This Sunday June 11 is Global Wellness Day, a day dedicated to the celebration and pursuit of living well mentally, physically, and spiritually. For many of us, travel is an integral piece of well-being, providing fulfilling and meaningful experiences for us and the people we love. Although travel is often valued as a welcome break from everyday life, it is just as often stressful and exhausting.

To celebrate Global Wellness Day, Finlay Bressler, Founder and President of leading wellness adventure operator Terra & Tu, shares three techniques that you can use to make sure your upcoming travels enhance and rejuvenate rather than deplete, and ensure travel contributes to your overall happiness and wellness.

1. 1. Slow Down
   “The days of knocking off an entire country’s worth of to-dos in seven to ten days are long gone,” says Bressler. “Something you can do to foster wellness is to really slow down the pace of travel, enjoying an increased depth of knowledge and intimacy with a destination rather than rushing around.” This can look like choosing one or two spots to call “home base” for the duration of your trip or choosing to travel further over a longer duration of time (if possible). It can also look like choosing alternative modes of transportation through your travels, like walking, hiking, or cycling. Not only does this help you to see and know more of a beautiful place, but it also gives you a chance to fully let go and relax, empowering yourself to come out the other side of vacation feeling rejuvenated.


2. 2. Take Time to Reflect (and write it down!)
   To foster presence, Bressler suggests bringing a journal on your travels and setting aside 15-20 minutes each day, or every other day to reflect and share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in writing. “The scientific evidence shows us that regular journaling has significant health benefits, from the mental to the physical,” continues Bressler. “We are experiencing and processing so much as we travel, journaling is a great way to take a moment for yourself to appreciate those experiences and begin to process them.”
   
   The bonus? Re-reading your reflections and the experiences of your travels is a rewarding and meaningful souvenir, helping to remind you of thoughts, insights, and other important memories made on the road. Not much of a writer? Bressler suggests trying another creative style like sketching, listing your experiences in bullets, or using pre-set prompts like a gratitude journal.
   
   
3. 3. Gratefully Embrace Relaxation
   “This may seem like an obvious one, but its long been known that in North America especially, we have a hard time relaxing,” says Bressler. “We try to cram as much into our days as possible to avoid feeling that guilt or shame wrought by the belief that time not occupied with something “productive” is wasted. At Terra & Tu, we think it is important to shift that narrative to showcase how taking time to unwind is productive and should be something highly valued as a key component of our wellness and well-being.”
   
   It is important to remember when you’re traveling that it is okay to take things slowly, opt to spend a day relaxing poolside, sleeping more, or taking part in some gentle exercise that feels good to you. “It is really about listening to your body and doing your best to let any feelings of guilt or shame fall away, understanding that relaxation is what a healthy body and mind need to function.”