Page 32 - aruba-today-20190507

A32 FEATURE
Tuesday 7 May 2019
Wellness travel: It's more than just staying fit on the road

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) son, who is Gwyneth Pal-
— It's one thing when hotels trow's business partner and
open fitness centers, but the trainer who shapes Jen-
quite another when fitness nifer Lopez's famous booty,
centers open hotels. hosts a handful of intimate
Luxe gym Equinox is open- weekends each year with
ing a hotel in New York's less than 40 guests. Par-
new Hudson Yards neigh- ticipants sweat alongside
borhood next year in a the fitness guru and get to
move that embodies the know her during fireside-
evolution of wellness travel. style chats in cities includ-
Most hotels have beefed ing Miami and Aspen. The
up fitness options — you weekends, priced at sever-
can book rooms with sta- al thousand dollars, always
tionary bikes and rent work- sell out.
out clothes — but wellness Shakira's trainer Anna Kaiser
travel has become much leads a few trips a year, in-
more than just keeping fit cluding recent stints in Ojai
while on the road. Increas- and Austin. And retreats
ingly it's become the point for the hot workout du jour
of the journey. And it's The Class by Taryn Toom-
bringing in big dollars. ey have all sold out, often
Whether it's foraging for This July 24, 2017 photo provided by Wanderlust, participants work out on paddle boards during within one hour. Toomey's
your own medicinal herbs Wanderlust Squaw Valley 2017, in North Lake Tahoe, Calif. guests pay between $2,000
in Peru, cycling across Associated Press and $6,000 for her cathar-
the California coastline or tic workouts with options for
spending several thousand rored the shift in retail. We're building memories one side and a palace on beachside massages and
dollars to workout along- Gone are the days when and the photos we're click- the other. picturesque hikes in spots
side celeb trainer Tracy An- shoppers head to a brick- ing on our phones and "We are seeing (cruise) like Mustique and Mexico.
derson in Aspen, Colorado, and-mortar store to buy posting on social media lines of every ilk and size Roughly 100,000 wellness
wellness tourists made 691 shoes that they could buy are the fruits of our labor." embrace healthy eating, lovers attended uber-pop-
million trips in 2015, accord- online. Instead, they're be- The Curtain Bluff resort in fitness, all sorts of positive, ular Wanderlust festivals
ing to the Global Wellness ing lured to stores by expe- Antigua launched a new new kinds of approaches across North America last
Institute. riences. wellness concierge where to yoga and that kind of year, partaking in every-
In the past, wellness vaca- Similarly, vacationers are guests can meet with the thing," said CruiseCritic edi- thing from yoga and medi-
tions straddled between less excited about lying on team at no extra charge tor at large Carolyn Spen- tation to stand-up paddle-
starvation-style bootcamps the beach with umbrella to design their own fitness cer Brown. boarding and spinning in
or relaxing spa weekends drinks. They too want a program including every- Savvy athleisure retailers spots like Oahu, Hawaii,
to detox from an unhealthy more immersive experi- thing from zumba to pi- are also seizing on it. Lulule- and Squaw Valley, Califor-
lifestyle. But as self-care has ence, like a yoga medita- lates. Amanpuri's resort in mon and Free People, a nia.
evolved into a daily goal, tion retreat or surf camp, Phuket, Thailand, created bohemian line popular with Meghan Aftosmis loved
it's found an obvious match to connect with others and four wellness immersions, yogis, have both branched Wanderlust's Vermont
in travel. International and revitalize themselves, ex- where guests can focus into wellness tourism. Free event so much last year
domestic wellness tourism perts say. on fitness, weight loss, di- People's retreats started a that she's heading back in
brought in $563 billion in "(Fitness has) gone from be- gestive cleanses or mental few years ago where par- a few weeks.
2015, up from $489 billion ing an activity to now it's a awareness during a three- ticipants can exercise and The 39-year-old public rela-
in 2013, according to the destination. It's a purpose," to 14-night vacation. Of- try journaling or tarot card tions exec from Delaware
Global Wellness Institute. said Marshal Cohen, an ferings include reiki, an al- workshop in spots like Gla- says she was eager to take
Wellness travel is expected analyst for the trend group ternative stress-reduction cier National Park. yoga classes with one of
to grow to $808 billion by NPD. "That's a huge shift in therapy, and life-coaching. Zen travelers are shelling the celebrity teachers. She
2020. spending. We're not build- The trend is even spilling out thousands to follow also took a poetry session
The travel trend has mir- ing wardrobes anymore. over to cruises, once ste- celebrity trainers to exotic with a teacher she'd been
reotyped as weight-gain- destinations. Tracy Ander- following online.q
ing vacations with bottom-
less buffets. Now, wellness
can be the point of the
cruise. Holland America
Line, in partnership with O,
The Oprah Magazine, has
programs for meditation
and healthy living.
Cruise passengers can
also combine wellness with
sightseeing in ports of call.
Take a shore excursion on a
Regents Seven Seas cruise,
for example, and you might
end up doing yoga on a
This June 16, 2017 photo provided by Harrison Liu, shows guests coconut plantation in Ko
from a Regent Seven Seas cruise doing tai chi outdoors on a Samui, Thailand, or outdoor In this June 21, 2017 photo provided by Wanderlust, participants
port call in Marseille, France, with a view of the sea. tai chi in Marseille, France, work out during Wanderlust Stratton 2017, in Bondville, VT.
Associated Press with a view of the sea on Associated Press