#sober-tourism

#sober-tourism

Staying at a hotel that sits on a natural hot spring allows you to feel connected to ancient geological processes, with mineral-rich waters bubbling beneath your feet.

"It's not exactly a dream vacation to come and be harassed by mosquitoes," says Hervé Bossin, director of the medical entomology laboratory at Tahiti's Institut Louis Malardé.

Sensei Porcupine Creek, located in the Santa Rosa Mountains, offers a tranquil environment with luxurious accommodations, a private golf course, and a world-class tennis facility, all designed to promote wellness.

A true wellness gathering is something far more ancient and far more urgent: it's any intentional space where humans are invited to arrive whole, body, mind, spirit, and leave more alive than when they walked in. That's it. That's the whole definition.

Well-being has never been more at the forefront of our minds than now, and there have never been more excuses to practice wellness on a daily basis. From sound baths in the Maldives to recovery lounges in Napa Valley, 2026 is set to see boundary-pushing wellness trends in the travel world.

The question of whether mental health retreats allow social media access does not have a universal answer. Different facilities approach digital connectivity in varying ways, reflecting their treatment philosophies and therapeutic goals. Most mental health retreats limit or completely restrict social media use during the initial phases of treatment, though specific policies can range from total digital detox to supervised access at designated times.

Remaining present in the modern world includes noticing the good. We're not talking toxic positivity here. We're referring to a simple commitment to also noticing what's good in the world even as you navigate what's not. Whether you find these reminders burrowed in a news story, the feeling of being on your mat or out on a run, or the eyes of a loved one doesn't matter. Noticing them does.

Hi, I'm Cullen, and I'm an alcoholic. At least that's what I recited in front of hundreds of strangers once a week while attending virtual Alcoholics Anonymous meetings last year. I mumbled the words, but often didn't believe them or give their depth of meaning to my life. But when I turned the legal drinking age, even though I swapped out plastic bottles for premium glass ones, that frenzied "teenage" spirit didn't go away.

This opening episode dives straight into detoxing. From juice cleanses and detox teas to charcoal pills, foot pads, and coffee enemas, Edwards and Baumgardt watch, wince, and occasionally laugh their way through some of the internet's most popular detox trends. Along the way, they ask what these products claim to remove, how they supposedly work, and why feeling worse is often reframed online as a sign that a detox is "working."

Playfulness is at the heart of the Art and Play holiday, based on a farm outside the Bay of Kotor. A family-friendly retreat designed to reignite joy and reconnect with the inner child, it's one for solo travellers and couples as well as parents with kids. There are creative sessions on everything from dance to painting, as well as time to enjoy the farm feeding the animals, collecting eggs or helping harvest vegetables for farm-fresh meals.

As we plan our next break, research suggests we should look not to far-flung destinations, but to our own backyards. The staycation offers a compelling new model for deep mental restoration. This is not merely staying home, but a curated, intentional break grounded in the psychological science of recovery-one that challenges the notion that distance equals escape. In doing so, it provides a practical approach for rebuilding our cognitive and emotional reserves right where we are.

With fewer folks relying on alcohol as a social lubricant, a healthier way to interact with others has gained traction. Enter "daylife," a term coined by the fitness social app Sweatpals. "Daylife" refers to daytime social outings involving alcohol-free fitness as a way to meet new people with similar interests. "It's just the concept of using wellness, using movement as a way to meet, as a way to get entertainment and to socialize, versus relying on alcohol,' Sweatpals co-founder Salar Shahini told HuffPost.

Having jettisoned an 80-units-a-week alcohol addiction, a conviction that she needed to get married to be complete, and a cigarette habit of 10 a day, Catherine Gray thought she was free and clear. The universe had other plans Warning: this article discusses topics which some readers might find upsetting In recovery world, it's oft heard that 'addictions are like whack-a-mole.' You can always tell where the recovery meetings are, due to the smoke clouds mushrooming above it. Inside, the attendees fall upon the coffee and biscuits like seagulls upon chips.

If you are exhausted and yearn to rest, like nearly everyone I know, you may be interested in what's arguably the most radical wellness trend of 2026 - an ancient practice called "dark retreat." This powerful experience, touted by celebrities as the latest way to achieve self-realisation and peace, involves no drugs (unlike, say, ayahuasca), no intense physical work, and no strict diet - just staying in absolute darkness in a comfortable room for 24 hours a day, for several days.