When I was 15, my dad and I took a trip to Los Angeles that changed my life. We didn't have a set agenda, and since we were staying down the road from the University of California, we took a campus tour.
04.02.2025 - 20:29 / cntraveler.com
Like a lot of us, I often find myself fried from days spent staring at my computer screen and nights circling back to emails I haven't answered. So when I heard that the Sanctuary Beach Resort in Monterey Bay, California, offered a package known as the Burnout Recovery Journey, I had to try it. When I arrived, I was happy to find the kinds of treatments on the spa menu I've been seeing more and more of lately: science-based offerings like infrared light therapy, IV drips, and electromagnetic pulse therapy. My outstanding massage took place on something called a Pulsed Electromagnetic Field mat. I was grateful that the hotel offered signal-blocking phone bags for the ultimate unplugging experience. Then I realized the irony: I was treating my burnout with…more tech. One has to wonder: How did we get here?
In Europe, spa traditions have blended health and wellness for centuries, as evidenced by a long-standing enthusiasm for homeopathic medicine and a predilection across the continent for “taking the waters” as a cure for ailments. Hungary's health insurance reimburses citizens for using the country's legendary thermal baths; France's covers many herbal remedies and acupuncture; Switzerland's allows for traditional Chinese medicine procedures. But the US has historically emphasized the individual's responsibility for their own health, eschewing Europe's more community- and environment-based models. Much of this tendency can be traced to the 1910 Flexner Report, a notoriously sexist and racist document, backed by the Carnegie Foundation, that encouraged medical schools to educate future doctors solely on treating pathologies, completely ignoring overall wellness.
“The US system is built all around disease care,” says Darshan Shah, MD, a board-certified surgeon and the founder and CEO of Next Health, a Los Angeles–based chain of medical health optimization centers that provides treatments for the Four Seasons Resort Maui spa. “Anything outside of that does not get approved by the FDA.” Such a system rewards advancements like easily patented pills and surgeries over preventive wellness, which is unprofitable by comparison—a fact that's less an issue for Europe's publicly funded health care systems.
So why is America hopping onto the preventive health trend now? Shah believes, to use a well-worn phrase, that Americans are sick and tired of being sick and tired—and of the endless game of whack-a-mole they so often have to play to get health problems treated. “Americans see that European destination spas are places to actually get healthy and want to find that for themselves,” he says. I can't help but wonder whether our uniquely American culture of avowed techno-optimism is also partly responsible: We
When I was 15, my dad and I took a trip to Los Angeles that changed my life. We didn't have a set agenda, and since we were staying down the road from the University of California, we took a campus tour.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Bethany Stevens . It has been edited for length and clarity.
Denise Godreau knew next to nothing about Eswatini before 2022.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is America's second busiest airport and one of its largest hubs. Travelers today can get from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Fiji with one quick stop at DFW; a route that 20 years ago would have taken three or more flights to complete.
A number of major airlines are rolling out a new baggage service that will come in handy for anyone using AirTags.
When you hear about a company retreat, you might imagine traveling to an urban destination with massive hotel complexes just to sit for hours in windowless conference rooms and spend evenings schmoozing over room-temperature drinks. You probably don't imagine jetting off to a charming, nature-filled town along the Pacific Ocean.
We've officially entered February, which means romance is in the air. But if you haven't planned the perfect Valentine's Day adventure for you and your sweetheart, Vio, the travel deals website, has a few ideas. In January, the website revealed its list of the most romantic getaway destinations for couples. It came to its conclusion after surveying 1,007 Americans who identified as «in a relationship» about their past and future couple trips, along with their «disagreements, their budgets, destinations, and golden rules for traveling together.» After examining all the data, it named Yosemite the spot that helps couples «feel the most romantically connected.»
Canadian charter airline Nolinor Aviation has agreed to buy an all-new aircraft type known as a "blended-wing body" as it expands beyond its all-Boeing fleet.
This Q&A about moving to Canada from the US is part of Why I Moved, a recurring series about Americans building a life abroad.
Touchdown! The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will face off in the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, a bonanza for special flights to New Orleans.
Delta Air Lines is limiting access to its sought-after airport lounges, putting new restrictions in place this month for travelers who use a credit card membership to get in.
Happy Saturday! Are you in the throes of planning your Spring Break trip? Learn from one mother who planned an epic family vacation for 18 family members that ended up being a "nightmare." Ouch!