Last updated March 4, 2024
More and more people are looking for ways to make travel more meaningful. While some look for vacations that focus on wellness, others want to combine ethical community interactions.
We are entering a phase where the significance of introspection equals that of external exploration. Engaging in circular communities that enrich all participants is a transformative journey, forming the essence of travel for change.
Do you ever notice that on vacation, we get to know ourselves in a deeper way? Maybe, it’s getting to know people that have no context of who we’ve been and simply get to know us for who we are in this present, carefree moment. Maybe, without the reminders of who we’ve been enforcing our behaviors and mindset, we are freer. Or maybe, it’s getting away from what’s comfortable that can allow the freshness of the outer environment transform our inner environment.
Nevertheless, there is one factor in particular that has been proven to ignite the soul on vacation. And that is when you travel to make a difference. Travel for change enables us to experience life from a local lens. It is vacation with a mission of transformation.
What Is Travel for Change
Travel for change is an experience where you are able to introduce yourself deeper to a new place, new people, new culture and new feelings of value within yourself. Numerous wellness retreats offer guests a platform to give back within local communities, which subsequently help them to see the world in a new way.
Not only does travel for change allow you to make a positive impact on a community, it also enables self-discovery beyond familiar contexts. Experiencing the world with a renewed outlook, collaborating within a culturally diverse and sustainability-focused team is inherently transformative. The synergy within such a group, driven by collective goodwill, brings about an indescribable sense of fulfillment.
Participating in this multicultural environment offers insights into our strengths and weaknesses, unveils our true passions and underscores the significance of our contributions. Ultimately, it instills a genuine sense of confidence in the value of our efforts.
Planting Seeds of Change
This genuine confidence and sense of value are often overlooked in today’s modern societal norms. It seems we are too easily replaced by technology or by a person willing to devote their entire life to work. In collaborative communities, the appreciation of what makes us unique and irreplaceable is something we can more easily see in ourselves.
This makes travel for change a profoundly impactful experience reshaping our perceptions of self. This shift elevates us to a higher version of ourselves, offering numerous advantages such as recognizing our intrinsic worth, witnessing the tangible impact of our efforts and actively participating in mutually beneficial endeavors. The wisdom gained from this transformative journey holds the potential to alter the circumstances we attract into our lives.
Now, when wellness tourism converges with travel for change, you can really align yourself with a whole new frequency. When you are able to give of yourself and have community interactions that inspire growth alongside bodywork, breathwork and wellness coaching—well, you can’t put a limit on the type of transformative experience you set yourself up for.
Wellness tourism is booming for a reason. The inner work we engage in—connecting mind, body and soul—through practices like meditation, yoga, spirituality, community engagement and awareness of a connection to something greater than ourselves has a scientifically proven positive impact. This inner alignment significantly influences the trajectory of our day-to-day lives.
Soul-Level Reboot
These experiences have revealed to us the potential and value inherent in holistic healing. When we combine personal healing retreats with the concept of giving back—aka travel for change—a vast and powerful opportunity emerges. It allows us to activate various aspects of our being, propelling us toward higher potentials and possibilities.
So, what drives the desire for travel experiences focused on personal transformation? Why do people find the idea of contributing while on vacation appealing? For some, the notion of working during leisure time may seem counterintuitive. However, the stark reality is that many individuals grapple with feelings of unfulfillment, dissatisfaction, anxiety and depression, living lives devoid of meaningful purpose.
From early on, we are ingrained with the idea of working tirelessly, pushing ourselves to acquire material possessions. Yet, the pursuit of wealth and beauty often leaves us feeling discontented and disconnected from our true selves and the essence of life.
Conversely, the most gratifying and invigorating sensations arise when our lives hold meaning, making challenges worthwhile. Engaging in a wellness vacation that embraces the concept of travel for change might be the soul-level reboot we desperately need.
Vacation With a Mission
Often, during vacations, the stress of logistics prevents us from truly immersing ourselves in the places and connecting with the people. Such trips may leave us in need of another break just to recover from the vacation itself.
A straightforward and effective approach to planning a stress-free adventure involves finding a guide or organization aligned with your desired experience. Trusting them to handle all the planning, logistics and activities with a well-informed understanding of the land and its people simplifies the process.
Taking a hiatus from our routine lives to concentrate on connecting with ourselves, others, the environment and becoming part of a community can be the rejuvenating break we crave. Organizations orchestrating transformative retreats and travel for change experiences seamlessly blend the elements of giving back and self-discovery to guide us back to our true selves.
Identifying an organization that shares this objective becomes our primary task. Instead of investing time in extensive research and planning driven by the fear of missing out, we can focus on researching retreats aligned with our soul mission.
Consider these five tips when exploring your next wellness retreat focused on travel for change:
- Search organizations that align with something you’ve always been passionate about, but maybe don’t have the time to do.
- Research projects that allow you to share your finely crafted skills with the less fortunate.
- Look at initiatives that are self-sustainable, working WITH the community and have local people on their board of directors.
- Small businesses are more wholesome and genuine than large agencies.
- Look at the guide’s background. If you feel a connection to the mission of the guide, you’ll be on the right track.
Why Travel for Change
Travel for change experiences coupled with a wellness retreat is the hands-down best way to travel. Having participated as both a guest in a transformative wellness retreat and a guide for such experiences, I am convinced that this form of travel serves as the holistic remedy we yearn for in our fast-paced and disconnected societal existence.
Our souls crave nurturing experiences, nourishing foods, connecting to communities, uniting with like-minded individuals, acknowledgement of our inner world, and awakening our purpose, passion and gifts to share.
About Rachel Riggio:
Rachel Riggio is the founder and director of Operations at The Red Road Foundation, an addiction counselor, wellness coach, writer, advocate and entrepreneur. She is also a guide for transformational wellness retreats (travel for change) experiences.
About The Red Road Foundation
The Red Road Foundation is a free education and sustainable development center in the rural countryside of Cambodia. For the past 10 years, they have been providing free education, creating environmental awareness campaigns/projects and connecting volunteers, interns and wellness travelers from all over the world to a community that is based on being mutually beneficial for all involved.
The Red Road Foundation builds sustainable and thriving communities that feed the needs of all beings involved and the surrounding environment. The organization’s wellness retreat programs have allowed them to become self-sustainable while introducing curious individuals to the wild and wonderful land and people of Cambodia.
The foundation creates wellness retreats that incorporate culture and adventure outwardly with an introspective journey that connects mind, body and spirit. Through bodywork, breathwork, wellness coaching and giving back to the community, their programs allow you to leave a sustainable impact in a distant and foreign land as much as you do within your own heart.
The retreats are designed to have you return to your day-to-day life with a new sense of self, way of being and interacting with your environment that attracts a new set of experiences. Each retreat is led by a complementary group of local Khmer instructors, professional body and breath workers, and wellness/emotional support/spiritual coaches.
About Vacayou
At Vacayou [pronounced VACAY – YOU], we believe that travel has the power to change lives. The power to revive, rejuvenate and redirect your inner wellness warrior. And that’s why we’re here. Vacayou brings the world of wellness travel to you!
No matter how far or how adventurous, our team scours the globe to curate the best in wellness travel. But the booking process can often be time-consuming and complicated. We’ve made it much easier for you to search, discover, and book wellness and active vacations. With Vacayou’s Instant Book, your dream wellness getaway is now just a click away.
Start the trip of your lifetime today, with Vacayou. We are here to help create a healthier global community through wellness and active travel.
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