How To Plan The Perfect Wellness Vacation: 5 Stress-Free Tips From A Travel Writer

Here's something I've learned, both professionally as a travel writer and personally as a travel lover: Planning a good vacation is a skill set, one that gets better through trial and error. Sure, some folks have a natural talent for it. And others are given a leg up by utilizing professional resources. But overall, the ability to craft a memorable, happy, and healthy vacation is one that is honed through practice. 

It may seem like obvious advice, but often that's the best place to start. Outlining your budget (and the budget of those who might be traveling with you) lays the foundation for the rest to follow. Vacations don't have to be extravagant expenditures, but they will likely cost more than your normal day-to-day. 

Give yourself a budget range. As for coming up with your budget, consider how much you have set aside and how much you can save leading up to the trip. Once you have a number, work backward from there—deducting expenses as you go. At the end of your budget calculations, you should have a comfortable safety net to use in case of emergencies while on the trip (this will save you from going into debt should something come up on the trip).

When I talk to folks about traveling, one of the most common underlying reasons they didn't enjoy a vacation was that they didn't think critically about what they actually enjoyed doing before picking a location or planning the trip. Lots of vacations are planned almost out of a sense of obligation: The itinerary is just a laundry list of activities that they should do rather than a list of things they enjoy.

It's OK to skip a critically acclaimed museum exhibition if the subject doesn't pique your interest. Cozying up with a good book at a local pub can sometimes be just as culturally enriching. Or skip the quiet beach if you find sunbathing too boring—find a spot that can keep you entertained with activities. 

Allow yourself to plan a vacation you want to go on rather than one that appeals to the masses.   

One layer to add to the planning phase is to think about what you're looking to get out of the trip. While it's important to start by outlining the types of vacations that you enjoy, you should also be mindful of what this vacation is offering you at this particular moment in time. 

We all go through phases of life in which we need to prioritize different outcomes. If you're overwhelmed or overworked, perhaps a more relaxing vacation is in order. Or if you're feeling uninspired and hungry for adventure, book yourself a trip full of awe-inspiring activities. Or if you've just gone through a big life event (i.e., a breakup or loss), maybe you need a trip that feels restorative and brings you peace. 

This is an important consideration because if you're entering a vacation on the brink of burnout, a jam-packed schedule might not be the best route. There's a reason so many come back from vacation needing another one. 

A relatively recent tool I've started integrating into my planning phase is artificial intelligence. ChatGPT (or A.I. in general) isn't a substitute for planning a trip yourself, but it can offer some fun inspiration and scheduling help. Think of it like a research assistant—it's doing the first round of information gathering so you can take that and build off it. 

When I plan a trip, I always identify a few "anchor activities." These are excursions that are important to you, so you should plan the trip around them to ensure you're able to actually do them. For example, if you know you want to see a show or try a particular restaurant, add those to the itinerary first.

Once you have a few activities identified, you can plan the trip out from there. Let's say the show is in a different neighborhood than your hotel, use this as an excuse to book dinner and walk around the new environment. Or if you know you want to complete a particular hike one morning, you know that the night before you should go to bed early and to plan relaxing activities the following afternoon so you don't overexert yourself.