Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi, I'm Alexa and I'm Rory, and together we are the Romies. We are married.

Speaker 2: 0:07

To each other.

Speaker 1: 0:08

Right, we are a touring musical duo.

Speaker 2: 0:11

And our music has taken us to all kinds of places all around the world and keeps us always on the go.

Speaker 1: 0:16

So we hope you enjoy our stories and adventures while running around working to keep all your plates spinning.

Speaker 2: 0:22

And we hope, to facilitate your busy lifestyle and feed your inner travel bug. Hi everyone, hello, welcome to the Romy's podcast. I'm Alexa.

Speaker 1: 0:36

And I am Rory and together we are the Romy's. Yeah, the Romy's, the romies, yeah, the romies he's trying to be.

Speaker 2: 0:45

Finnish. Okay, y'all in the history, I think in the history of our podcast, we've been doing this six years, so prior to this year, year seven, we haven't really covered wellness travel per se. What we have talked about is like traveling well, healthy travel, how to be healthy even when you're busy, busy on the go, but I don't think that's what people think of when they hear wellness travel.

Speaker 1: 1:13

Yeah, I mean, what does it really mean, anyway? I mean, like, does it mean you go to a spa and you know, or does it mean you travel abroad to some fancy place in Italy or, of course, the country that we always talk about, a spa in Switzerland? Could there be anything more? I mean, does it mean that? Is it like some kind of a yoga retreat with these interesting mystical guru people? What does it mean? I mean, everybody kind of has a different idea, first of all, of what wellness travel. What wellness would mean? I think, first of all, technically, you could stay where you live, get a facial massage, hit up a smoothie bar, do a workout somewhere, and I mean that's kind of what we think of as wellness, right?

Speaker 2: 1:54

Right, like, just have a good staycation and you're good to go right.

Speaker 1: 1:57

I don't know, what is it?

Speaker 2: 2:05

Well, and then on the flip side of spas, like couldn't travel travel? Wellness travel mean. Like adventure travel, where you're climbing mountains all day and cliff jumping. Because like, isn't travel in itself a form of wellness? Well I mean certainly can be.

Speaker 1: 2:13

Yeah, we've. I mean, over our six years of podcasting I think we've made it pretty clear that uh, travel can be a very wonderful, healthy and and mind and life expanding part of your life. Can you say?

Speaker 2: 2:25

that life expanding well, your overall well-being experience, yeah yeah, so there's loads of benefits for traveling in so many ways. Yeah, it can be great for family.

Speaker 1: 2:35

When I traveled as a kid. It expanded my worldview so much. Going to central america as a little boy calms your mind, stimulates creativity, expands your perspective like I was talking about also helps reset your perspective, especially as Americans or people who live in the first world really developed countries. Going to underdeveloped countries really helps reset your perspective on what really matters and like, oh, those things in my life that I get crazy about they're really not that big of a deal. So, yeah, whatever your mind needs at the time, right, it can help you with that and mission and volunteer trips. They obviously contribute to spiritual wellness and that's incredibly important. Well, I mean spiritual wellness is the most important thing. Everything else sort of flows out of that. Travel can deepen relationships. We have amazing friends all over the world. It's been great for our relationship most of the time.

Speaker 1: 3:18

So, yeah, it builds your confidence. For sure, travel can build your confidence big time, just knowing that you did it, you pulled it off, you were safe and it's just really cool the way that works. Also, it can build your resilience, especially when you're jet lagged and you just continue to have to go out and do things.

Speaker 2: 3:35

And perform. So when you take time away, you gain new perspective, you take much needed rest or you spend more quality time with your family. All of the things contribute to your overall wellness and that's why, in essence, like all travel can be wellness travel, in our opinion.

Speaker 1: 3:54

Yeah, and like anything, it can also be unhealthy. In the past we talked about healthy foods, unhealthy foods, whatever and ways to travel. You can also have unhealthy travel where you don't get enough sleep and that continues to go on and on. You take a cruise, you overeat because there's free food all the time, or you stayed in all inclusive and all you do is eat and since you're away from home, you're like well, you know what? I'm just going to eat a bunch of unhealthy stuff because I'm on vacation. Not the best choice, right To just eat continually unhealthy food. You might drink too much, you might be grumpy all the time, you might have a closed-minded attitude. Closed-minded attitude yeah, that works right. A closed-minded attitude when you travel. That's not a good thing, I mean, especially if you're traveling into other cultures. Even in your own country, there can be other cultures and you need to have some respect. When you travel like, overpack your bags and have too many suitcases and you literally can injure your back or your shoulders but you wouldn't know anything about that.

Speaker 1: 4:50

No, no, hips or anything, so travel could potentially be unhealthy Right.

Speaker 2: 4:56

Well, today we want to dive into some destinations and facilitate wellness travel.

Speaker 1: 5:02

Destinations that facilitate wellness travel.

Speaker 2: 5:04

And kind of like fit the bill of what people might think when they are searching the web for like wellness travel or searching for these things right. We're going to dive into, first of all, the types of wellness travel that seem to fall into these most common understandings of what wellness travel is supposed to be what it's supposed to be. Right, and then we'll talk about maybe some places to go enjoy some, you know, like specific wellness travel.

Speaker 1: 5:31

So I mean, well, like one of the first things that pops into my mind is sort of the cliche of going to what they used to go in the day and take the waters thermal springs and hot springs and resorts and we've done those before traveling, oh you guys are like an old hot spring thing. Yeah, it's really cool. So we enjoy that sort of stuff. I mean natural mineral bath waters you take.

Speaker 2: 5:56

Like I said, they've been doing it for well thousands of years. Not that that's a preview to an upcoming episode or anything.

Speaker 1: 6:00

No, not at all. Hint, hint.

Speaker 2: 6:07

It, although it is so. I mean, that's one of the first things that comes to my mind. Yeah, and then, like, I think what?

Speaker 1: 6:10

comes to my brain first are like spa.

Speaker 2: 6:11

Well, of course, spa and retreat resorts. So you've got the luxury spa hotels. You have wellness retreats that focus on nutrition, fitness, mental health, all of that kind of stuff.

Speaker 1: 6:21

So there could could be something if you're more into fitness. There are adventure and wellness like fitness based travel, so you could be. It could be hiking, especially if you have a friend and his name is Egon and you go to Switzerland to stay with him, then that's definitely hiking. Health travel Woo, he'll work you out. Yoga, fitness and boot camps. They probably have surfing camps, which be kind of cool. Yeah, loads of active travel opportunities and experiences.

Speaker 2: 6:51

So adventure and fitness-based wellness I think another thing that comes to mind for folks might be like holistic and alternative medicine type of retreats. So, whether you're studying ayurveda or integrative medicine, like holistic nutrition, holistic approach to wellness, Acupuncture kind of things, those types of things exist, and some of that exists at resorts and places like that.

Speaker 1: 7:13

Yeah, some of the spas offer these things. Some might be a mix.

Speaker 2: 7:16

Yeah, and they might just be a medical facility that facilitates those things.

Speaker 1: 7:21

Fertilisates.

Speaker 2: 7:21

Yes.

Speaker 1: 7:22

Yeah, yeah, yeah, mental wellness and stress management. So for me, travel has always helped with that kind of a thing, especially stress management. Of course, this trick can be stressful when you travel, but the thing about it is also very calming at the same time. So they have mental specifically mental wellness and stress management retreats where you go and they have programs that are designed to help you with the stress relief, your mindfulness I'm sure all these are things you've heard of Emotional healing and personal growth, these type things, and that's a very focused, specific type thing. But that's also, I guess, considered wellness travel by many.

Speaker 2: 7:56

Yeah, some of the places where you can maybe have some of these experiences. And I think, if this is something that you are researching and looking into, you also want to think about, like, what season you're in. You might be really grieving and need to get away, but in a healthy way, right?

Speaker 1: 8:14

I was thinking like wintertime. Well then, you go to Finland and jump in the cold water, or when it's August in Texas.

Speaker 2: 8:20

That's when we go to Europe.

Speaker 1: 8:23

So think about the season you're in.

Speaker 2: 8:25

That could affect it too, and I'm talking about, like your life seasons. Something that appeals to you right now in this season of your life would totally be different for something down the road. Or you might need to do a solo trip and experience some of these things, get away, be able to journal and do your thing, and that might be what you need to do. Or maybe you can go to certain programs and your family members do other things. You can always kind of just create your own experience with all of this stuff. So now we're going to just mention some actual locations. We do want to let you know that we have never personally visited any of these.

Speaker 1: 9:04

Yeah, I don't see any that I recognize.

Speaker 2: 9:06

So we have just put this list together with some of the research that we have been doing as kind of a jumping off point for you to start your own research, find something that fits you, and so as much like our show notes only give us so much space, but we'll include as many of these as we can in the show notes.

Speaker 1: 9:24

Well, the first thing I mentioned was like going to take the waters, as they used to say, so thermal and hot spring resorts.

Speaker 2: 9:31

Now, all of these that we're going to talk about today are based in the US. So just because we're in the US, we'll talk about other locations in our next episode.

Speaker 1: 9:40

All right, so you start, that's just a little preview, me preview me. Oh okay, well, the oh yo caliente yo, yo yo mineral springs resort and spa is in new mexico yes, there's the glenwood hot springs resort in colorado I've also experienced the hot springs in pegosa springs my friend heidi that was super fun.

Speaker 2: 10:02

all right um and Indian Springs in Calistoga in California.

Speaker 1: 10:06

So there's the luxury spa and retreat resort thing, and the first one is I'm going to make you say that oh, because we don't know how to pronounce it.

Speaker 2: 10:15

So, he's dumping it on me.

Speaker 1: 10:16

Savannah, savannah, savannah.

Speaker 2: 10:18

C-I-V-A-N-A Wellness Resort and Spa in Arizona.

Speaker 1: 10:21

Lake Austin Spa Resort, right here in Texas.

Speaker 2: 10:24

Yeehaw, the Cal-I-V Health Spa in Vista, california.

Speaker 1: 10:29

Amman, new York, but that's in New York City, not actually in Amman. Them on right, yeah, right. Then you have the american club in kohler, wisconsin. Yep. So now adventure and fitness focused wellness resorts. We mentioned that mountain track fitness retreat and health spa in ainsworth hot springs, british columbia. I mean first of all, ainsworth hot springs, british columbia. It's got to be gorgeous there, okay, okay.

Speaker 2: 10:55

Yeah, yeah, and technically that's Canada, but it's close enough, right.

Speaker 1: 10:58

Uh-huh, okay, and Adventure Thing also has the hot springs, so this is a two for one thing there. Mm-hmm, just saying.

Speaker 2: 11:05

Not that we've been there, but we think it's probably really cool. Yep Miraval Arizona Resort and Spa is another wellness destination around adventure and fitness focused wellness.

Speaker 1: 11:14

And Around, adventure and Fitness Focus Wellness. And that's in Tucson Arizona, mm-hmm. Tucson Arizona, some people say Tucson Yep Red Mountain Resort in Utah.

Speaker 2: 11:21

Like just hearing Red Mountain Resort, like I already want to go.

Speaker 1: 11:24

Well, you're thinking of Arizona, we went to the Red Rocks Exactly. I'm sure Utah has all of that. Yeah, beautiful, and so I can't imagine that.

Speaker 2: 11:31

That wouldn't be anything but beautiful.

Speaker 1: 11:34

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 11:34

All right, then you have the Winvian Farm in Morris, connecticut.

Speaker 1: 11:39

Morris, connecticut. Everybody's heard of Morris Connecticut. I mean come on. You know, yeah, not really Okay. Mental wellness and stress management retreats.

Speaker 2: 11:48

So the Ranch Malibu in California, which with recent fires we're not sure of their current status, but it's known for its holistic health approach.

Speaker 1: 11:59

so it combines the fitness, nutrition and wellness programs kind of all together beautiful area right yes, yes uh canyon ranch in there in massachusetts, massachusetts and arizona, and they also focus on holistic wellness, life transformation and longevity. Okay.

Speaker 2: 12:17

And then the Golden Door in San Marcos. California is known for its personalized wellness center San Marcos, California. So those are all just a little list for you of some places to just kind of start your research and find something that's for you. So the US has some pretty amazing wellness-focused destinations. So whether you're looking for a spa getaway, fitness retreat, hot springs escapes there's plenty of ways to incorporate wellness into your travels.

Speaker 1: 12:45

And remember that we haven't personally been to any of these locations, so we can't officially endorse them, but hopefully it gives you a jumping off point and is a great resource to kickstart your own research.

Speaker 2: 12:58

And if you're interested in wellness travel beyond the US, make sure to listen to our next episode, where we're diving in an international wellness destination, starting with, of course, switzerland.

Speaker 1: 13:07

Duh. So hit that subscribe button and we'll catch you in the next episode.

Speaker 2: 13:15

We hope we've inspired you this episode, so join us next time. Please subscribe to rate and share our podcast with your friends or you know whomever. And please like and follow us on Instagram, youtube and Facebook.

Speaker 1: 13:26

We're also on X and on all social platforms. We are at TheRomies, that's T-H-E, r-o-a-m-i-e-s, and our main hub is our website.

Speaker 2: 13:37

At www. Theromiescom, that's right, that's. D-h-e-r-o-a-m-i-e-s dot com. We'll be there until next time. Yeah, thanks for listening. Bye.