The Healing Journey: How Travel Became My Holistic Practice
Author: Cristin D, Smith, Founder, Spiritual Director & Life Coach
As the founder of Saffron & Sage, a holistic wellness club in San Diego, I’ve built my life around helping others heal — mind, body, and spirit. But my own journey toward wellbeing hasn’t come from stillness alone. It has been shaped by movement — by travel.
For me, travel has always been more than adventure or escape. It’s been therapy. Each journey, whether across continents or just a few hours from home, has offered me lessons in presence, balance, and surrender. Over time, I’ve come to understand that travel is one of the most profound forms of holistic healthcare available to us.
40 Countries Before 40: A Lifestyle of Exploration & Wellbeing
Before turning 40, I made a personal commitment — to experience 40 transformative journeys in 40 countries. Not for leisure, but as a practice of exploration and wellbeing. Travel became my way to reconnect with myself, reflect deeply, and reset my rhythm.
Each destination taught me something new about holistic health — a sense of wonder in Egypt, trust while driving through Tunisia, celebration in Santorini during Easter, solitude and silence in Kyrgyzstan’s rugged landscapes, and majesty in the Republic of Georgia’s ancient churches and awe-inspiring mountains. These experiences continue to shape how I explore both my inner world and the one around me, in daily life and in my leadership at Saffron & Sage.
Travel, to me, is therapy in motion. It’s how I sustain my physical health, stimulate my creativity, and stay connected to my purpose. Every journey reminds me that wellbeing isn’t a place you reach — it’s a way you live.
The Connection Between Travel and Holistic Healthcare
When I travel, I experience a kind of clarity that’s hard to find in my everyday routine. The noise of daily life fades, replaced by curiosity and wonder. I notice my breath again. My shoulders drop. My senses sharpen.
Science supports what many of us who love travel already know intuitively — that new environments promote both mental and physical restoration. A 2021 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that exposure to natural environments reduces cortisol levels, improves immune function, and enhances overall emotional balance (“The Benefits of Nature Exposure on Mental Health and Wellbeing”).
That’s exactly what travel does — it exposes us to nature, novelty, and connection. It forces us out of autopilot and into the present. Whether it’s walking through the streets of Marrakech, meditating in Bali, or hiking along the coast of California, I’ve found that travel has an unmatched ability to quiet the mind and regulate the nervous system.
The Science of Movement: How Travel Heals the Body
Holistic health is built on the principle that the mind and body are interconnected. When we move physically, our emotional and energetic systems shift as well. Travel is a full-body movement — logistical, sensory, emotional, and spiritual all at once.
Research published in the Journal of Travel Research shows that people who travel frequently experience lower rates of cardiovascular disease, improved mood, and higher life satisfaction compared to those who travel rarely (“Travel Frequency and Health Outcomes”).
These outcomes aren’t coincidental. Travel requires adaptability, physical activity, and mindfulness. It engages our senses, introduces new perspectives, and stimulates the brain’s neuroplasticity — its ability to form new neural pathways.
That’s why after each trip, I return not only rejuvenated but mentally sharper and emotionally balanced. It’s not just relaxation — it’s regulation. Travel helps the body and mind return to a harmonious state.
Why Travel Is a Holistic Practice
When I began building Saffron & Sage in San Diego, I knew I wanted to create a space where people could access healing in all forms — from acupuncture and massage therapy to meditation and movement. But as I continued my personal exploration, I realized that travel itself is a holistic practice.
Maybe it’s the way stepping into a new environment invites presence, or how navigating unfamiliar places stretches our comfort zones. Travel, like wellness, asks us to slow down, listen, and reconnect—with ourselves, with others, and with the world around us.
Travel mirrors what we teach in holistic healthcare: awareness, adaptability, and embodiment. It requires you to be present in your body, navigate discomfort, and find rhythm in unfamiliar places. You eat differently, sleep differently, and breathe differently — all of which can awaken dormant parts of your physiology and psyche.
In many ways, travel functions like a moving meditation. You confront uncertainty, surrender control, and find peace in impermanence. For those of us seeking growth and balance, that’s one of the most powerful therapeutic environments we can enter.
Lessons Learned from Traveling the World
Travel has been one of my greatest teachers—each destination offering a lesson in how to live well, stay grounded, and expand in both heart and perspective. Every journey has shaped my understanding of true wellbeing, not as an abstract idea but as something lived, felt, and practiced every day.
In Egypt, I felt a profound sense of wonder. Standing before the pyramids at Giza, I was reminded that healing is not always quick or linear. The ancient stones spoke of endurance — of civilizations that thrived through alignment with the stars and the land. Egypt taught me that wellness requires patience, reverence, and awe for what came before us.
In Tunisia, I learned to trust. Driving through North Africa — along winding coastal roads and quiet desert stretches — I had to release control and surrender to the unknown. The experience reminded me that trust, both in ourselves and in the journey, is essential to any path of healing.
In Santorini, I rediscovered celebration. During the Easter season, the island came alive with community, ritual, and light. Watching the sun melt into the Aegean Sea, I was reminded of the cyclical nature of life — how every ending brings renewal. Greece taught me that joy and connection are sacred forms of wellness.
In Kyrgyzstan, I found solitude. Amid vast steppes and rugged mountains, surrounded by nomadic families and endless sky, silence became my greatest teacher. There, I learned that stillness is not emptiness but a space for reflection and renewal.
In the Republic of Georgia, I was moved by majesty. Hiking through ancient churches and breathtaking mountain ranges, I felt awe in the quiet beauty of painted walls and sacred silence. Georgia reminded me that reverence — for nature, for history, for spirit — nourishes the soul as deeply as any practice.
Each of these places changed me. Together, they shaped how I approach my work at Saffron & Sage and how I understand holistic health. Wellness isn’t found in isolation; it’s found in connection — with landscapes, cultures, and moments that invite us to expand our sense of what it means to truly live well.
Travel as Preventative Healthcare
In holistic medicine, we talk about prevention — caring for the body before imbalance becomes illness. Travel plays a similar role.
When you step away from routine, you interrupt patterns that lead to burnout. You rest, move, and reflect in ways that daily life rarely allows. The shift in environment gives the body space to recover and the mind space to reorganize.
I’ve seen this countless times among our clients at Saffron & Sage. People arrive tense, anxious, and overstimulated. After a few days of rest and reconnection — sometimes even after a short weekend away — their energy changes completely. They breathe deeper. They smile more easily. Their faces soften.
That’s what travel does. It resets us on a cellular level. It’s one of the most accessible, joyful forms of therapy we have — one that blends movement, mindfulness, and meaning.
Integrating Travel into a Holistic Lifestyle
You don’t need to book a flight across the world to experience the benefits of travel. You simply need to shift your intention.
Here’s how I approach travel as part of my lifestyle:
Micro-Travel for Macro Impact
Even short weekend trips — a drive up the coast, or a trek down to Valle de Guadalupe, a day in nature, a change of scenery — can renew your energy.Move with Purpose
Choose experiences that nourish you. Hike, swim, or wander through museums. Balboa Park Museums free for locals on Tuesdays. Once a month, we even walk to dinner—an hour there and back. Let movement become meditation.Engage with Culture
Learn, taste, and listen. Cultural immersion expands empathy and reminds us of our shared humanity. Just as I drive down to Tijuana every week or two, and to Valle de Guadalupe about once a quarter—each visit is a reminder of the richness and connection that come from exploring just beyond our own borders.Build Rest into Your Routine
Between big adventures, create small rituals that mimic travel: try new foods, explore local spots, or watch a sunrise in silence. We love going to Kellogg Beach in Point Loma to walk along the water and let our dog, Harper, swim. Recently, we tried a new restaurant in North Park called Cellar Hand—it’s hyper-local and supports over 20 local farmers.Reflect and Integrate
Journaling or meditating after travel helps translate experiences into lessons that sustain wellbeing long after the trip ends.
These are small but powerful ways to weave travel into daily life — transforming it from a luxury into a consistent wellness practice.
Why Travel Inspires Better Leadership and Purpose
As an entrepreneur, travel has also shaped the way I lead. Every destination teaches me about adaptability, communication, and compassion — qualities essential not only for leadership but for life.
When I travel, I’m reminded that we are all interconnected. The rhythms of culture, the rituals of healing, the flavors and traditions — they all point to the same universal truth: that wellbeing depends on harmony with ourselves, each other, and the environment around us.
These insights guide how I build Saffron & Sage — as a living ecosystem of practitioners, therapies, and experiences that mirror the interconnectedness of life itself.
The Future of Holistic Travel and Wellbeing
I believe we’re entering a new era of wellness — one where travel is recognized not as indulgence but as therapy. The future of holistic health is experiential. People are no longer content with surface-level self-care; they want transformation.
This is why holistic travel — from mindfulness retreats to cultural immersion programs — is becoming a key part of how we heal and evolve. These experiences help us reconnect with our natural rhythms, foster empathy, and build emotional resilience.
And as someone rooted in San Diego’s vibrant wellness community, I see how perfectly positioned we are to embody this shift. With its natural beauty, cultural diversity, and year-round access to outdoor movement, Southern California is a living invitation to practice wellbeing in motion.
Coming Home to Yourself Through Travel
After years of exploring the world, one thing has become clear: travel isn’t about escaping your life — it’s about returning to it more fully.
Each journey expands the boundaries of who I am and deepens my sense of purpose. It reminds me that healing doesn’t happen in isolation — it happens through experience, connection, and awe.
As a holistic health entrepreneur and lifelong traveler, I see travel as both teacher and therapist. It calls us to listen — to our breath, our bodies, and the stories of the world around us. When we travel intentionally, we engage in the most ancient form of medicine there is: movement toward meaning.
Begin Your Journey with Saffron & Sage
At Saffron & Sage, we believe wellbeing is a lifestyle — one that integrates therapy, mindfulness, and movement into everyday life.
Our integrative team of holistic health practitioners offers acupuncture, energy medicine, sound therapy, breathwork, and guided retreats designed to help you restore balance and connection.
If you’re ready to explore how travel and holistic health can elevate your physical and emotional wellbeing, we invite you to begin your journey with us.
Contact us today at 619-933-2340 and learn more about our offerings and upcoming retreats at Saffron & Sage.
Because true wellbeing isn’t found in one place — it’s cultivated everywhere you go.