One travel trend of 2026 we can absolutely get behind is the ever-growing wellness trend. Whether it’s a glowcation or taking your holiday to set new goals, intentions or have a much-needed work or study break, wellness vacations are only increasing in popularity as years go on.
Whether you’re passionate about pilates, yearning for a yoga getaway, or wanting to mellow out with some meditation, these days there’s basically a country and retreat for every interest and niche.
Wellness holidays are such a thing now, it’s almost intimidating because there’s so many destinations to choose from.
As someone who’s always wanted to do a wellness retreat, there were many times I talked myself out of going before I finally booked one very spontaneously last year. (As in, I booked it about three days before it started,)
What if I wasn’t “fit” enough to join a fitness-based retreat? What if I didn’t make friends? What if I couldn’t opt out of activities?
Image source:Bravo
What if… dare I say it… what if I got bored? Like, meditation and yoga sounds enlightening, but would I still be allowed to rot in bed with TikTok?
If any of these questions piqued your interest, then read on, because I’m here to tell you what it’s really like to find yourself on a wellness holiday.
My pre-conceived ideas about going on a wellness retreat
When I took a career sabbatical in 2025, I knew a few things. I knew I wanted about three months off work. I knew I wanted to spend a lot of that time (safely) in the sun, restoring the vitamin D levels office jobs had sucked out of my sallow skin in prior years. I knew I was excited to meet new people, and that I wasn’t *great* at solo travel. I knew I wanted to give up wine and focus on wellness.
To an extent anyway.
My 2025 travels were a little unplanned. I had rough goals of what countries I wanted to visit, but no strict timelines. Starting in Indonesia, as I settled into the chaos of Canggu, the friend I was travelling with decided on a whim to go climb Mount Rinjani. As she departed for Lombok a couple of days later, I found myself last-minute booked into a pilates-focused wellness retreat that just happened to have one spot remaining.
It was like fate. Even when I discovered after booking that each day started with a 7am boxing class (knowing I have the coordination and fitness comprehension skills of a drunk chicken) it still felt like it was where I was meant to be.
As I nervously walked into the villa on day one to meet my new pilates sisters, gearing up for an intro session that afternoon, I was jittery as hell. For some reason I had this conceived idea I should already be super fit and ready to go. I was worried about looking like a beginner in everything – pilates, yoga, boxing, meditation, journalling, and manifesting – as though everyone else would be an expert.
I was also feeling socially anxious, out of my comfort zone, and like a kid on their first day of school.
As it turns out, booking this little six-day wellness retreat was one of the best decisions I made on my three-month break.
Do you need to be fit? And other silly questions I asked myself on my wellness retreat in Bali
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From the moment I arrived, I found the environment to be a total nervous system reset. From the amazing retreat leader Lucy and her warmth and kindness, to all the other girlies I met on the journey, it was a week full of laughs, delicious food, intimate chats around the pool, quiet moments of reflection, and, well, really sore muscles.
Settling into a routine of a boxing session every morning followed by a sauna and spa treatment was a motivating start to the day, despite the 6am alarm. From there, the agenda was fluid: some days we’d participate in cultural-based activities with locals, we took a day trip to Ubud, we spent some days lounging around the pool with acai bowls, and spent other afternoons trawling local markets. We sat in silence in sound baths, spent an afternoon opening up to each other making manifestation boards, and decompressed with yoga sessions.
Then the 5pm pilates classes every afternoon would get the heart-rate going again as we pushed through glute and ab-burning sessions, with Lucy energetically leading the way as we all groaned through another set of Hundreds. But the feeling of finishing and knowing we had a delicious Indonesian feast awaiting us was beyond rewarding.
Plus, I had never slept better in my life than after those sessions.
When it came to the fitness sessions, everyone was just in it to have fun. It wasn’t competitive, there wasn’t comparison. We were all just sweating through the Bali heat, doing our best, having a laugh, and not focusing on macros, fitness goals, or other bullshit you may expect.
The whole retreat was more about bonding and connection than it was who could do the best plank.
Thank God, because that was never going to be me and I hate to lose.
Are wellness retreats actually worth it?
In case you can’t tell, I was an absolute convert by the end of retreat week. Would I have been able to do a longer one than six days? To be honest, not at that level of intensity. But I found the mix of activities perfect for me with the focus on fitness, connection, and relaxation.
From delicious dinners out, to pilates classes that made you feel like you achieved something that day, to massages, and perfecting my right hook (just kidding, that’s still dismal), it was the perfect balance of wellness, fun, and relaxation.
Given there’s so many retreats on offer, you’re not always going to find the “perfect” one so I consider myself super lucky. But finding the one I did, made me really appreciate what I’d be looking for when it came to future retreats. They’d be less about forced fitness and health goals, and more about the bonding over hard pilates classes and laughs at dinner. I know for a fact I’d be unlikely to survive a 10-day meditation or yoga retreat, especially if it was a silent one. Any retreat that mentions the words “detox” or “weight goals” would be out the window for me.
But ones about connection, making new friends, challenging the body and mind, and being able to relax and reset? Sign me tf up.
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