Wellness travel trends for 2020 reflect an increasing awareness about health issues and offer a chance to take time out and rebalance in pretty spectacular locations where it would be hard not to heal. From helping women navigate through the menopause to changing our diet, wellness travel trends focus on improving key aspects of our health and wellbeing and that can only be a good thing.

5 Top Wellness Travel Trends for 2020

1. #Mumcation
‘Mumcation’ can be a slightly annoying word but the concept is taking root and now even has its own hashtag. Common sense says that mums need time to recharge and psychology professor Dr Nava Silton made it official in an interview with Fox5NY (2-minute video). A healthy break without children can be essential to a mother’s wellbeing and therefore good for the children too. Whether just indulging in child-free time to read, walk and sleep or immersion in holistic therapies, Mum’s get to focus on themselves free from the day-to-day responsibilities of parenting and ideally return relaxed and refreshed for family life again.

2. Menopause Relief
At long last, there’s a greater awareness and new openness about discussing this old-as-the-hills process women go through. New retreats specifically aimed at helping women with health issues including the menopause, hormonal imbalance and weight gain are gaining momentum. Remember also that meditation, yoga, tai chi and mindfulness can help alleviate symptoms. Hopefully in the future, retreats offering support for menopausal women will be as common as going to a spa for a massage or facial.

3. Sugar ‘Detox’
The harmful effects of consuming too much sugar have been known for many years but there’s a growing awareness about its effects, like bloating, IBS, headaches, lack of energy and weight gain. You can read more about it in our blog on Easy tips for going sugar-free. The new debate also features in our blog on Sugar or fat, which is worse?
If you would like a bit more help reducing or even eliminating sugar from your diet, there’s a range of healthy and detoxifying holidays designed to make it easier to kick the ‘sugar habit’. Detoxing here doesn’t mean going without food just ridding the body of sugar and the cravings that accompany it. If you’re going to go cold turkey why not do it in amazing surroundings nourished by health experts, healthy organic foods and holistic treatments?

4. Sound Therapy
Sound therapy works through the healing power of sound vibration and frequencies. It follows the understanding that all of us have our own natural frequencies (including heartbeat, and other neurological and chemical body functions). When we are exposed to the external frequencies of singing bowls, gongs, tuning forks etc, the natural healing of both the body and mind can begin. For a deeper discussion including my personal experience of this, read our recent blog on sound therapy.

5. Colour Therapy
Similar to sound, light is a frequency; and the various colours in its spectrum have different frequencies. Colour therapy works through the healing power of light vibration and frequencies. It works on the theory that our energy centres, or chakras, throughout our body are activated and rebalanced by colours.
Colour therapy, also known as chromatherapy, has been practised since ancient times. Now an increasing understanding of the benefits of colour therapy is gaining momentum. Some yoga studios steep their classes in colour, sound and even scent, and a new hotel in St Louis, Missouri even has rooms entirely in one colour to channel specific moods, for example, red for passion, yellow for happiness and so on.

Many of the wellness travel trends for 2020 are achievable and sustainable practices, which you can find in our retreats.

Here’s to a happy and healthy year ahead!

Jo Fernandez is a leading UK travel journalist, with much of her career spent working for the London Evening Standard where she was Travel Editor until 2015. Now a freelance travel journalist and copywriter, she lives in Essex and has one daughter. As a travel expert, she still enjoys jetting off to write travel pieces, with favourite destinations including Mexico, Croatia and, of course, Essex.

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As our cold winter has sprung into hot summer (for the moment skipping spring) we are drawn to the sunshine and to nature, and rural retreats. Instinctively we’ve known for many years what science now seems to prove, that being in nature nurtures us. A recent article in the Daily Mail discusses the ‘proven physical and mental benefits’ of spending time outside, from a walk in a forest (barefoot if possible) to a solo walk somewhere rural.

There are rural retreats in the UK that offer the added bonus of glorious countryside where you can connect with nature, as well as enjoy yoga on the lawn, meditative walks, or outdoor activities like stand up paddleboarding or just bliss out by admiring the bucolic views from an outdoor hot tub.

In addition to helping decrease stress levels, spending more time in nature helps us to re-energise and provides a heightened sense of wellbeing. The US Journal of Environmental and Public Health states (see published studies by NCBI): “Emerging evidence shows that contact with the Earth – whether being outside barefoot or indoors connected to grounded conductive systems – may be a simple, natural, and yet profoundly effective environmental strategy against chronic stress, inflammation, pain, poor sleep, disturbed HRV (heart rate variability), … and many common health disorders, including cardiovascular disease.” Could support for better health literally be located right beneath our feet?

As earthing (or grounding) has re-entered our awareness, it’s becoming a buzz word, and there is a moving trend to connect with nature. Here at Neal’s Yard Holidays we love connecting with the great outdoors and have chosen some of our top rural retreats in the UK.

Wellbeing, Yoga and Detox Retreats in Norfolk

AdventureYogi specialise in offering retreats with outdoor activities and plenty of opportunities for earthing. Their wellness retreats in Norfolk are set in a converted barn in a country estate in rural Swaffham. Weekends here blend idyllic surroundings with twice-daily yoga (Hatha and vinyasa, pranayama, partner yoga, yin and yoga nidra), guided meditative walks and delicious vegetarian or vegan food, massages and relaxation. You can join a guided walk to a local English Heritage site and optional beach excursion.
Two nights from £445pp sharing twin/double room (single supplement £150) full board including yoga classes and a guided walk. Holistic treatments extra. Come for May bank holiday weekend 25 – 28 May 2018 or August bank holiday weekend 24-27 August 2018. 

Find Your Passion Life Coaching Retreat in North Yorkshire

Raw Horizons offer women-only retreats at Split Farthing Hall, an 18th-century retreat close to the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. Combining a holistic approach to wellbeing with coaching, yoga, meditation and gourmet raw food, the Telegraph name it ‘best holistic retreat.’
Three nights from £625pp twin-share (£745 single room), full board including yoga classes, retreat activities, use of a hot tub and infrared sauna and transfers to/from the local train station. Holistic treatments extra. Come for May bank holiday 29 May – 1 Jun 2018; available for selected dates until 9 October. (Top photo of hot tub in rural Yorkshire is from Raw Horizons.)

Ancient Wisdom, Yoga and Detox Retreat in Scotland

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Last year’s wellness trends included the Danish concept of hygge, using coconut oil for pretty much everything and our old friend mindfulness.

This year’s trends focus on food, both as medicine and nutrition, better sleep and an awareness of the environment as we nurture ourselves. Read on for the key wellness trends to watch in 2018.

Nourish yourself and help the world
Protecting the planet will become an integral part of our wellness routines, meaning we help the environment as we help ourselves. Stock up on homegrown healthy foods such as linseeds, broccoli and pumpkin that don’t require air miles. Similarly, include sustainable and health-benefiting crops in their traditional forms such as chickpeas and lentils. This wellness trend goes hand in hand with…

Health and beauty outside and in
Vitamin C, for example, found in berries, sweet potatoes and dark leafy greens such as kale contains strong antioxidants that can help protect you from disease and slow the ageing process. When applied to the skin topically, vitamin C can reduce inflammation, suppress free radical activity and prevent the appearance of visible ageing.

Food used as medicine
Healing spices are increasingly being recognised as healthy alternatives to pharmaceuticals. Turmeric, which has been used in food and Ayurvedic medicine in Eastern cultures for centuries, will continue to be a key wellness trend in 2018. The fragrant golden spice’s anti-inflammatory properties are due to a compound called curcumin and early research has looked into the potential effect of curcumin on a range of conditions from pre-menstrual tension to Alzheimer’s disease. Wellness retreats with a strong focus on nutrition will continue to allow guests to find the best food for their needs.

Benefits of sleep
When public figures such as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Google executive Jonathan Rosenberg admit they couldn’t function as highly as they do without eight hours a night (watch the video below for more on this) sleep becomes highly topical. Bedroom comfort and practices to help sleep range from smart mattresses that analyse REM cycles to sleep trackers but conversely the advice to power down all digital devices well ahead of lights out and using holistic relaxation techniques such as yoga nidra, restorative and yin yoga still remains sound advice. Look out for our upcoming blog on sleep.

Top Google exec shares his secret to a good night’s sleep from CNBC:

Healthy Ageing
Healthy-ageing holidays are also rising in popularity with spa-goers choosing spas and retreats which offer a combination of more pampering treatments such as facials with practices that aid menopause relief, all designed to help slow down the clock. Keeping youthful inside and out is key.

Try Tai Chi
Trend-led website Pinterest noticed a +189% rise in searches for Tai Chi in its top 100 trends for 2018. Naturally, Tai Chi will get more focus thanks to its potential to reduce stress, release pain and create harmony. Here’s a video that shows what this exercise can be like – in harmony with your body and nature.

Many of the wellness trends for 2018 are achievable and sustainable practices which you can find in our retreats.

Jo Fernandez is a leading UK travel journalist, with much of her career spent working for the London Evening Standard where she was Travel Editor until 2015. Now a freelance travel journalist and copywriter, she lives in Essex and has one daughter. As a travel expert, she still enjoys jetting off to write travel pieces, with favourite destinations including Mexico, Croatia and, of course, Essex.

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Embracing the change in season, as the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, can be helped by a UK spa break offer for the ultimate relaxation and rejuvenation with an added extra.

The annual National Spa Week, from 30th October until 5 November this year, aims to raise awareness of the benefits of the physical, mental and emotional benefits of going to spas on a regular basis. Here at Neal’s Yard Holidays, we also understand a thing or two about the importance of a good spa break, whether for relaxing massages and exercise or more mindful practices such as meditation and yoga. We’ve rounded up the best UK spa break offers with availability this autumn and winter – so no flying or airport queues – all in tranquil settings offering a combination of healthy meals, relaxation and exercise.

Restore and recharge in the tranquil English countryside with one of these special UK spa break offers:

Raw Horizons in Yorkshire
Relax with Kundalini yoga, unwind with meditation, gently detox with delicious gourmet raw food, plus enjoy the hot tub and infrared sauna in Split Farthing Hall, close to the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors.
Two nights from £345 per person twin share room, £450 single room full board, includes yoga, retreat activities, hot tub and infrared sauna, transfers to/from local train station. Massages and holistic therapies are not included. OFFER: mention Neal’s Yard Holidays when booking to receive free one-hour holistic massage, worth £55. Available 31 October – 3 November, 10-12 November, 14-17 November, 28 November – 1 December and 12-15 December 2017.

Chillout Retreat with Champneys, Hampshire
The ultimate spa retreat blending yoga, Pilates, meditation, life coaching and workshops, Champneys Forest Mere Resort near Liphook is set in peaceful and grounds with forests and a lake. Or stay at their Arundel retreat, a barn conversion in the Sussex countryside.
Two nights in Hampshire from £495 per person twin share including all food, classes, workshops and use of spa and relaxation facilities. Treatments extra. Available 8-10 December 2017. Two nights in Sussex £325 per person twin share all inclusive with hatha yoga classes, core strengthening Pilates, meditations and guided walks, 24-26 November 2017.
Or choose Chillouts’ luxury retreat offering Hugge Style Comfort in Sussex near Arundel. OFFER: a complimentary 30-minute holistic treatment worth £30 at their Arundel retreat. Available 24-26 November 2017 or 9-11 February 2018.

Enjoy your UK spa break!

Jo Fernandez is a leading UK travel journalist, with much of her career spent working for the London Evening Standard where she was Travel Editor until 2015.
Now a freelance travel journalist and copywriter, she lives in Essex and has one daughter. As a travel expert, she still enjoys jetting off to write travel pieces, with favourite destinations including Mexico, Croatia and, of course, Essex.

The post Best UK spa break offers appeared first on Neals Yard Holidays Blog.

Many of us are looking for rejuvenating UK wellness retreats this summer. Whether it’s due to uncertainty over Brexit or for environmental reasons, there are many benefits to staying on home soil.

Choosing wellness retreats in the UK certainly fits in with the new Make Holidays Greener campaign from ABTA, the leading association of travel agents and tour operators. Aiming to encourage us to be more environmentally aware this summer, participants can select from 15 pledges, including carbon offsetting and eating and drinking locally, with the chance to win a GoPro camera. Here’s our pick of the best UK wellness retreats for summer 2017:

Four nights from £889pp twin share, £1139 single room including juice detox programme, all classes and workshops. 14-18 August and 18-24 September 2017.

Chillout Retreats at Champneys, Liphook, Hampshire
Set in a former hunting lodge surrounded by enchanting woodland and a peaceful lake, Chillout Retreats experts have teamed up with Champneys’ luxurious Hampshire retreat to offer yoga, Pilates, meditation, life coaching and workshops as part of an exclusive spa retreat package.

£425pp twin share with ensuite bathroom; £497pp single ensuite room full board including classes, workshops and use of spa and relaxation facilities. Excludes spa treatments. Available from 18-20 August and 8-10 December 2017.

Aluna Healing Retreats, Dartmoor, Devon
From the tranquility of a manor house surrounded by forest and ancient rocks and sacred sites, these highly spiritual retreats are centred around cleansing and transforming through yoga, meditation, detoxification and spiritual practice. Find renewed energy and strength also from reconnecting with nature.

£820pp twin share or double, £920 single, including juices, classes and activities. Excludes optional detox kits, massage and transfers. Available from 1-7 September 2017 or private booking for your own tailored solo-retreat.

Yoga and Raw Food in Yorkshire
Raw Horizons offer women-only retreats at Split Farthing Hall, an 18th-century refuge close to the Yorkshire Dales. Led by Dr Claire Maguire, PhD whose holistic approach combines wellbeing coaching, yoga, meditation and delicious raw food using recipes from her book ‘Fresh and Sophisticated – The Art of Radiant Eating’. Expect possible life changing results. Also enjoy the hot tub, views and walks.

Three nights cost £575pp twin share, £695 single, full board including yoga, energy rebalancing workshops and transfers. Come to Thirsk, near York, just over two hours by train from London, Manchester or Edinburgh. Juice Detox Retreats from 1-4 and 15-18 August, or Healthily Happy Retreats from 20-25 August and 17-22 September, or Yoga and Relaxation 22-24 September 2017.

Now you have all you need to book one of the best UK wellness retreats this summer that not only helps you but the environment too. Please read our Top Ten Green Travel Tips for more information.

Happy holidays!

Jo Fernandez is a leading UK travel journalist, with much of her career spent working for the London Evening Standard where she was Travel Editor until 2015.
Now a freelance travel journalist and copywriter, she lives in Essex and has one daughter. As a travel expert, she still enjoys jetting off to write travel pieces, with favourite destinations including Mexico, Croatia and, of course, Essex.

Lead photo courtesy of Raw Horizons in Yorkshire, UK.

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It’s time to book this year’s summer break to rejuvenate your mind and body. You’ve decided on short haul, but where are some of the best retreats in Europe?

According to ABTA’s annual report, the hot European spots this year include Croatia, with its idyllic islands and Sardinia for its captivating beaches and wild interior. While off some people’s radar, away from the larger cities, coastal Turkey continues to offer dazzling beaches, scenery, and cuisine (see the latest FCO advice and note that Thomas Cook has seen a rise in the popularity of Turkish resorts including Dalaman and Antalya).
Now, what type of retreat? Do you want to stay in a villa for a home-from-own feel or a hotel with the service that brings? Do you want to practice daily yoga or mindfulness – or both!? Read on for our selection of the best retreats in Europe:

ITALY family fitness, cooking and yoga
Think you can’t take a cookery or yoga break with children in tow? Think again. The stunning surroundings in Arezzo, Tuscany are the setting for Mum and Baby Experience’s breaks at this restored stone farmhouse with lake and mountain views. Inside all is well-equipped for babies and children, from highchairs and cots to trained babysitters. Choose twice-daily yoga classes and a cookery lesson or thrice-daily yoga, Zumba, and circuits or a walk. A massage or facial and trips to the medieval town of Anghiari are included.

SARDINIA mindfulness and yoga
Yoga in Sardinia involves a relaxing mix of gentle hatha yoga, mindfulness, pranayama and yoga nidra. Boutique Galanias Hotel in Bari Sardo offers coastal views and panoramic pools set in leafy grounds. Excursions include trips to the local beach, vineyards, diving and kayaking with bike hire available from the hotel.

TURKEY yoga
Turkey’s longest established and best-known yoga retreat, Huzur Vadisi in rural Göcek, near Dalaman, offers a variety of styles. Stay in yurts in a peaceful valley setting surrounded by olive and fig groves. Cool off in the natural stone swimming pool, indulge in a massage or take a siesta in the traditional Turkish ‘treehouse.’ Excursions include boat trips. So popular is the classic, wholesome Turkish food on offer here, they created their own cookbook.

Just think, once your summer retreat is booked you can start planning your winter retreat! Sorry to say but places for New Year are always limited and tend to get booked up well in advance.

Jo Fernandez is a leading UK travel journalist, with much of her career spent working for the London Evening Standard where she was Travel Editor until 2015.
Now a freelance travel journalist and copywriter, she lives in Essex and has one daughter. As a travel expert, she still enjoys jetting off to write travel pieces, with favourite destinations including Mexico, Croatia and, of course, Essex.

The post Quick guide to the best retreats in Europe appeared first on Neals Yard Holidays Blog.

Wellness trends come and go, but the array of wellness breaks and treatments available range from meaningful experiences to soothe your mind to taking care of your body or pure relaxation.

Technology and wellness
Technology refines and enhances our travel experience, creating a smaller, more accessible world but conversely one that we sometimes want to escape from hence the continued rise of digital detox breaks. Some hotels and spas even have a Smartphone Crèche while some don’t provide Wi-Fi access unless guests request it. Silent spas are a growing trend, from special quiet areas to becoming a noiseless retreat for just one ‘silent’ night.

Eco and sustainable wellness
In our desire to find peace and rejuvenation we don’t just think of ourselves but are also mindful of the environment. Eco and sustainable retreats offer educational eco-forest walks, all-natural spa remedies and healthy organic cuisine from onsite gardens. Personalised Ayurveda treatments have become very popular in Europe, the UK and Asia. Using nutrition, yoga, breathing techniques and meditation means they are naturally kind to both us and the environment.

You are what you eat
So-called clean-eating, in the sense of eating non-processed foods, and less dramatic, more sustainable changes in our eating habits replace extreme detoxes. New-era wellness retreats shy away from the quick-fix drastic measures instead offering healthy cooking classes and organic produce. Specialist diets available at nutrition friendly retreats offer plant-based or meat-free menus, which suit the growing number of vegan or vegetarians among us. For allergy sufferers, yeast-free and sugar-free diets tend to be available, there are even specialist gluten-free retreats.

Come together
And finally, family wellness retreats are a growing and popular trend. Families can bond on relaxing breaks and parents keen to prize iPads and smartphones from their offspring can do so. Increasing numbers of spas, most notably in Europe, offer specific children’s treatments or areas where families can swim, steam and sauna in a safe and family-friendly environment.

And breathe!

Jo Fernandez is a leading UK travel journalist, with much of her career spent working for the London Evening Standard where she was Travel Editor until 2015.
Now a freelance travel journalist and copywriter, she lives in Essex and has one daughter. As a travel expert, she still enjoys jetting off to write travel pieces, with favourite destinations including Mexico, Croatia and, of course, Essex.

The post Wellness trends in 2017 appeared first on Neals Yard Holidays Blog.