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Where to go for slow travel, transformative travel and JOMO, as tourists move away from Instagram destinations
- Tourists from Asia-Pacific are opting for more slow travel, transformative travel and the ‘joy of missing out’, according to a new survey
- Travel experts say some of the best places to go are Ladakh in India, the island of Miavana, the Bavarian Alps and Transylvania
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Caryn Yap has changed her travel habits over the years. Where once she was a fan of party destinations like Beirut and Barcelona, the Hong Kong-based brand consultant now says she prefers more enriching holiday experiences.
“When I started my own brand and PR consultancy in 2015, [my] work-life balance became harder to achieve so my purpose for taking holidays changed,” says Yap. “I wanted to focus more on myself and on my self-growth, and explore how travel could expand my horizons while unplugging and resetting.”
A couple of years ago, Yap spent several months in hospital with an E coli infection. Then she went through a divorce. Needing time to recuperate, she decided to go on back-to-back escapes. The first was a detox and spiritual healing programme at Fivelements in Bali, and the second was an Ayurvedic retreat at the Santani Wellness resort in Sri Lanka.
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“In Bali, I detoxed on delicious vegan food and did a sacred arts programme for personal and spiritual growth – yoga and meditation – and tried some Balinese healing practices, as well as more alternative treatments such as watsu [warm water massage therapy], shamanic reiki [hands-on energy healing] and a fire ceremony,” she says. “I loved it so much that I got reiki-certified when I came home.”
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Yap is not alone in her desire to seek out enriching, and even life-changing, holiday experiences.
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