Written by Sahara Rose De Vore, 2019

Every wellness program and corporate travel policy needs the help of a travel expert

People are turning to travel, and even quitting their jobs, to learn more about themselves, find balance, have enriching experiences, and search to fill voids, find answers, and find purpose. Travel is something that almost everyone craves and wants more of. With the exponential boom in the digital nomad lifestyle and the ease that the internet and technology brings, people can work from anywhere in the world and have a lifestyle that makes them happy. This isn’t just a trend but rather the start of a massive shift in culture and lifestyle. It’s known that traveling can help people in various ways ranging from personal growth, learning new skills, gaining a well-rounded worldly view, decrease stress, promote mental wellness, and encourage relationships with people from other social, cultural, and business backgrounds. Travel can have a powerful impact on a person’s mind, body, and soul which makes it desirable and attractive to so many, especially those who have a work, mindset, and lifestyle imbalance.


The concept of health and wellness are integrated within companies of all industries. Expenditures are being made by employers to improve employee wellness in a variety of ways. Wellness and travel-related programs are being adopted by all sectors of the hospitality and tourism industry. Companies are taking action to help prevent valuable talent from burnout or turnover, including every employee in the company from the cleaning staff to corporate executives. Everyone is human and everyone wants similar things such as feeling valued and appreciated, having a healthy work-life balance, feeling fulfilled and purposeful, and feeling understood and connected on a deeper human level with others. Employees are looking for unique reasons to start and to stay and are making career decisions based around companies that offer flexible and favorable travel policies.
Every company’s wellness program or mission to improve employee productivity and workplace morale needs a travel coach. Wellness programs focus on the mind, body, spirit, and overall health of employees which makes the addition of travel seamless. Travel is placed at the top of people’s priority list and integrating travel-related incentives and guidance in your company is crucial. Forward-thinking companies respond to the need for innovative employee wellness and travel incentives to remain competitive, decrease expenses and turnover, increase productivity, and thrive as a company of integrity and value. In 2018, there were 900,000 unfilled positions in the U.S hospitality industry, which was a sharp rise from 2017 according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics for the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Investing in your employees is key to continuing support of company success. A happy and satisfied employee is your greatest ambassador. Success and growth are redefining to include the internal staff and culture of a company, not just external results. Human capital development is a continual challenge in the hospitably and tourism industry, a region experiencing a remarkable rate of growth. Memorable experiences and excellent customer service are primary focuses in the industry but your company can’t operate at full capacity without being fully staffed with valuable employees without jeopardizing quality and experience. You must take care of your employees, they are important factors in overall experiences and can make or break a brand or a trip.
Burnout is a leading reason why people slack at their job or decide to quit, often to travel the world. What is oftentimes referred to as “millennial burnout” doesn’t encompass just millennials but rather employees of all ages. I remember sitting next to a corporate executive on an airplane and after I shared my story of how I have been traveling the world to over 80 countries in the past decade and living my dream lifestyle, he expressed his jealously of the freedom and happiness that I had created for myself. He had a family and kids along with a high-paying corporate salary, all things that make up the “ultimate” life goals for many people but, he was envious of me? This made me think. I couldn’t believe that my story of traveling the world and living a lifestyle that was authentic and fulfilling to me made a man who seemed to have the dream life on paper want what I had. This proved the power that travel has and it made me think that there must be a happy balance between the both. There is.
There is a fundamental shift in the way people view and value life, purpose, money, travel, work, and experiences. Milennials and people of all ages have an entrepreneurial mentality and a desire to work freely now more than ever before. By 2025, Millennials will comprise three quarters of the global workforce, then Gen X and Z. What people want now-a-days has shifted from the normal daily routine to seeking a work-life balance that’s more enriching, exciting, and thriving. People are placing a more fulfilling and experiential life over a lucrative income. Employees want more out a job and are finding it easier to skip climbing the corporate latter to something that suits their freedom-based lifestyle.Not offering travel incentives can be a career deal breaker whereas 39% of people saying they wouldn’t take a job that didn’t allow them to travel for business.This is a huge problem for companies on many levels and another reason why travel needs to be more of a focus in corporate, wellness, and business incentive programs.
The question of “why” has people seeing life and decision-making in a new light. Why stay in a job that makes you unhappy? Why not live the life you dream of? Why shouldn’t I find my purpose and passion in life? Why not see the world? People want to travel. Whether that’s for business or leisure, or what’s now referred to as “bleisure”, a combination of both. They just don’t always know where, when, why, or how to have the transformative experience that they desire. That, along with many more reasons, is why every company in every industry needs help from a travel coach.
There needs to be more emphasis and options on the travel side of wellness programs and travel initiatives. Implementing travel coaching in your company is an extremely effective way to invest in a young and growing community of masterminds, change the culture of your company, reevaluate and adapt, fulfill your corporate social responsibility, and strengthen your business model. Not only will the ability to travel more and get the best experience that they can, travel has so many benefits to a company’s overall success including reducing turnover, decreasing training and rehiring expenses, inspire creativity and productivity, promote a happier and healthier work environment, encourage openness and employee interaction, improve mental wellness, and develop new professional and personal skills.
A travel coach empowers people to take control over their travel desires and teaches them how to plan, book, and obtain the transformative travel experiences that they crave. Travelers want to feel involved and in charge of their travel plans but oftentimes get overwhelmed or aren’t sure how to go about the entire process. Travel coaches use their personal travel niche, experiences, knowledge, and stories to build a deeper personal connection with clients, give personal recommendations of resources and travel tools, focuses on mindset, builds confidence, and helps people understand the true reason for why they want to travel so they can have an impactful travel experience that brings the clarity, answers, and transformations that they seek. The foundation of travel coaching is authenticity and empowerment with the pursuit of enhancing one’s personal travel experience and well-being. Wellness is a journey, just like traveling, both sparked by a story. Travel coaches use storytelling and their personal travel niche to gain human connection, inspire, and motivate those who relate to their expertise most.
Everyone is given some level of vacation time each year, weekends, and time off from work but not everyone knows how to best optimize on that time. They may wish to travel and get away but don’t know where to begin and don’t want to rely on a travel agent or spend an incredible amount of money. They may not know how to make the most out of traveling alone, how to overcome any travel anxieties or concerns, how to have a great family trip, how to decide where to go, or how to have an experience that feeds their craving for adventure, culture, authenticity, and inspires stories of their own to share. A travel coach will teach employees and business travelers everything that they need to know to have the experience that they want on the time and budget that they have while focusing on mindset and overall wellness and balance. Travel coaches can be of incredible value to any sabbatical, business travel, corporate travel, wellness, or travel incentive policies and programs.
“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to” — Richard Branson