Hot travel trend has people seeking quiet escape and personal transformation
Instead of seeking thrills and wild scenes, the hottest travel trend is about one's own "quietude" and mindful meditation in hopes of finding transformation.
The hottest trend in travel today is not hitting the busiest city or looking for the coolest nightlife.
Rather, it's the opposite: It's about looking for peace and quiet.
People reportedly want to escape the busyness of their everyday lives and spend their vacations in a more relaxed setting, allowing time for silence, thoughtfulness and introspection.
Whether travelers are looking for quiet walks or serene views of nature, the "quest for quietude" has become the travel trend everyone is obsessed with, as Condé Nast Traveler and others have reported.
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"For many, quiet travel goes beyond escaping the cacophony of everyday life while on vacation," noted the Associated Press.
"It can be a shift toward introspection, a deeper connection with where we are both literally and figuratively."
The journal JAMA Psychiatry published a study in late 2022 showing that mindful meditation was just as effective as a drug used to treat anxiety.
"Transformative travel’s a trend we’re tracking for growth," said Alex Hawkins, editor at the trend forecaster and consultancy The Future Laboratory, as the AP noted.
"It taps into consumers’ desire for self-reflective tourism experiences."
This "wellness tourism industry" is focused on the "demand for hyper-personal holidays and health-driven stays," Hawkins said.
The concept of "peaceful pampering" comes into play as many seek an oasis where they can unplug and focus on self-care.
There are an assortment of retreats that offer digital detoxes or silent meditations to participants, AP noted.
Another rising trend is people taking silent walks, which allows them to get lost in their thoughts instead of listening to music or speaking with other walkers.
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Gordon Hempton, an acoustic ecologist in Washington State — also referred to as "The Sound Tracker" — has spent decades traveling around the world visiting rainforests, coastlines and deserts "looking for interesting and often rare nature sounds — sounds you can’t easily hear when there’s a lot of human-made noise," said AP.
"I care very deeply about quiet," Hampton said, according to the AP.
He co-founded Quiet Parks International, a nonprofit that focuses on raising awareness of the benefits of less noise for both people and wildlife. The group offers a variety of experiences all around the world for people who are open to meditative stillness and relaxing walks in the woods.
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Instead of creating a full itinerary, people are now allowing themselves to get "low-key lost" and leave the planning to someone they don't know without having any idea of where they'll end up.
Black Tomato, a luxury travel company, offers some vacationers a travel experience called, literally, "Get Lost."
This unique offering requires trip seekers to fill out a detailed questionnaire about what they hope to expect from their trip, but they will not know what's in store or where they're going until they arrive, the AP reported.
"You’re given pre-trip prep advice and navigation instruction, and then, at trip time, all the transfers, gear and mapped-out checkpoints you’ll need."
The AP added, "Your progress is monitored by a specialist in the chosen environment and by a local guiding support team. You can bail out at any time."
Tom Marchant, co-founder of Black Tomato, has sent travelers all over the world, including some on solo trips to remarkable locations.
Marchant said it can be a challenge to manage the vacationer's environment, but "it’s also a time to truly disconnect from daily life in an entirely new way."
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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