Wellness tourism has taken off in recent years, netting almost $640 billion. Folks looking to get away on trips or therapy retreats that focus on physical and mental wellness have more options than ever. But are these wellness retreats worth the money? And can you actually benefit from going? Here are a few things to consider when deciding to invest in a wellness therapy retreat.
What Are Therapy Retreats?
Therapy retreats often take place over several days to several weeks and incorporate some level of mental wellness practices, physical wellness activities, and time for introspection. The focus of these retreats is to live your best life and start healthy habits that you continue even after you leave.
What Are the Benefits of Health Retreats?
At health retreats, you may spend time working with a therapist one-on-one for mental health or doing group activities to practice meditation.
Food at health retreats is often designed to nourish your body. For many, healthy eating habits start on a retreat. Yoga or exercise programs at these retreats can often provide a healthy jumpstart.
How Much Do Therapy Retreats Cost?
Depending on how advanced and luxurious a retreat you’re looking to find, you can spend as little as $500 for a five-day stay. This may mean compromising on things like a shared room.
Prices can easily escalate to $5000 for a five-day stay, depending on location, travel expenses, and incorporated activities. Finding a therapy retreat that matches your budget is important.
What Are You Hoping to Gain?
Be very realistic and detailed when answering “What are you hoping to gain?” before signing up for a wellness retreat. Come up with statements like: “I’d like to feel better so I can exercise more often; if I exercise more often, I will live a healthier life. This is worth $XXXX to me.”
When you have concrete motivations for your attendance at a retreat, you will stick to the changes you make there.
Likewise, when you assign a value to what you hope to gain, it can help make it concrete. “I have invested $XXXX in myself; I don’t want it to go to waste” can be a helpful way to think about changes in the future.
Do You Need a New Environment To Jumpstart Change?
A new environment can be exactly what you need to jumpstart a change in your life. If you suspect your environment plays a key component in symptoms you experience, getting outside of it may be the key to getting to the root of your health and wellness challenges.
When you face down questions or fears on a retreat by yourself in a new place, you don’t have any of the crutches you may lean on at home. It becomes harder to avoid confronting what needs resolution in your life.
Local therapies or treatment plans do not offer the opportunity to get outside of your life. If you’re looking for an environment change to spur on your wellness journey, a retreat is invaluable.
Do You Have a Condition Which Requires Long-Term Care?
Therapy retreats are excellent complementary treatments for long-term conditions. However, if you are hoping to exclusively use a short retreat to treat a long-term condition, consider the cost in light of expected results.
If you have a condition such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or Bulimia, getting started in an intensive retreat or other similar helpful resources can be a great option.
But make sure you budget for continued care. Life-long conditions will require life-long care, the cost of which must be balanced with the cost for a complementary treatment at retreats.
Is the Cost Affordable for You?
This is perhaps the biggest hindrance for many investigating a wellness therapy retreat. If you feel desperate for a change, you may be willing to pay anything to get it.
However, think responsibly before you sign up for an expensive mental health retreat. Can you really afford it without having to use something like credit cards to finance it? Is the cost of the retreat proportionate to the relief you’ll gain from the retreat?
Keep in mind, if you are seeking treatment at a retreat due to troubling health or mental health issues, adding additional financial stress may be counterintuitive. Seek out affordable wellness retreat options or investigate the care covered by insurance to lessen financial strain.
Do You Have the Flexibility To Go?
Much like being able to financially afford a wellness retreat, can you afford the time to go? This means both times off from work and family responsibilities.
Sometimes the stressors that hold us in place are exactly why we may desire to get away from it all. But being realistic about how much flexibility is available in our day-to-day lives is important when planning time away.
For instance, if taking time off will require a spouse to sacrifice work hours or hire a babysitter, perhaps these additional costs will make the retreat less worth the money.
Are There Better Local Alternatives?
There are many types of wellness and mental health treatments. Most, in fact, are available on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis in a nearby location.
Many of these treatment programs—even intensive ones—may have partial to full insurance coverage. You may find that you are better off going to a local therapy or wellness program that your insurance coverage will pay for.
These local alternatives do not disrupt your life like leaving for a few weeks would. They allow you to return to your day-to-day life and apply strategies before coming back to your next session and evaluating how it worked.
Choosing the Right Therapy Retreats
Finding therapy retreats that meet your mental, physical, and financial needs can take some time. But when you find one that works for you and meets your particular expectations, using it as a jumpstart for positive change can be worth every penny.
Begin an exciting journey on your next health retreat. Check out our other travel and wellness articles to learn more about wellness retreats.
