“Calmcations”
Welcome aboard my fellow tranquility seekers.
BBC recently reported that interest in “calmcations – holidays purely focused on creating a sense of tranquility” continues to grow in 2025. As someone who created a blog called Peace and Quiet Travel, it’s refreshing to see more people start to appreciate the need for serenity in our world.
As an American, I grew up using the term “vacation” to reference a short, requested break from work or school where I was taking a trip and supposed to have American-style obligatory fun (an itinerary-packed day trip, a few days visiting family, or a long weekend at the beach where you must make up for a year’s worth of stress in a few hours of sunshine). Mirriam-Webster outlines the history of the term “vacation” through Anglo-French in the Middle English period and details its roots back to Latin:
vacātiōn-, vacātiō means "exemption from service, respite from work," and traces back to vacāre, "to be empty, be free, have leisure."
What a glorious notion! But what happened along the way that caused us to go so off course? Isn’t it odd that we now need to spend so much time planning and saving in advance so that we can attempt to enjoy a sliver of emptiness, freedom, and leisure? The irony isn’t lost on me.
Which begs the question: why the need to find calm during a vacation instead of trying to weave this into our daily lives? The world is busier (and noisier), our lives have gotten a whole lot more complicated, and the excessive pressure to be constantly “on” – at work, on online, or at home – all contribute to our need to escape to a calmer reality. In the US, we have little PTO compared to other developed nations and we often don’t even use all of it each year.
That being said, I am indeed a fan of the “calmcation” in principle. I love a retreat, hiking in remote places, and cozying up with a book in a nice hotel with a view. If the only time that you can carve out for yourself now is by taking a “calmcation” of sorts, then you should take that opportunity.
What if a “calmcation” is financially out of reach?
A lot of these packages at wellness or nature resorts are not cheap. One of the companies hosting a “calmcation” cruise sited by the BBC shows the lowest starting price around $1800. When I started looking, I did find some cheaper options for cabins in the UK around $500 for three nights (not including any travel to and from). Outside of doing extensive research for “calmcation” labeled deals, I would recommend considering alternatives like camping, using credit card points for discounted or free stays, housesitting at a location that interests you, or taking a short trip not far from home. If you go with the credit card points option and are strategic about it, you could accumulate enough points over time to fly for free and stay at really nice place.
How can I create calm in my daily life instead relying on a trip?
This will vary greatly for everyone, but I recommend writing down all the things you do on an average day. Then, rate how much each item contributes to your stress. Pick one of the highest stress-inducing items and think about how you could find ways to eliminate it or make it less painful over time (this may not be a quick fix, but it will likely not getter better until you develop a plan and execute that plan). Next, pick an item that is a relatively easy fix and could contribute to your overall wellness (like going for a 10 minute walk in the middle of the day where you are undisturbed).
Final thoughts: a “calmcation” has a lot of potential benefits and could help people escape from the stress of their daily lives (I will likely partake in a “calmcation”-esque trip in the near future). However, the transactional nature of paying for and attending one of these for a few days will likely not result in a “Congratulations! You Are Now Calm” certificate that will transform your daily life. Start small, remember that you don’t have to be wealthy to find calm in your normal life, and relish in the small moments of emptiness, freedom, and leisure wherever you find them.