If the word wellness vacation brings to mind spartan facilities and bland diets you'll be pleased to know that these trips have come a long way and there are now a myriad of options available. You can find healthy holidays at a wide variety of destinations and accommodation types from luxury beachfront resorts to mountaintop spas. Many wellness retreats are also becoming more accessible for those with limited time and budget.

In addition to yoga, meditation, cooking and exercise classes you can now find spa services, acupuncture and other health and healing activities that can help restore the balance of your mind and body. This kind of holistic approach can be very beneficial to people with chronic diseases and may even prevent the onset of some conditions.

A wellness vacation can be a complete retreat or just a few days spent refocusing on your health. It's a great idea to make it an intention-driven experience and take advantage of the opportunities the natural environment offers for stress recovery. Nature is part of our human ecosystem and we depend on it for our survival.

A wellness trip can be planned on its own or incorporated into an existing holiday or business travel. For example, if you have a family trip to Costa Rica booked why not stay at a healthy hotel and enjoy their facilities and the local food scene. Or, visit a rainforest retreat like Heliconias Nature Lodge and sleep in an eco friendly tree house where you'll be face to face with the local fauna including howler monkeys, sea turtles and butterflies.wellnessurlaub