The Pearls and Promises of Travel to Heal

Now this is a big one: A promise to heal yourself when you travel.

Ultimately healing is about finding the true freedom we all seek. The fulfillment and liberation from that what limits us to become who we really are:

Infinite Beloved Beings.

Do we have to travel for this?

In the ancient Indian scriptures it is said that:

When the mind thinks the source of our happiness or unhappiness lies outside of us, it is always restless, always running from irritation and searching for pleasure. Only when we understand that true happiness lies within our hearts and is our true nature, we become free.

And here it is – the reason to Travel to Heal: to go to places that support our mind to become still, peaceful and where we can relax and retreat from the daily, often self-inflicted overwhelm.

A beautiful paradox.

Healing is a path, a journey and a process. It is a very individual experience. It is magic and hard work at the same time. And it is super-rewarding.

How do I know? I am on it! For over 35 years I walk the path and fail and succeed, get knocked down and get up again.

Why am I doing this? Because I know there is more and I want to live my life fully. I want to feel the depth of my existence; what my role is in this life and who I am.

We all experience circumstances in our life that propel us into certain behaviors, believes and also into taking certain actions. Whatever the cover-up looks like: aiming for a successful career, being happily married with beautiful children, becoming a poet or a tennis star, changing the world or saving the ocean.

Whatever we aim for – with each heartbeat, most of us experience a driving force in us – the creative throb of universal existence that works through all of us. For me it was, and still is, about finding out what life is all about, and healing myself along the way.

Luxury does not equal bliss.

The longer you are on your path, the more exiting it gets. You may find a new perspective, an understanding, as if each layer in your mind gets lifted and a new world appears.

My passion was and is traveling. And it came with a cost.

Traveling the world in my profession as tourism adviser for over 30 years, I was often comforted by my clients with stays in luxury hotels and resorts. While this was nice, it was not what I wanted.

I wanted more – I needed more environmental care, a more sensible approach to the way rooms where furbished or laid out; with soothing colors, healthy beds, sensible light and healthy fragrance. I felt lost and lonely often in those days in my luxury suite and especially after arriving from along international flight. If the room had no soul, I felt the jetlag even stronger and sleep was often out of sight. The pressure was on, when most of the time I had to attend an important meeting straight away.

If only…

If only there would be someone or something that would help me to rest properly.

The spas of those days (and still today) did not have more to offer then a massage, without any heart-warming surrounding. I was looking for something that would help me to re-align, to balance, to do yoga and to simply feel good about myself and relax, sleep and be peaceful.

That someone turned out to be me: I created the global hospitality brand Healing Hotels of the World.

It took over two years to create the quality standards and criteria with the assistance of a group of acclaimed international experts in healing, holistic health and also evidence based medicine. We met and consulted with the leaders in sustainability those days and also with leading spa practitioners, healers and doctors.

These criteria are the backbone of each Healing Hotel today and are constantly updated and re-checked so that our over 100 member hotels can deliver the healing promise to their guests:

To become whole again in body, mind and soul, freeing them to enjoy the sacredness and abundance of life.

Healing is a global trend.

Today, as we can see from the global statistics, spirituality and healing are the biggest trends in the travel and tourism industry. Yet, for reasons unknown, Healing Hotels of the World is still the only global organization that selects and trains the member hotels according the quality criteria.

Going back to the pearls and promises of your travel to heal.

Over the past 13 years since the birth of this beautiful brand, we have seen thousands of lives of healing hotel guests being touched. Being changed. Being healed. And with healing, I do not mean it in the classical sense of healing an ailment, but healing in a deeper, more holistic sense: from within and all encompassing.

What guests receive in Healing Hotels or Resorts is price-less. It is not only the rejuvenation, or the feeling of being relaxed – it is so much more. It is one of the most pivotal moments when we feel that we experienced a true turn-around – a moment of profound change that can and will last forever.

And it gets even better, if we nurture and continue with that what we have learned. Only then can we become truly independent from outer circumstances and feel truly happy.