Picture your dream vacation. Are you in the mountains or by the sea? Are you fishing in a beautiful stream or walking a wooded path? Perhaps you’re whale-watching in the Pacific Northwest or snorkeling in the Caribbean.
A vacation is a chance to step away from our daily responsibilities. It is an opportunity to refuel in body and spirit. But too often, we overprogram and come home exhausted.
What if we approached a vacation differently — traveling with the purpose of enhancing our wellness? What if a vacation could actually leave us rested, breathing easier, and feeling more healed, both inwardly and outwardly? For example, breathing sea air improves lung function and enhances sleep quality.
Karen Newton, a teacher at Earth & Spirit Center in Louisville, has traveled with exactly this purpose. She especially seeks out destinations where she can be immersed in nature and its healing properties.
“I know that being in nature is good for me,” Karen says, “but it’s more than that. I want to be aware of the natural world I’m living in, and to be fully present.”
Karen and her partner Brian Mosma try to break from the notion of planning every aspect of a vacation. “I’m not saying we don’t plan our trips, but we’re not scheduling each minute,” she says. “Our focus is on the moment, and we are intentional about immersing ourselves into whatever comes from each experience.”
Karen’s recommendations for a wellness trip
What would feel most restorative to you on a vacation? Time in solace, or time with others? A leisurely stroll, or a challenging hike? Let Karen’s adventures inspire your next wellness-boosting destination.
Meditative community: One of Karen’s most rejuvenating vacations took her to Europe.
“We put ourselves on retreat at Plum Village in Southern France, a community founded by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh,” Karen recalls. “For that amazing week, we were deep in the natural world, rising before sunrise to walk a mile to the meditation hall. We worked in the community all day, chopping vegetables, pulling weeds, and attending meditation sessions.
“There was no planning because the community is in place, and we dropped into the village as temporary community members,” she continues. “Although the week was dedicated to mindfulness, and it strengthened my commitment to meditation, it did not feel hard-core. It was extremely healing and restorative.”
There is a song from the Plum Village tradition that Karen uses as a personal mantra. She has sung it as a lullaby to her grandchildren. Its message helps to ground her in the present moment:
Happiness is here and now
I have dropped my worries
Nowhere to go, nothing to do
No longer in a hurry.
Happiness is here and now
I have dropped my worries
Somewhere to go, something to do
But I don’t need to hurry.
–Thich Nhat Hanh
High adventure: In 2024, Karen and Brian traveled with guides down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. “That was a highly planned trip, but once we were in the guides’ hands, there was nowhere to go but to embrace the fact that we were spending a week camping on the riverbanks of one of the great Wonders of the World,” Karen says. “It was high adventure!”
Fresh and tropical: Karen had been to Costa Rica in the ’80s and knew she wanted to return to reap the health benefits of the beautiful landscape. For this trip, she elected to travel with a tour group instead of going solo. “When you use a travel company, you can select the level of physical activity you want on the trip as well as the size of your group,” she says. “We have used [the travel service] Road Scholar in the past. I also like Overseas Adventure Travel because there is no penalty for traveling alone.” Karen adds that in many cases, a single traveler has to pay the double occupancy rate for lodging.
Desert starlight: Sedona, Arizona also holds a special place in Karen’s heart. She’s visited more than 20 times over the last 40 years. “It’s a quick flight from Louisville and a rental car to get there, but you feel as if you’ve gone far into the natural world,” Karen says. “The hiking is amazing and really accessible. You can stroll leisurely or really challenge yourself. The trails are well-groomed and marked. It’s high desert, so every view is expansive.
“Sedona is a city that values the night sky — low lights are a requirement — so you can see the stars clearly,” she continues. Sedona has long been revered by Native Americans as a spiritual site, she adds. “There is a presence about the place. It just feels healing.”
The majestic trees: Karen recommends a visit to the redwood forests of the West Coast, particularly traveling farther north toward Patrick’s Point. “The national parks are intact here, and parts of Highway 101 are still two-lane,” she says. “Your sense of connectedness to nature is intense — the sounds, sights, smells, and air quality. It’s incredible.”
Fifteen minutes in a forest can lower stress hormones. When you immerse yourself in nature, you lower your blood pressure, boost your immune system, and improve your mood. The Japanese coined the term “forest bathing” (shinrin-yoku) in 1982, and the phrase is an apt description. Vacations such as these — even if you are just in your own town — can, indeed, heal. Not to mention that you can spend time in some of the world’s most beautiful places.
You don’t have to leave home to experience these effects, however. Our local community has numerous parks and retreat centers that can bring you the health benefits you crave. “The key,” Karen says, “is to put yourself into the natural world. Call it a retreat. If you need to take a photo, do it and then put your phone away. Put yourself in community with nature. Do it with other people around you or on your own. It is truly healing.”
Every traveler must decide for themselves the type of adventure they want to have, ranging from solo to semi-guided and from low activity to high adventure. When you’re searching for health-full vacations like these, and don’t quite know where you want to go, start by asking around. You can get good suggestions from your friends, travel agents, or the internet. Talk about it with your travel partner if you have one and then make that reservation.
By Megan S. William
P.S. Looking for an Adventure: How this couple travels in their Airstream
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