approach to travel encourages letting go of rigid schedules, allowing oneself to be in the present and enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

It sounds like Dolce Far Niente is really sailing, masking itself as wellness travel.

Some Tips For Your Own Wellness Vacation

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Being Intentional

Set off on your sailing vacation with the intent to work on mental well-being. That doesn’t mean meditating when tossing the lines; it just means you want to recalibrate your stress levels. You have decided to recharge and focus your energy differently, so set your goal to focus on relaxation and mental clarity.

The truth is, we all need a mental break, which will eventually help us sleep better, make decision-making easier, and feel better overall. Do you ever have too much on your mind? Yeah, that is me. I need a vacation just to help me stop thinking about vacations.

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Choosing The Right Destination

We have all been on that vacation, which makes you need a vacation from your vacation. For sailors, that can be anything from choosing a challenging passage to exploring a destination all about beach bars and social activities.

When choosing a sailing vacation or any vacation, consider how much extra effort you want to put into finding your sweet spot. The sailboat deck is ideal for a wellness retreat because you don’t have to go anywhere once the anchor is set. However, you may want to take a break from the boat and hike or explore a new destination promoting your goals.

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Eat Like a Local

New experiences will captivate your imagination and help you redirect your stress. Food is an avenue to those new experiences. When in a foreign destination, try new food and open your palate to exciting new flavors. This curiosity is what your body thrives on. Have a conversation with a local, eat at a local restaurant, and get to know the cuisine of the destination.

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Read a Good Book

Taking the time to read a good book will help you find your ideal equilibrium. I typically pull Hemingway or Carl Hiassen. I avoid anything that makes me think too deeply when trying to promote health and relaxation. I don’t need heavy subjects when trying to reset my brain.

Do you?

Go Local

There is a spot on the isle of Ischia where you can sit in the ocean and feel the hot springs warm your body. These pockets of warm water in clear pools along the edge of the Gulf of Naples will set the tone for the rest of your life. If there is a spot on a sailing trip that can redefine how you reset your mental health, it is the Isle of Ischia and its volcanic treasures. Dotted around the island are thermal spas and pools both free to the public and in luxury resorts.

When looking for a wellness retreat on your sailing vacation, find the local treasures to help soothe your soul. You’ll be surprised how a local gem can alter your definition of a tourist attraction.

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Embrace Nature

For some of us, being outside is part of a wellness plan that assists mental health. Recently, while on a sailing trip in Croatia, we visited Mljet National Park. This picturesque island with quiet coves, hiking trails, and a large inland saltwater lake fits the concept of wellness travel to perfection. Being on a boat helps with wellness, but adding in a stop at a destination that allows you to take a wilderness hike through forested trails to a tucked-away lake is priceless.

Set goals for your wellness travel and select a destination and activities that offer options for long walks or strenuous hikes, kayaking on a pristine lake, or swimming with colorful reef fish. Nature has a way of healing your mind and spirit.

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Find Your Version of Wellness

What makes you tick? If you know the feeling you get when you turn off the engine, and the wind fills your sails, how do you recreate that to help your mental health? Find what makes you happy and choose that as a starting point for your wellness journey. While some people would take a cooking class, a navigation course may help your mental health and help you on your path to wellness.

Wellness tourism is about improving one’s well-being, so if that means sitting on the deck of a boat while anchored in a quiet bay, so be it. Do it!

Get some Exercise

Exercise plays a huge role in promoting wellness because it affects physical and mental health. On a boat, you easily find time to swim or paddle to explore the shore. Exercise can help alleviate stress and anxiety by releasing endorphins and natural mood elevators while increasing energy and reducing fatigue.

Take a nap

Taking an afternoon nap on a sailboat is a prime opportunity to work on yourself. How often can you take a nap when you are at home? Vacations are made for napping.

Drink water

This may seem like a no-brainer, but rest and hydration change our bodies’ chemistry and are so important for recharging our brains. This might also mean reserving the alcoholic drinks for another time. When working on yourself, avoid the wine and take in some H20.

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