A wellness retreat made me feel better – in just 3 days. It transformed how I travel

Part of my job as Head of Product Development at Flash Pack involves road-testing ideas for new destinations and trip styles (tough gig!). But when I traveled to a soulful retreat in rural Spain last November – researching what would become the Mountain Reset trip in Flash Pack’s new wellbeing collection – I have to be honest: I wasn’t feeling it. 

Ironically, given the theme of wellness, I was going through a struggle of my own at the time. My low mood made traveling seem like a huge effort. I didn’t want to have to fly or put myself out there with other people and work.

By staying in one place, wouldn’t I get bored and restless?

On top of that, I’ve never been someone who travels specifically to slow down or do less. Normally, I’m a typical Flashpacker, and an adventure to me means doing as much as possible on limited annual leave. I like a fast pace, which might mean anything from canyoning in the desert valleys of Jordan to hiking Lion’s Head in South Africa or hanging out with the snow monkeys of Nagano, Japan. I want to make the most of a destination.

So, before staying at one last year, I wasn’t clear on the value of wellness retreats. Don’t get me wrong, I do a lot of wellness in my daily life – it’s actually why I started looking into a wellbeing series for Flash Pack to begin with. But, in my head, it was hard to align that need to regulate my nervous system (using breathwork and bodywork, both such powerful tools), with worldwide adventure. By staying in one place, wouldn’t I get bored and restless? And could I really feel that much better in the space of just three days? 

The answer was yes; I could. My time at a beautiful farmhouse in the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park left me feeling completely different and lighter. I barely recognized the person I left as (calm, restored) versus the woman who arrived (= brimming with stress). No-one was as surprised as me to see the transformation. But the effect was so pronounced, it has entirely changed how I travel, and why. 

 

I was wound so tight, it seemed impossible to be present.

Now before I go on, I know the more spiritual side of “my journey” might seem overkill to some readers. When Sonia – the lovely founder of the retreat – told me at the beginning, “Krishna, you will feel a transformation”, I was privately doubting her already. I was wound so tight, it seemed impossible to get out of my head and be present.

Yet, somehow, I did. For starters, the remote location all but forced me to slow down. The lovingly restored 19th-century space is just an hour from the city of Alicante, but it may as well be in another world. Tranquil woodland and hills stretch out in a panorama of calm, and there’s a forest dome next to a pristine pool where wellness sessions take place. 

I never travel alone, yet here I was free to be with myself, surrounded by nature and sunshine. With nothing but mountains on the horizon, there was no decision fatigue, or fear of missing out – and that alone was grounding. I spend my days reading in the homely farmhouse – each bedroom had its own boutique design and furnishings – or ambling along nearby trails.

My time at the retreat left me feeling completely different

Then there were the experiences, designed within the framework of a soothing daily routine. Every day, we gathered for meditation, yoga and breathwork plus optional therapies (for example, massage or Ayurvedic treatments). One practice that stood out to me was kinesiology, which follows the flow of energy meridians through the body. You lie on a bed while a therapist tunes into your energy fields and removes blockages wherever they occur.

You learn things to take home, too. For example, I did a meditation session on the seven chakras with chanting. I loved it so much that I integrated it into my daily routine back in the UK. It’s something that has had a lasting benefit – which is exactly what we want Flash Pack’s wellness collection to be about. Ideally, it will help solo travelers step away from noise and overwhelm, while also building a sense of gentle reconnection that lasts well beyond the experience itself.

Between various therapies, we gathered for meals: breakfast at 10am, lunch at 2pm, and dinner at 8pm. I loved that predictable rhythm. I didn’t have to worry about anything; I simply turned up. The food was incredible, too. I’m normally quite a big meat eater so I was unsure about the retreat’s macrobiotic cuisine (which focuses on organic whole grains, veg, beans and fish). The meals, however, were very good: they used the highest quality ingredients and the menu choices were so creative. We even had a candlelit tasting of local natural wines.

I loved the predictable rhythm: I didn’t have to worry about a thing

The people were the other unexpectedly brilliant part of the retreat. Flash Pack trips to our Mountain Reset provide exclusive group access to the resort. When I was there, I met three other solo women from different parts of the world. We really got on; at every mealtime, we’d chat about our experiences that day. 

It made me realize that being vulnerable is a beautiful place from which to bond and make new friendships. There’s more openness and transparency, and you connect on a deeper level. It’s really special. In such an intimate setting, you get to know all the staff well, too. You form your own little family.

I genuinely believe that my time in the mountains of Sierra de Mariola changed me. Beforehand, I traveled for adventure and excitement because I didn’t know any other way. It’s only once I was there that I realized what I’d been missing. My mindset has shifted: doing a retreat now makes total sense. I get it.

I left with a fresh perspective and clarity on things that had been weighing me down. The difference was like night and day. And remember I was on a work trip, too – I didn’t even fully unplug. Yet, still, that opportunity to rest, breathe and immerse myself in nature: it was a little bit of magic. Essential magic. I can’t wait for you to experience it, too.

Krishna Vyas is Head of Product Development at Flash Pack. She traveled to Spain for a Mountain Reset in the Sierra de Mariola nature reserve; part of Flash Pack’s new Pause collection of wellbeing trips. Curated for solo travelers aged 30-49 and 45-59, the adventures focus on quiet moments of stillness and reconnection in natural landscapes worldwide.