According to a recent tourism initiative, Sweden is “the first country in the world prescribed by doctors.” In the cheeky marketing campaign, Sweden expands on how its saunas, nature, and 100 days of summer sunlight (rebranded as “24/7 light therapy”) support mental wellbeing. The initiative’s website even features MDs endorsing the program, stating that it provides “evidence-based ways” to support mental health. There is even a downloadable “prescription” form for doctors to “suggest personalized Swedish experiences” based on patients’ needs.
It’s no surprise that Sweden is using this tactic to increase tourism: Global wellness tourism has skyrocketed in recent years, while mental health treatment is one of the fastest-growing industries worldwide. Promoting a combination of the two is a logical next step. But does traveling for your mental health actually work—or is it simply another trend cashing in on the burnout epidemic?
“Travel is no longer just about getting away,” says Sheri Colosimo, wellness educator and co-founder of Más Bliss Retreats. “It’s an opportunity to consider how you want to feel, what you truly need physically, mentally, and emotionally, and what type of experience can support that.” This concept differs from traditional wellness tourism. Studies characterize the distinction as “hedonic” versus “eudaimonic” travel, the former being centered on immediate enjoyment, the latter on personal growth (traditional wellness offerings like massages fall into the hedonic category). While travel has indeed been proven to improve happiness, these effects are often short-lived, fading soon after returning to work or within weeks of coming home.
So can the industry actually provide experiences that improve mental health? While I haven’t yet gotten my health insurance to fund a trip to Sweden, I have recently been to Mexico several times, each for a program marketed as improving mental well-being. The first was a yoga retreat with Beyond Yoga, set in the lush hills of Puerto Vallarta; the second, a sleep therapy program at the Ritz-Carlton’s sweeping Zadún Los Cabos; and the third, a weekend at the romantic Paraiso de la Bonita to experience offerings like their temazcal, a traditional sweat lodge ceremony for spiritual purification. I usually get the most out of therapy-like experiences, and the least out of athletic and meditative ones. It came as a surprise, then, that the yoga retreat had the greatest impact on my long-term mental health. I turned to an expert for some insight as to why.
“Travel is a great opportunity for cognitive enhancement,” says Dr. Karen Miller, PhD, a leading expert in brain wellness. “And that’s probably the key to thinking about how to achieve long-term effects. It requires us to engage with our frontal lobes much more than usual.” She explains that the novelty inherent to travel—like navigating new environments, foods, and transportation—is one of the most helpful factors. “Something new makes much more of an impact on how our brain is wired,” she says. Miller also points to the “dual tasking” or cognitive activity while in motion (like reading a map while walking) common with travel as an extremely effective way to improve mind function. This enhanced cognition is what leads to the clarity, new habits, and emotional processing that have lasting effects on our mental health.
