Traveling can be stressful. From the planning and packing to the actual traveling and getting settled in a new city, it can leave you a bit weary. Even when you’re on vacation and trying to enjoy some R&R it seems like you can’t shake the stress of everyday life.
The whole point of taking a vacation is taking a break from the stressful things in life. So why not make relaxation the focus of your next trip?
Think about the ways you like to unwind at home and apply it to your trip. Do you like to take long baths or take a long hike through the wilderness? Do you want to spend time on a beach lying in the sun or in a fancy spa with cucumbers on your eyes?
Different types of relaxation call for different destinations, so make sure the location your choose for your relaxation vacation can accommodate your method of relaxing. If you like to be in nature to relax, consider traveling to Iceland. With the beautiful landscape, rolling mountains, and steamy hot springs, it’s the perfect location for someone who likes to hike and be outdoors. Then to relax your muscles from hiking, take a dip in one of Iceland’s numerous hot springs. They are open-air, so you can enjoy your relaxing soak with a gorgeous view.
If the baths appeal to you but the nature doesn’t, try Budapest! The city of Budapest sits on a patch of 125 different thermal springs that feed the city’s bathhouses and spas. The city has 15 public thermal baths and dozens of private bathhouses containing pretty much any kind of pool you can imagine. Some of the public bath houses and pools can get a bit crowded during peak hours, but there’s nothing better than a relaxing soak in thermal pool after a long day of exploring a new city. For total relaxation, check into a spa with a private thermal bath and enjoy the other luxuries they have to offer.
Europeans tend to put a bit more emphasis on wellness than the United States or Canada, so you can be sure to find fantastic spas throughout the continent. Some focus more on internal wellness with yoga and meditation, and others focus on topical remedies like massages, mud baths, and facials. There’s even a spa in Austria dedicated entirely to detoxing your body by cleansing your gut and focusing on digestion. Seriously, there’s a spa for just about anything.
Some luxury spas require a minimum stay of a couple days or a whole week for full service treatment and can cost up to $4,000. However most spas offer day passes or a la carte services like skin peels or massages.
If you think you may want to take a trip to the spa on your vacation, be sure to ask your travel agent for recommendations. As you know, they are the experts and will know which spas are the best and actually worth the money.
If a whole spa day doesn’t fit into your vacation agenda, choosing from the service-specific options may best for you. If you choose to go the massage route, be sure to book through a certified spa, not just any massage parlor on the street. In much of Europe, massage therapists are not required to have any schooling or certification, and because of it, getting a massage at the wrong place can be a waste of 80+ Euros. Be sure to check the venue’s website for certification information. A lot spas will advertise the certification of their specialists.
If a massage isn’t exactly your style of relaxation treatment (sometimes getting those kinks and knots out can be painful), opt for a facial instead. Europeans take their skincare very seriously, and throughout Europe you can get fantastic facials. The practice of European facials has started to catch on in the US and Canada, but no one does it better than the Europeans.
The treatment is a combination of exfoliation, cleansing, acne treatment, and moisturizing. Your skin will never feel so clean and smooth after a European facial.
No matter which option you choose, a full spa experience or a single facial appointment, make sure to take time on your next vacation to truly relax. Plan a day that is low-key and stress-free to give your body the break it deserves. You’re on vacation, so treat yourself!
The whole point of going on vacation is taking time off from the stressful things in life: jobs, social responsibilities, sometimes the kids…. But with all the planning, booking, packing, flying, navigating, shopping, vacations can sometimes be just as stressful as all the things at home that you were trying to escape.
Luckily, when you use a travel agent, a lot of the stressful parts of planning a vacation are completely taken care of for you. It’s as easy as using the tool below to find a travel agent who specializes in the type of trip you want to take and letting them do the rest! Let the relaxation begin.
