Mindfulness: Travelling for Wellness

Even before the pandemic struck, wellness holidays were on the rise, with well-being tourism worth an estimated $639 billion worldwide in 2018 and the Global Wellness Institute predicting that by 2022 wellness tourism would come close to hitting the $1 trillion mark.

There’s been little to dampen this desire for wellness travel since, indeed you could argue that the pandemic has made well-being holidays even more appealing.

Whether it’s the need to shake off those extra lockdown pounds, to rectify our pandemic posture, embrace nature, or learn a new activity, all the anecdotal evidence is that wellness holidays are what many of us want right now.

What makes yacht vacations perfect for wellness holidays?

Chartering a yacht is like having your own spa, exclusive hideaway, sea-view gym, and yoga retreat all in one.

Sea air and being near water, or what we like to think of as vitamin sea, have health benefits: the natural, fresh, environment must help, but the negative ions in sea air are also thought to improve our bodies’ ability to absorb oxygen. And who hasn’t experienced the calming effect of listening to waves lap the shore or lick the side of a boat?

The wellness benefits of being at sea are far from being a new fad. As far back as the 18th century, doctors were prescribing a healthy dose of sea bathing for many an illness and in the Victorian era being by the sea was considered a remedy for many a malady. The Classical Greece physician Hippocrates was even known to espouse the use of sea water to improve health.

Setting aside, yachts are well suited for wellness holidays for numerous reasons. Firstly, there’s the exclusivity, which allows for a private, safe, hygienic atmosphere on board, which is particularly welcome in these post-lockdown times.

But yacht wellness is also about having everything you need readily at hand.

You’ll have a private chef, who will prepare healthy and delicious meals and snacks, to help you feel good from the inside out.

You can arrange to have a Pilates teacher, masseuse or personal trainer on board, and, depending on the yacht you choose, there are lots of other amenities to help you decompress and recharge, from gyms, to spas, open decks for sunrise yoga, and pools. Some yachts now have whole decks dedicated to wellness activities.

Wellness holidays aren’t just about looking after your body but looking after your mental health too. Having a meaningful holiday with family or close friends, can help you destress and focus on the important things.

Family movie nights in a cosy sky lounge cinema, or under a star-studded sky, is the perfect excuse to cuddle up and enjoy downtime together, while playtime, enjoying some of the yacht’s water toys will help release essential endorphins.

Best destinations for a mindfulness holiday

The beauty of wellness travel aboard a yacht, is that you can travel with ease from one place to another, without any stresses to contend with. Your captain can also factor in stop-offs at luxurious wellness or fitness retreats into your itinerary, dropping anchor on a private island for a day or two while you embrace your natural surroundings.

Mindfulness in the Maldives

Fans of London’s Bodyism, may want to reap the health benefits against a tropical backdrop in the Maldives at the Wellness Tree House by Bodyism on the private island of Amilla Fushi. Cocooned in the treetops of swaying palm trees, these spa ‘nests’, each with its own treatment suite, are tranquil and restorative and come with cantilevered infinity pools. There is also a jungle gym with views of the Indian Ocean.

Wellness the Caribbean way

The Caribbean is like one big paradisical water park, where the opportunity for adventure is never far away, proving that wellness vacations can be fun too. You can go paddle boarding with turtles in Barbados, swim between the islands in St Kitts & Nevis, or even try underwater poses on a scuba yoga retreat in Grenada.

Find sanctuary in Spain

For mindfulness charters in the Med, Spain is a popular option thanks to its plethora of blissful and chic wellness and fitness retreats. Ibiza is one destination that is proving it’s more than a one party-trick island, with sought-after sanctuaries such as Thirty-Eight Degrees North, whose expert trainers will really knock you into shape with workouts ranging from kickboxing sessions to hikes along the pine-fringed coast.

Best yachts for a wellness holiday

While the whole ethos of yacht hospitality is to look after guests impeccably, some yachts are even more suited to mindful wellness holidays than others.

If you’re hosting a charter, you may enjoy have your own space from time to time to give yourself time to reflect on the experience, and yachts like the 72m UTOPIA, which comes with a private terrace to the master suite – as well as a spectacular duplex sun deck – could appeal.

LADY JORGIA’s main deck pool is the perfect place to soak up your meditative surroundings and connects easily to the large beach club. The fold-down balcony to the massage room means you can be lulled by the sound of the sea as you have your treatment – perfect for a mindfulness holiday.

LADY BRITT yacht is perfectly geared to wellness vacations, with a full spa, a sun deck Technogym, and a water slide and aqua park for non-stop fun. But perhaps our favourite wellness feature is the sauna with ocean platform, so you can step out of the hot and dive into the cool sea for a truly refreshing experience.

For further information on welness charters, please contact us.