Travel for Health and Healing

It might be said that all travel companies are in the business of selling the joy of travel.

Because joy is a powerful motive and might be the single, primary emotion travelers experience before and during their journey.  It represents many of benefits they demand of their trips.

It’s just a word, but for those experiencing the intense pleasure of travel, that word does resonate. In this post, travel business owners are introduced to the idea that the word “joy” is a just a basket term that represents the full emotional experience and its key components. If you’ve been mystified by why you felt so good after traveling, this post will make it a lot clearer why.

This feeling of joy is a focal point of their core travel drive — a term I’ve coined to illuminate the urge to travel. Joy is just an emotion that represents all the other good things they’re feeling.

 

Why are people traveling? Stats show personal transformation is the top reason, yet the joy of travel extends to many more emotional benefits such as freedom, relaxation, and personal meaningfulness. Travel fills a void in people’s lives, where they’ve starved themselves of enjoyment and created guilty feelings of personal neglect. The trip then provides release, but also brings self-esteem too.

And which are the best destinations that generate the most joy? What is a great travel experience? And what is the joyful travel content that excites and moves them to buy from you?

So, I’m thinking you should ask yourself what the joy of travel is for you? By answering that you’re bound to relate better to your customer’s joy of travel and where your special destinations are. Is it Yosemite Park, Lauterbrunnen, Waikiki, Phi Phi, Porto, Amalfi Coast, Kruger National Park, California coast, or maybe Santorini?

What is this Joy of Travel?

It’s a term often used by travelers.  The word joy seems to encompass a variety of emotions, all very pleasant. It’s just people trying to simplify how they describe the experience of traveling. But joy is also a focal point of something very complex but satisfying.

And here is something interesting to ponder:

Definition of Joy: a feeling of great pleasure or happiness that comes from success, good fortune, or a sense of well-being 

 

Note the additional words success and well-being. So travel might be fused with many other important values.  In essence though — it is the state of their feelings that we’re really talking about.

What Experience do Your Travelers Want?

Are they yearning to experience health, enthusiasm, relaxation, cultural immersion, connection to history, escape from misery and a mundane life, companionship, romance, social activity, sharing as a family, wandering with friends, or just a chance to grow and experience more of life?

Your customer’s love of travel should be a focal point of your travel content strategy.

 

For some, a love of travel shows their love of opportunity, surprise, fun, and great expectations. It’s a progressive confident view of life they have that makes them fascinating people and a joy to be around.  And they come to you for the opportunity, energy and spirit for their wonderful orientation to life.

Travel is a major industry and one that people are passionate about. Except for women’s clothing and food, travel is the major theme on Pinterest. That’s all about celebrating the joy of living.

Why are Some so Pessimistic?

I think it was Seth Godin who said about travel; “that you should build a life you don’t have to escape from. ” That’s a disappointing way to look at travel — almost slander!

Travel is an adventure and it’s particularly valuable when you’re traveling with someone who really understands the mission of exploring possibilities. Wanting the best of life isn’t narcissistic. We all should expect having the best life can give us and the special destinations and people who will bring out the best in us.

Travel really is about expanding one’s life, mind, emotions, and one’s self. If you don’t want to grow, to not experience all that life has to offer, nor inspire others and share with them, then you probably don’t want to go anywhere. You can sit in a chair and watch your toenails grow.

Travel can be a wish of hope for family and friends — that our actions will cause them to pursue a better life. And that you’re bringing something back that makes their life worth living. And what is a life worth living?

Travel is also an act of courage and leadership and actions that inspire others to go after the 100% of value they deserve in life.

The Pursuit of Happiness, Self-Esteem and Fulfillment

And let’s get rid of that word vacation. The semantics are all wrong. We don’t vacate anything. We transition temporarily to make our lives better – and transform to the best version of ourselves.

We’re experiencing freedom and enjoying natural rhythms, instead of the mechanical daily grind. We’re boldly pursuing something better and it’s truly transformative.

The feeling of freedom is important. I’m sure you’ve experienced the happiness that comes from being freed from rat race responsibilities, expectations, grinding daily routines, and powerlessness to do the things we want to do. Top solo travel blogger Nomadic Matt puts it well in his post, that it’s not about travel, it’s about freedom.

It’s about quietening the screaming demons who warn us we’re not being good to ourselves and we need to break away and take care of our deepest wants and needs. Wouldn’t you say relaxation, novelty, rest, and fun are worthy pursuits?

Thanks to the Internet, travelers are more aware of the incredible places they can visit. Of course, money and time can be issues. However, of late, travelers are making more time to travel, and they report they’re willing to pay for the trip and tours they want. So, it’s a question of value and how you present it to them — that’s all marketing.

Inexpensive, rich travel experiences are what most people want.

Understand the Pain of a Travelless Life

Anyone I know who doesn’t like to travel is devitalized and they ignore the incredible possibilities for themselves. It could be personal or career growth, and it could enrich the lives of their family. The travel bug is contagious and fills the void these people have.

Travel is the Quest to Keep Your Life Fresh

The only way to communicate the joy of traveling to non-travelers is to tell them they’re hurting themselves and the ones they care about if they don’t travel. If you don’t travel, you’re not getting full value out of life and you’re failing to inspire others in an important way.

Once you or a friend/family member travels, it creates a beginning context for them. That’s key to getting the point across to skeptical, fearful people.

Suddenly the destination has relevant meaning and specific things that you did or could do that catches their fancy.  Present your memories, pictures, videos, and momentos carefully and they’ll find that point of relevance.

Travel = Freedom

Also at the heart of the joy of travel is freedom of mind, body and spirit.

When the mind relaxes, the body does too.

The break from excessive routine and structure can revitalize most travelers. Many travel for that reason.

In Europe with their 5 to 6 weeks vacations, they appreciate the value of rejuvenation. Europe has few natural resources yet they can compete with us while working one month less per year. Why is that?

Travel Brings Us Closer to Who We Want to Be

When I visit San Diego, I feel like I’ve experienced and absorbed the easy going, athletic but creative surfing lifestyle that was so popular 60 years ago. The Beach Boys music was so innocent and fun. There was never a time when fun was such a priority. And it should be a priority.

Only California could create a livable dream. So a surfboard isn’t necessarily a surfing board. It’s a symbol of a fun era where boys liked girls who didn’t mind being girls, and money wasn’t the center of the universe.

When I visit Banff Alberta, I’m captured by the imposing Rocky mountaintops covered in jagged ice and windswept snow. The unspoiled nature, fresh air, mountain lifestyle, wildlife, blue turquoise water, and the healthy appetite that shows up out of nowhere makes it a very rich experience.  It’s not hard to sell a Banff vacation to millions of people.

 

 

Worthy of the Best? Yes!!

That’s two contrasting and world class destinations that provided some of the most enlivening experiences of my life. I’m sure Mexico and Switzerland offer similar thrills, and I’ll get to those places with someone special.

 

 

But if you can find someone who really appreciates what travel means and how to enjoy even the smallest travel experiences, then you have someone that’s better than the destination.  That might be your real joy of travel.

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