There is something about travel that wakes us up.

Whether we are packing for a long-awaited vacation, taking a scenic drive, visiting family, exploring a nearby town, or simply stepping outside our usual routine for the day, travel invites us to see the world, and sometimes ourselves, with fresh eyes.

This month, our health and wellness focus is Travel: Wander and Wonder as Soul Care. On the wellness coaching wheel, this theme connects beautifully with environment, relationships, personal growth, rest and restoration, joy, and spiritual well-being. Travel does not have to be extravagant to be meaningful. Sometimes the most restorative journeys are the ones that help us slow down, notice beauty, reconnect with loved ones, or remember that life is bigger than our daily to-do lists.

Travel can offer us the gift of perspective. A different landscape, a new restaurant, an unfamiliar street, or even a change in morning routine can gently loosen the hold of stress and habit. We begin to notice details again: the way sunlight falls across a porch, the sound of waves or birdsong, the charm of a little shop, the pleasure of lingering over coffee – or in my case a tall glass of iced tea, or the simple joy of having nowhere urgent to be.

In that way, travel becomes more than movement from one place to another. It becomes a form of soul care.

The Wellness of Wandering

Wandering gives us permission to be curious. It reminds us that we do not always need a perfectly planned agenda to receive something meaningful. A walk through a garden, a visit to a museum, a drive through the countryside, or an afternoon spent exploring a new neighborhood can all become opportunities to reset.  When we wander, we practice presence. We look around, listen, taste something new, and allow ourselves to be surprised.

This kind of openness supports emotional well-being because it interrupts autopilot living. So much of daily life can become repetitive: the same errands, the same conversations, the same worries, the same pace. Travel, even in small doses, can create space for delight.  Joy, beauty, curiosity, and rest are not luxuries. They are part of a well-nourished life.

Wonder as a Practice

Wonder is the companion to wandering. It is the part of us that still knows how to be amazed.” It notices the flower box, the historic doorway, the handmade sign, the mountain view, the family recipe, the church steeple, the sunset, the laughter around the table. Wonder helps us shift from rushing to receiving.

I think about my first stay in a treehouse at Treehouse Grove in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, with my family. Gatlinburg is only about a four-hour drive for me, yet it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region, a place many people associate with downtown lights, shops, restaurants, attractions, and a wonderful buzz of activity. But on this particular trip, we never set foot downtown – and we had the best time. Part of the wonder for me was simply seeing these amazing “adult-sized” treehouses, complete with all the comforts: air conditioning and heat, full kitchens and baths, and even high-speed internet if you “had” to have it. We brought books, games, and movies, cooked most of our own meals, and enjoyed being tucked away together among the trees. We did drive into town for breakfast at one of what seems like hundreds of pancake houses – I have always considered Gatlinburg the pancake mecca of the world – which added a little local fun to the trip. 

Speaking of wonder, I experienced the “coolest” thing – pardon the pun!  The tree house grounds also had little “igloos” where we could sit for a picnic, adding one more unexpected touch of delight. In our tree house, I even slept in the loft, which required climbing a steep ladder that had to be one of the tallest I had ever climbed quite literally, but I made it and wondered how many others might have made similar observations about this sleeping set-up! In some ways, the fact that I came home with very few photos says the most about the trip: we were too busy reading, cooking, laughing, exploring, and simply enjoying being together to document every moment. It was a beautiful reminder that travel does not have to be far away or packed with plans to be meaningful and that travel can spark our sense of wonder. Sometimes soul care looks like slowing down, laughing together, trying something a little different, and realizing that nothing more is needed in that moment.

And while travel naturally invites wonder, we can also practice it right where we are. We can become travelers in our own towns, our own neighborhoods, even our own backyards. We can take a different route, visit a local landmark, try a new walking trail, browse a farmers’ market, or sit somewhere beautiful with no agenda except to notice. This is where travel becomes accessible. Not every season allows for big trips, but every season can hold a little wonder.

A Gentle Invitation for June

This month, consider how you might add a little more wandering and wonder to your life.

Maybe it is a weekend getaway. Maybe it is a day trip. Maybe it is a walk somewhere new, lunch on a patio, a visit to a garden, or a quiet morning spent planning a future adventure. Maybe it is finally stopping at that little place you always drive past but never visit. “The destination matters less than the posture of the heart—go with curiosity, openness, and a willingness to notice.

Because sometimes, the journey we need most is not only about where we go, but about how we return: rested, renewed, and a little more awake to the wonder around us.

Coaching Reflection

Ask yourself:

What kind of travel would nourish me in this season?  Restful, adventurous, meaningful, relational, spiritual, or playful?

Where could I go, near or far, that would help me feel more present and alive?

What beauty have I been too busy to notice?

This June, may we give ourselves permission to wander a little, wonder often, and let even the smallest journeys become part of our soul care.

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
— Inspired by Marcel Proust, French novelist and essayist

P.S. To see the treehouses and grounds that inspired this reflection, visit Treehouse Grove in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, or view their video tour on YouTube. 

Image Credits: Personal travel photos courtesy of the author. Igloo image AI-generated and inspired by a family trip to Treehouse Grove in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.