‘The options to reset, reflect and restore are endless’

Never has the desire been greater to travel and heal ourselves – and luckily, we are spoilt for choice in 2021. Suzanne Duckett introduces our eight-page guide to the world’s most nourishing spa experiences

After nearly a year of being grounded, trips taken from here on have to count on so many levels – personally, professionally, psychologically and ecologically. Whether you admit it or not, the enforced slow down and more time spent with yourself, your partner or your family has unearthed some home truths.

Lack of routine has led, for many, to comfort eating, sporadic exercise, wine being cracked open most evenings and an increased dependency on digital technology. This will be the year to reset and redress the meaning of “welltravelled” in every sense when the world finally reopens to us.

The options to reset, reflect and restore are endless and deeply personal. What floats one person’s boat (fasting and detoxing to lighten the load?) creates a sinking feeling in others (who might prefer a retreat in Mexico to mend a broken heart). Some seek a retreat on their own, others – when rules allow – want to take the whole brood for a reboot. Though the children haven’t left their sight for more than a few school hours during the past year, they have never felt more disconnected from them. Then there are fitness breaks, from Spain to the Caribbean, which may spark a new love of exercise; and retreats ensconced in nature that might just change your life altogether.

Wellness travel and traditional travel are not separate; they are one and the same. Wellness will slowly return to the stature it held way before the coronavirus crisis – as an opportunity to learn about the world we live in, the people, the practices and the ways of being, returning improved with a renewed sense of purpose, consciousness, community and the realisation that we are all part of something bigger. If that isn’t travelling well, I don’t know what is.