Reboot Your Life: 7 Transformative Trips to Spark Change

1. Introduction to Transformational Travel

There’s no reason to wait until January: transformational travel is now a year-round phenomenon, and it can help you recalibrate your life — whatever challenges you may face.

2. The Art of Fear Ski Camp

“What I’m asking you to do is no small thing,” said Kristen Ulmer as we stood at the top of the lift at Alta Ski Area, in Utah. It was a bluebird day in January, and Ulmer, a professional extreme skier turned anxiety expert and author, was leading 18 students, including me, through her Art of Fear Ski Camp. While many of the workshops take place on the mountain, the overall program isn’t about death-defying descents. Instead, participants tackle something even more intimidating: learning to feel their emotions, even uncomfortable ones such as fear and anxiety. As I stared down the slope, a string of recent heartbreaks buried deep inside me — my divorce, the passing of my mom, the pandemic — began to bubble up.

Turns out, when you’re desperate for change, you eventually learn to relinquish control and allow yourself to try anything, as I did over the next few days. With zero emphasis on skiing technique, Ulmer’s teaching encouraged us to focus on honoring and even embracing our emotions. I learned to enter a flow state that had me imagining I was a river. Dancing with my fear — rather than resisting it — left me feeling more like myself than I had in years.

The experience changed my life, freeing me from the traumas that were holding me back. It also kick-started my quest for more adventures that might deliver radical transformation.

I’m not the only one. Seven in 10 people say they’re seeking vacations that will improve their mental, physical, and emotional health, according to a recent American Express Travel survey. If you’re looking for a reset, each of these journeys — some close to home, others farther afield — is designed to push you out of your comfort zone and spark a breakthrough.

3. Embrace Uncertainty

Kristen Ulmer’s three-day camps, which are best for intermediate to advanced skiers, run over select winter dates. Not a schusser? This fall, she’ll lead a new Art of Anxiety Workshop that includes mountain hikes, yoga, and accommodation at Goldener Hirsch, Auberge Resorts Collection, at Deer Valley, in Utah.

4. Realign Your Body

The “Optimal Wellbeing Program” at Hawaii’s dreamy Sensei Lanai, a Four Seasons Resort, begins well before arrival. Guests receive a top-to-bottom health assessment as well as a Whoop 4.0 wearable, which monitors fitness and sleep before departure. Once on property, Sensei’s exercise physiologists and nutritionists help parse the data and devise a personalized program to help participants realize their goals.

5. Tap Into Intuition

Sedona, Arizona, is known for its red-rock “vortexes,” spots that are said to radiate the earth’s energy. Seekers can discover more at Mii Amo, the recently renovated Relais & Châteaux wellness retreat near the Boynton Canyon Vortex. Engage in an array of mindfulness and meditation programs, or go deeper with 100-minute “Insight” sessions hosted by facilitators like ashram-trained Ashiko Rupp, who explains how intuition can help direct everyday life.

6. Retool Family Dynamics

If convincing kids to do family therapy is a challenge, horses could be the solution. At the 500-acre Carmel Valley Ranch in California’s Santa Lucia Mountains, psychologist and horseman Robert Magnelli leads therapeutic programs to help families forge new bonds.

7. Boost Your Energy

Breath-work guru James Stewart leads three-day wintertime Wim Hof Method retreats at Wisconsin’s Sand Valley, a 12,000-acre resort where dunes tumble into frozen lakes. The practice, known for its emphasis on immersion in icy water, also involves meditative breathing techniques that are said to help boost energy levels and improve immunity.

8. Release the Past

On an island in southern Thailand, Kamalaya Koh Samui offers five-, seven-, and 14-day “Embracing Change & Emotional Harmony” retreats aimed at helping guests break free of past traumas with the help of mentors including naturopaths and traditional-Chinese-medicine therapists.

9. Rethink Work-Life Balance

Is your work-life balance in need of a refresh? Consider a taste of the expat experience with two- or four-week immersives from Sojrn. The start-up will arrange an apartment in Siena, Italy, and plan vineyard visits, wine tastings, and social events with other travelers while leaving time for emails and Zoom calls. Adventures in Cape Town, Mexico City, and Rome, among other places, are also available.