How Spending Time Traveling Can Help with Grief

Relaxation and taking time for yourself are essential to living the healthiest life possible.

This is not only when you are feeling down or are going through a season of difficulty. It’s important to do it regularly.

However, when you lose a loved one, the last thing you want to do is focus on yourself.

Instead, you want to focus on their death and process it. But, traveling can be the best time to grieve the loss of someone you were close to.

This article will discuss how traveling can provide the healing you need.

What is Grief Travel?

Believe it or not, so many people travel while grieving that there is a coined phrase for it.

“Grief travel” is where you book a vacation to focus on grieving and healing.

Many people choose to go to a remote location where they have time to think through their profound loss. Or, they go to a location that reminds them of the person they lost.

This could be somewhere that the person who passed away loved, or somewhere they went with the person.

No matter what you decide to do, booking a vacation to delegate time to experience grief is more common than you think.

The Benefits of Traveling While Grieving

For many people, there are several benefits of traveling while grieving. However, it’s essential only to travel while grieving if it’s right for you.

For example, if you feel the need to be close to family and be home, then grief travel is not for you.

On the other hand, if you are someone who just wants to get away when you lose someone, it may be the best way to grieve for you.

If you are the second type of person, below are the benefits of traveling while grieving.

You Have a Designated Time to Think Through the Loss

Complicated grief takes a lot of thinking and understanding.

First, you need to learn how to get through the loss of the person you care about.

This can be done by reading about grief, such as through blog posts like the ones from Mind Diagnostics. Or, it can be done by seeing a licensed counselor online (since you want to keep the same counselor outside of your travel destination).

Second, you must learn about yourself and think through how your life is different without the person in your life.

You Can Partake in Healing and Restorative Activities

During grief travel, many people choose to book spa days or yoga classes. These activities can be restorative to your body and mind, which can help you grieve healthily.

Some people also choose to go to comedy shows so they can finally laugh for the first time in weeks or months. The restorative activities you decide to do depend on what feels best to you.

So, when you book your vacation, also book a healing and therapeutic activity such as a massage to enjoy.

You Can Focus on Something Else

When you lose someone particularly close to you, it can be all-consuming.

Perhaps you are the executor of their estate. Or, maybe you inherited everything they had and now have to find somewhere to put it all.

No matter what it is, it can be a heavy burden to bear, especially while grieving their loss. So, a vacation may be a well-deserved event.

Focusing on something other than your loss and what you have to do to take care of their belongings can be freeing.

You can just focus on yourself, grieving their loss, and having a bit of fun while traveling.

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If grief travel sounds like something you would benefit from, you should book a trip. This could be just a different city or going to a foreign country altogether.

The beautiful thing about grief travel is that it’s all up to you. You get to do what’s best for you and reap the benefits of traveling while grieving.

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This story is brought to you in partnership with BetterHelp.