In Search of Wellness in the Age of Burnout

What does wellbeing mean to you? 

This is a core question that all of us must grapple with. The world is a busy place, and the pace of life only seems to be increasing as we move deeper into the 2020s. Anxiety is ever-present—over the economy, politics, climate change. Burnout is on the rise. The pandemic supercharged all these stresses, as well as inflation, which shrunk our pocketbooks. We can all use a break, and we know it. 

Enter wellness. 

Wellness is a means to slow down, reset, and focus on physical, mental, and spiritual health and wellbeing. It’s also one of the fastest growing trends in the travel industry. Spa days and massages have long been a core part of the travel experience, but wellness in the current moment is growing beyond its traditional roots. 

In place of massages and facials (which remain popular), people are increasingly incorporating everything from alternative medicine to yoga and meditation into their wellness travel routines. People are also seeking wellness in nature as travellers venture to Scandinavian wildernesses for forest bathing or hike desert trails in Morocco in search of a natural endorphin rush. Wellness experiences have also transformed beyond solitary endeavours to communal activities. People want to get healthier, but also make a connection with others and the natural world. 

The broadening focus of wellness travel is clearly having an impact. The wellness travel industry is extremely lucrative, with over $814 billion being spent on wellness tourism in 2022. This number is expected to double as we reach 2030, according to Tatler. The pandemic explains much of the fixation on wellness; a 2021 Ipsos study showed that 62% of Americans thought leading a healthy life was more important than before the pandemic. The rise in wellness technologies, from Apple Watches to apps like Headspace, also shows how wellness is increasingly incorporated into people’s daily lives. Wellness is no longer just a niche for people who do yoga. It’s an ever-present part of life and travel for nearly everyone. 

But what does wellness truly mean as we enter 2025? We went in search of an answer, but first, we had to understand what came before our current wellness craze. 

From Hot Springs to Yoga

As long as people have travelled, they have travelled for wellness. There is evidence going back at least 6,000 years showing how ancient Sumerians would venture to distant locations to soak in natural hot springs. In Ancient Greece, people would head across the land to Asclepius temples (named for the Greek god of medicine, with his legendary snake-wrapped rod) in search of healing. And then, of course, there are pilgrimages, which are as old as time itself, leading people to trek from one location to another, whether Canterbury or Makkah, in acts of religious obedience or to achieve spiritual enlightenment. Eventually, in the early modern era, wellness travel came full circle, with people combining pilgrimages with spa days in hot spring cities such as Bath. 

But to really narrow in on the birth of wellness as we conceive of it, go to Asia. Modern wellness was born out of the New Age movement of the 1960s, when people ventured to India, Japan, and China in search of Eastern wisdom and discovered thousands of years of tradition surrounding meditation, enlightenment, and physical wellbeing. Travellers took what they learned back with them to the West, which contributed to the boom in yoga, Zen meditation, and other holistic wellness practices. In a western culture newly obsessed with wellness, Asia’s untold traditions proved a boon. 

A Purification and a Reset

Carolyn Weppler, Goway’s Senior Vice President, is no stranger to wellness. Having travelled to dozens of countries around the world, she’s visited more spas than she can count and knows her way around a Finnish steam room or Moroccan hammam blindfolded. But wellness isn’t just the spa. It’s a new way of experiencing the world and resetting your mind, body, and spirit, so Carolyn had to reset too. 

“Wellness is a challenge because how do you define it,” she says. “Is it a spa service or forest bathing? Is it as simple as doing morning Tai Chi or as intensive as a multi-day meditation retreat?” She knew she had to approach wellness with an open mind, so she joined Moira Smith, Goway’s Vice President of Africa & Asia, on a journey across Vietnam to discover the meaning of wellness in the modern world. 

Before Carolyn and Moira got to Vietnam, they toured Tokyo, Japan, often the starting point for Asian travels due to Narita International Airport being the main regional hub. In Tokyo, they visited Fukagawa Fudo temple to attend its iconic Goma fire ritual, a purification rite within Shingon Buddhism. 

They entered barefoot into the main hall of the temple and gathered around the altar. At first, monks entered in single file, banging taiko drums and blowing conch shells. The priest in white took up his main place before the central firepit and the other monks chanted mantras as he joined into their rhythm by pounding the main drum. The priest fed the fire with incense as the sound increased and the monks continued their mantras. Everything grew louder and for 30 minutes, the air was filled with the smell of incense and the pulsing sound of drums. Near the ceremony’s end, those in attendance passed their belongings to the priest, who held them mere inches above the flames, purifying them in the smoke. 

Within Buddhism, the Goma ritual is meant to burn away material attachment; for visitors, it’s a means of recalibrating. “It was very special,” says Carolyn. “The ceremony is peaceful, but you can feel the beat of the drums in your body. It’s mesmerizing.” For Carolyn and Moira, it provided a clarifying reset.  

The Tailor-Made Wellness of Vietnam

Since it opened to Western tourists in 1997, Vietnam has become one of Asia’s foremost travel destinations. It’s also rapidly evolving to cater to the interests of modern travellers. Carolyn and Moira explored the country from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to experience the diversity of wellness it has to offer. 

They boarded the luxury cruise ship, Ylang, to sail Halong Bay and Lan Ha Bay. The Ylang is a part of Heritage Line’s boutique cruise experiences across Southeast Asia, with a maximum of 20 passengers and a heavily curated on-board experience. “It’s advertised as ‘the quintessence of luxury and wellness cruising’ and that’s exactly what it felt like,” says Moira. “There was plenty to keep us busy, like cycling to and around an island village, followed by an outstanding massage tailored to exactly what you need. After dinner, a sound meditation really helped me sleep. In the morning, Tai Chi on board the deck was the perfect way to start the day, followed by kayaking in Lan Ha Bay.” 

The cruise gathered together many modern approaches to wellness in a single experience. It had healthy meals and massages to cater to the classic spa experience, but it also incorporated Tai Chi and sound meditation to activate the body and mind in different ways. Kayaking around limestone karsts connected them to the landscape, while cycling through the countryside allowed them to interact with other people and the local culture. If you’re skeptical of wellness, a cruise aboard Ylang will have you thinking twice. 

Back on the mainland, Carolyn and Moira connected south to the resort town of Hoi An in the centre of the nation. “Hoi An is magical particularly at night, when the whole town comes alive with lanterns and lights,” says Moira. “It’s also a great place to have clothes and shoes made by the town’s many expert tailors. It’s great quality, but very affordable.” 

They stayed at the Anantara Hoi An Resort, enjoying morning yoga on the peaceful property and waterfront dining in the evening, before they boarded The Vietage train (also by Anantara) for a slow travel journey from Danang to Quy Nhon. “There are bespoke cocktails and custom-made coffees,” says Carolyn. “A short massage is included for all guests. You arrive relaxed, having watched the lush countryside go by, gaining some insight into how life transpires in parts away from the tourist trail.” Once they reached Quy Nhon, they settled into the Anantara Quy Nhon Villas, where they enjoyed indulgent luxury and personalized attention in one of the resort’s 25 private villas. 

The entire experience from Hoi An to Quy Nhon captured the diverse ways that wellness has evolved in 2024. The resorts provided the sort of indulgent spa experiences and morning yoga that wellness travellers have come to expect, but also incorporated cultural encounters and natural excursions to connect travellers to the world outside themselves. The train is the ideal connection between the two, while also showcasing the beauty of the countryside and allowing travellers to slow down the pace and appreciate the moment. 

By the time they reached Ho Chi Minh City, Carolyn was looking at wellness in a new way. “I came to realize that wellness was exploring Vietnam under my own power and energy,” she says. “It’s imperative to open your mind to what defines wellness. Is it making a meal? Visiting an organic farm? Learning how to make a hammock? Cycling through the countryside? Is it simply watching people go about their daily lives in the way they have for hundreds of years?” 

What does wellbeing mean to you? 

It all comes back to this question. Its answer will define what wellness travel appeals to you, because there is no one type of wellness, no one definition to satisfy all occasions. 

Wellness is no longer cookie-cutter. Rather, the modern definition of wellness is entirely in the eye of the beholder, which makes it so intrinsically connected to tailor-made travel. Wellness takes us outside ourselves to find ourselves—an outward journey to an inward reality.