As Global Wellness Day approaches this weekend, the conversation around wellbeing travel is shifting from escape to active change. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in the wellness retreat industry, Goddess Retreats founder Chelsea Ross says the old idea of a wellness holiday as a week of switching off no longer matches what many women are booking.
After more than two decades of hosting women on wellness retreats in Bali, I’m seeing the most significant shift in what women actually want from a wellness trip. It’s no longer about switching off and resting with a book in hand. They’re booking trips to go home fundamentally different – with new habits, new knowledge, and new skills. Three trends in particular are reshaping who is booking, why they’re coming, and what they need when they arrive.
Women are looking to gain skills and education in areas that might feel intimidating to tackle at home
The women booking Goddess Retreats are intentionally seeking structured, coach-led experiences to master specific activities like surfing, Padel or Reformer Pilates. These aren’t just getaways; they are supportive, friendly, female-centric environments designed to break down the walls of intimidation.
Surfing, for instance, is an incredible sport but can feel deeply intimidating to learn in a crowded lineup. In a female-supportive space, it becomes entirely accessible and pure fun. We see the same pattern with activities like Padel or reformer Pilates; women come to learn, improve dramatically through daily sessions, and return home with the confidence to keep going.
The longevity lens
The second shift I’m seeing is perhaps the most significant for where wellness travel is headed: the rise of the longevity-minded traveller. One thing that has definitely come to the forefront of everyone’s mind is that longevity is not just about living longer but about living well at every single age.
Women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are not coming on a retreat just to get pampered, and it is certainly not about superficial anti-aging treatments. It really is an exploration in vitality.
Longevity in particular is about how to best support the body, focusing on mitochondrial health, nervous system resilience, and learning how to align our lives with circadian rhythms to come back to a true homeostatic balance. This beautifully combines some of the latest technologies, like oxygen therapy and hyperbaric chambers, all the way back to ancient wisdom.
These time-tested practices, particularly in Ayurvedic treatments, have been used throughout time to bring the body back to balance and natural optimisation. This connects deeply with the traditional Balinese culture of healing, which has always been about living in harmony with natural cycles and supporting the body’s innate intelligence.
The cohort nobody’s really talking about yet: GLP-1 travellers
The final, and most interesting shift I’m seeing right now, is women arriving for our Fitness retreats, mid-GLP-1 journey. Not for a quick fix, but to learn what their prescribing doctor recommends and rarely has time to teach. They are arriving focused on how to manage their body composition, optimise their sleep, and navigate the critical mindset shifts required to support their health long-term.
We find that they are exploring wellness as a whole lifestyle, rather than a temporary program. To build these habits, they intentionally seek out our personal trainers, naturopath, and life coaches, utilising our intention-setting workshops and lifestyle coaching to focus on long-term fitness, wellness, and stress management.
19,000 women later, here’s what I know
Twenty-three years ago, I built Goddess Retreats because I was looking for something that didn’t exist, which was a supportive, friendly space for women to pause, reconnect, and return to themselves. Since then, we’ve welcomed over 19,000 women through our global retreats, especially those located in Bali. What I didn’t anticipate back then was how much the women arriving would teach me in return.
Through meeting all of these amazing women, the main thing I have learned is that true well-being really comes from a place of deep self-knowledge and learning to listen to what our bodies are telling us.
Whether we are navigating major life stages like career changes, heartbreaks, menopause, reinventions, or simply trying to get back to an equilibrium, our bodies and emotions are giving us feedback all the time.
My job is to meet her where she actually is, not where the wellness industry tells her she should be. When we stop adding and start listening, that’s when the real transformation begins.
KARRYON UNPACKS: Wellness travel is moving beyond rest and recovery into something more practical: skill-building, longevity, confidence and lifestyle change. Chelsea Ross’ 20-year view shows women are no longer just booking retreats to pause their lives, but to return to them better equipped.
About the author
Chelsea Ross is the founder of Goddess Retreats, an award-winning wellness sanctuary in Bali dedicated to empowering women through transformative experiences. A lifelong spiritual seeker, Chelsea weaves her deep understanding of yoga philosophy, meditation, and holistic practices into the very fabric of Goddess Retreats.
With a global upbringing, a passion for creating meaningful spaces, and a keen ability to anticipate emerging trends, Chelsea pioneered the luxury women’s retreat model, launching one of the world’s first women-only surf and yoga retreats in 2003.
Her retreats blend holistic wellness, cultural immersion, and sustainable practices, fostering a safe and supportive community for women seeking self-discovery and connection. Beyond Goddess Retreats, Chelsea has a proven track record as an entrepreneur, having successfully scaled other businesses while always prioritising her commitment to empowering women.
