Wondering what the next big wellness travel trends for 2017 are? Forecasting the next big trends in wellness travel for 2017, Paul Joseph, wellness travel expert and co-founder of Health and Fitness Travel, shares the best travel trends in spa and wellness. From holidays for a healthy mind, to specialist stop smoking retreats and full body-MOT escapes, discover the hottest new trends that will influence the wellness and spa world this year: 

Healthy Mind and Emotion Healing Holidays

Top 10: Spa and Wellness Travel Trends for 2017

With more of us looking for ways to boost self-confidence or learn how to manage stress, it is little wonder that mind and emotion healing holidays are a rising trend in the wellness world. With a growing understanding that a healthy mind leads to a healthy life, retreats offering coaching in mindfulness, meditation and yoga, are helping sufferers of modern-living burnout to reconnect their mind, body and soul.

Stop Smoking Retreats

Top 10: Spa and Wellness Travel Trends for 2017

If the thought of going cold turkey whilst dealing with work stress and daily temptation has you reaching for your lighter, why not combine your first steps towards going smoke free with a de-stressing healthy holiday that will help you to break triggers and build new healthier habits. With the luxury of time, expert medical consultations and specialist therapies, you’ll return home renewed and fully equipped with the long-term answer to continuing your smoke-free journey.

Wellness Travel Trends for 2017: Ultimate Guide

Optimal Health for the Modern Man

Following an increasing move away from the ultra-masculine man towards the modern man, more men than ever are now going on spa holidays. In today’s ever more liberal society, it’s becoming more socially acceptable for men to escape on a wellness holiday where they can take part in fun activities, like boxing and HIIT, before recovering with a massage or spa treatment. With men, still significantly less likely than women to make time to consult a doctor, wellness retreats catering to men also offer a more approachable means of addressing health issues.

Post-Cancer Recovery Retreats

Top 10: Spa and Wellness Travel Trends for 2017

No longer shying away from the complexities of treating a cancer sufferer, a rise in wellness spa retreats creating specialist post-cancer recovery programmes offers a sanctuary for cancer survivors to recharge and rejuvenate. Helping you to feel like the best version of yourself again, a range of holistic spa therapies and alternative natural medicine treatments, from acupuncture to Ayurveda, will nurture and resort your well-being. Combined with expert consultations from psychologists, nutritionists and physiotherapists, regain your appetite and your strength as you rejuvenate your mind, body and soul in a luxurious wellness sanctuary.

Full-Body MOT Holidays

Every year, drivers spend thousands taking out MOTs on their cars, so why not spend the same amount of money and loving attention on your own body? After all, it’s the only one you’ll ever have. Enter full-body MOT intensive bootcamps where fitness training, wellness activities, spa treatments and diet plans are personalised to your body. Taking personalised wellness one step further, some even offer DNA analysis, to really tailor the treatment plan to your health needs.

Eat-Well Detox Holidays

Top 10: Spa and Wellness Travel Trends for 2017

Gone are the days when a detox holiday entails a punishing regime of fasting and tiny portions; time for the eat-well detox. Foodie lovers in search of a cleansing detox will be pleased to know that on an eat-well detox you’ll be able to refuel with well-proportioned nutritious meals throughout the day, that won’t leave you going hungry. Focusing instead on eating a generous amount of healthy food, try a more satisfying experience for those looking to detox without forgoing food.   

Wellness Travel Trends for 2017: Ultimate Guide

Zen Adrenaline Junkies

The idea of zen and adrenaline might seem like an odd combination, but more and more of us are now embracing adventure holidays where we can satisfy a thirst for high-octane adventure with kite-surfing and paragliding, before relaxing with spa treatments, meditation and yoga.  A great way to train your body and mind to let go of stress and enjoy living in the moment, embrace the mind-body cocktail of zen adrenaline and return home ready for anything.

Physical Therapy Holidays

Top 10: Spa and Wellness Travel Trends for 2017

Everyone puts their bodies through a lot of stress. Whether from being hunched over a desk or working out to the extreme, muscles are frequently being strained, pulled or teared. Answering the call for worn out bodies, the rise of physical therapy holidays provides opportunities for recovery from your injuries and to re-train your body to peak perfection.  Heal your body with a wide variety of treatments, from expert consultations with physiotherapists to aquatic therapy and posture alignment. 

Family-Wellness Holidays

Following the rising realisation that the next generation of spa goers are the younger generation, more spa and wellness retreats are now offering family-wellness holidays. No longer a no-go zone with the children in tow, with an array of mini spa treatments designed especially for children, now the whole family can be pampered from head to toe. Also focusing on drawing the kids away from their iPads and video games, action packed kids clubs encourage children to experience new sports and activities, as they swap their smartphones for bicycles, tennis and water sports.

New Waves in Wellness

With 71% of Earth being covered in water, it only makes sense that we’ve taken to board sports like ducks to water. Riding a new wave in wellness, more of us are now turning to board sports as a fun way of toning up and shaping up. From stand-up paddle boarding to indoor board fitness classes and windsurfing programmes, board sports offer a great workout for training your core and legs.

Wellness Travel Trends for 2017: Ultimate Guide

Preventative Health to Lower Your Biological Age

Already highly popular with the Baby Boomer generation, the appeal of preventative health and anti-ageing-holidays holidays offering the chance to help slow down the clock is also rising in popularity with Generations X and Y.  Proving that age is nothing but a number – whether pressing pause on ageing by learning to let go of stress or sweating your way to a more youthful you, reducing your biological age is the new mantra of the ‘ageing gracefully’ gurus.

Social Group Fitness Holidays

Top 10: Spa and Wellness Travel Trends for 2017

If you’re a social butterfly and like to make friends wherever you go, then you’re probably a part of the ever-rising number of people escaping on social group fitness holidays.  Whether a group of friends or the solo traveller who doesn’t want to train alone, with the added support of individuals going through the same process, you’ll soon reach your fitness goals. Offering the opportunity for you to train in groups where you can learn from each other, you may even make some lifelong friends.

Workplace Wellness

When you think of workplace outings, images of trudging through mud, inspirational speakers and team-building exercises spring to mind.  However, workplace wellness holidays offer something different; workers can enjoy stress-management retreats, yoga holidays to increase brain power or mountain-biking and ocean kayaking to encourage team building. 

Eco-Friendly Wellness Retreats

With a rise in green conscious travellers in search of a wellness holiday that is as kind to the planet as it is to you, there has been a growing emergence of eco-friendly wellness retreats offering a trip, without the guilt trip. Return home an expert on the local fauna and flora with educational eco-forest walks, indulge with all-natural spa remedies and refuel with healthy organic cuisine from onsite gardens.

For advice, guidance and booking visit www.healthandfitnesstravel.com or call 0203 397 8891.