Travel for Health, Enjoyment and Healing
It’s that time of the year, when most Americans, Canadians and Europeans dream of traveling. Amidst the cold of North Hemisphere winters, visions of southern beaches of Spain, Mexico, Caribbean, Florida, Costa Rica and Australia become vivid, maybe even haunting.
But in the vision of destinations and activities, we might lose sight of the truth: that the motions they seek to feel are known as the joy of travel. It’s personal to them. And it’s vital for us to know what words, images, promises, and other content helps build their vibe and confidence. With our travel content perfected, their travel search ends and they begin the booking process.
Definition of Joy: a feeling of great pleasure or happiness that comes from success, good fortune, or a sense of well-being
Something called joy, might sound frivolous at first, but dig in and you’ll see the heart and mind travel first, seeking warm vibes, to reach a peak of emotion — the one converged emotion that gets them to push the buy button. That joyful state explodes when they find the right trip for them, provided by “the only travel company for them.”
It might be said that all travel companies are actually in the business of selling the joy of travel to each traveler. For repeat, experienced travelers, the joy of travel is powerful. They know what that is. But even for newbie travelers, this word speaks loudly of what they want to feel. It’s the feeling they’re after, whatever it is they’re booking. Believe it.
We don’t call it joy within our content — instead we allude to the benefits they’re so hungry for. And when we design content according to a state of peak joy, they get the message loud and clear — happiness, contentment, and self-esteem are going to happen.
What Travel Does to Us
Because joy is a powerful motive. It makes us feel good, healthy, purposeful, and fully activated. It’s the single, primary emotion travelers experience before they purchase. Their real intent is to feel this thing called joy during their trip, whether it’s a cruise to the Caribbean or trip to Italy, Spain or California or a tour of New York City. Whatever their leisure travel purpose, the real goal is to feel good.
Don’t call it superfluous or flighty. Because psychologically, and during their journey, joy represents many of the benefits they demand of their trips.
It’s just a word, but for those experiencing the intense pleasure of travel, that word does says it all. In this post, travel business owners are introduced to the idea that the word “joy” is 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 diffuse emotion that represents all the other good things they’re feeling before, during and after their trip. Customers buy how your product makes them feel.
The Joy List
What is the general emotion of joy composed of? Let’s break it down so it makes sense:
- meaning and purpose (more travelers are demanding this component as empty travel leaves them feel hollow)
- fulfilling experiences (tours, cultural immersion, adventure, engaging activities, novel experiences and views, relaxation)
- belief and promise (certainty that the trip is going to be worth it in time, energy, risk, expense and emotional reward)
- health and positive vibes (feelings of personal well-being, optimal emotional and physical states, enthusiasm, self-esteem)
- relief and personal transformation (overcoming stagnation, alienation, boredom, to expand and achieve higher functioning)
- low cost surprise (achieving the great vacation they thought they could never have)
- privilege (appreciation for an experience only some people enjoy, gratitude, belonging)
So, what is the key to this joy of travel for your targeted audience? 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, Banff, Spain, Mexico, The Maldives, Waikiki, Phi Phi, Portugal, Amalfi Coast, Kruger National Park, California coast, or maybe Santorini?
What joy does each destination actually offer? Your content strategy has to fulfill their priorities.
Your targeted customer’s love of travel should be a focal point of your travel content strategy but it should be all about the things that make them feel this complex, powerful emotion called Joy.
The Pursuit of Happiness, Self-Esteem and Fulfillment
And let’s get rid of that word vacation, as many travel agencies have already. The semantics are all wrong. We don’t vacate anything, had add, extend, enrich and fulfill a feeling of a better life. We transition temporarily to make our lives better – and transform to the best version of ourselves.
Travelers are 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 you 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, our health is deteriorating, and we need to break away and take care of our deepest wants and needs. Let’s build all of the best drivers into our trave content.
Still, Let’s 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, improved mental and physical health, and it could enrich the lives of their family.
Travel is the Quest to Keep Your Life Fresh
The only way to communicate the joy of traveling to non-travelers is to suggest they’re not getting full value out of life and they’re failing to inspire others in an important way. Part of our joy in life, is adding to others lives — with experiences, memories, perspectives that make them feel more relevant and empowered.
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 as an example, 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. Some travelers are buying fun and the symbolism they believe in.
And 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, hiking, biking, river rafting, mountain 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.
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