The phrase “wellness travel” has a propensity for conjuring up images of young singles abroad who spend their mornings sipping green juice, practicing their breath work and stretching on the beach. And that may not be all that far off. Or, at least historically, it wouldn’t have been. That said, a new survey of 2,200 American adults shows that parents are now among the demographic most interested in wellness travel.
Per a report by market intelligence company Morning Consult obtained by CNBC, parents are showing “less interest in traveling to relax or for cultural experiences, and more interest in traveling for mental and physical health.”
“One in five adult respondents said they are planning to travel to improve their mental health, but among parents the rate rose to nearly one in three — perhaps reflecting the lack of time parents have in their daily lives to focus on their own well-being,” CNBC wrote. Parents were also twice as likely to have plans to travel to improve their physical well-being.
10 Best Family-Friendly Travel Destinations Worldwide
From the Bahamas to the Scottish Highlands, these places have a little something for everyoneNow, this sudden uptick in interest from parents doesn’t require a ton of head-scratching. Travel is expensive. Spending thousands of dollars to take a toddler to Disney is admirable (as they’re sure to hold on to the memories of being pushed around in a stroller and being able to go on zero rides in their not-fully-developed brains forever), but do parents ever leave those types of child-oriented vacations feeling rejuvenated? Particularly when taking into consideration that the vast majority of said parents are only afforded a handful of days off of work per year. I’m willing to guess not.
“The idea of traveling for mental or physical wellness is attractive to them because they themselves feel the benefit of it, rather than putting someone else’s needs before their own — which parents have to do all the time,” said travel and hospitality analyst at Morning Consult, Lindsey Roeschke.
“One bit of data I find particularly interesting is, when looking at the various goals for traveling, we asked parents who benefits from those goals — the parent themself, the kids, someone else, or everyone on the trip — and the idea of traveling to improve physical health is the one most likely to benefit the parent alone,” Roeschke added. And apparently mental health is a close second.
Of course, that’s not to say that family trips and wellness trips are mutually exclusive. It is absolutely feasible to sprinkle in a number of kid-friendly activities alongside the more parent-centric variety. I, however, am very much of the belief that parents, above all, deserve to get on the board with this trend. Go forth and be well, parents.
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