edaw23ed: Take a Trip This Fall That Is Fulfilling to Your Soul

PHOTO: Athul Prasad

Isn't wellness a bit of a funny word? After all, good health and how to achieve it mean different things to different people. One person's 90-minute Thai massage might be another person's triathlon, infrared face mask, or happy hour Spritz.

One thing we can all agree

on is that people increasingly view travel as a path to feeling great, and feeling great is mission-critical. I always find being in a new environment beneficial to the brain—jet lag aside. The minute I set foot on foreign soil and am bombarded by fresh colors, tastes, and smells, the neurons start firing. Being in a vacation state of mind—away from the office, my apartment, and the twitchy dishwasher I've been lazy about fixing—always lowers my shoulders by a very necessary inch. I suspect you feel the same way, too.

Traveling also gives us time to experiment, to play, to get in tune with what's actually happening with our physical selves. Hotels today are upping the ante when it comes to keeping their guests satisfied, and in this month's special guide to wellness, we preview some of the most innovative programs and treatments out there. As personalization has become more important, the wellness options have become more diverse and more engaging, from all-male retreats to nature-first fitness programs, menopause workshops to Roman-style bathing rituals. That's all a positive thing. Our October issue is also filled with other inspirational stories, touching on the trends of culinary, cultural, and wildlife-related travel, and one could argue they are all a form of wellness, too. I hope you find a trip this fall that is fulfilling for your soul–and most definitely fun.