Holidays for women?? It’s all too easy to keep pushing your own needs down your to-do list – we grow up learning to ignore signals that we need time to ourselves, and to just “get on”, instead, with work, the kids, self-improvement, home-improvement… but too much ignoring yourself leads to stress, and sometimes depression.
A holiday might seem self-indulgent, but a break doing exactly what you want gives you time to rest and think. It can also help with depression , relieve stress, and make your daily life considerably easier to deal with in the long run.
Uplifting holidays for women
Going away by yourself is deeply liberating, once you’ve taken the first step – you just need to muse on what you’d really like to do. Whether there’s a skill you’ve long wished to develop, or a landscape you’d love to explore – whatever your energy level, and whether or not you want the company of others – you will find something.
Learn to sail in England
There’s something about powering along using nothing but the wind – it’s a bit hard to describe, as there’s a thrill involved, for sure, but it also just feels cool to be cooperating so directly with nature. You steer the boat, adjust your sails, and through the boat’s reactions you feel how all the forces are interacting.
You can learn on small dinghies or big yachts – it’s up to you – although dinghy courses tend to be cheaper (yacht moorings & maintenance are expensive) and, unlike yachts, can be found inland, in places like the Lake District and the Norfolk Broads.
Pilates or yoga in the sun
Yoga holidays in Greece and Thailand are big business, and there’s certainly something to be said for stretching yourself out on a sunny island somewhere. But pilates, which looks less strenuous but actually works strongly and deeply, on your core muscles and posture, can fix all kinds of problems – backache, headache, saggy tummies – and centres you in a very practical sense.
On the other hand, pilates does not have yoga’s more spiritual connection. Many retreats offer both, letting you find out which suits you best. Most holidays for women should offer Pilates or some form of Yoga in order to stretch and spiritually recharge your self.
Horse-riding in Spain
Spain is famous for its beautiful horses; you can stay on stables in the countryside and spend a week or two, first learning the basics and then heading out on “hacks” through hazy vineyards, aromatic olive groves, cool leafy mountain trails and then back to laze around and enjoy barbecued fish, good wine and warm evenings.
Rainforest wildlife in Borneo
Not the cheapest trip on the list, but this is once-in-a-lifetime territory. Eco-tourism and earnest conservationists are still just holding back the paper, logging and palm oil tides that threaten so much of South-East Asia’s forests and wildlife.
Borneo contains some of the planet’s most biodiverse habitats; the ocean around it is also teeming with life, with dozens of excellent dive-sites. You can explore Borneo on foot or, more flexibly, by boat, along the rivers that penetrate the island’s jungly interior.
You can meet Orang-utans at various rescue centres and sometimes spot them in the wild, but there are many other species to see wherever you are, from Pygmy Elephants and Sun Bears to Green Turtles and thriving coral beds. Mount Kinabalu, SE Asia’s highest peak, is also here – it’s a deeply satisfying two day trek, but you do need to be reasonably fit to make it.
The article “Four uplifting holidays for women” was written by Tracey, a UK Yoga travel blogger.