Department of Family Services – Domestic and Sexual Violence Services

CONTACT INFORMATION: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
703-324-5730 TTY 711
12011 Government Center Parkway, Pennino Building, Floor 7, Suite 740
Fairfax, VA 22035
Keesha Coke
Director

Volunteer Voices – Self-Care: Blame It on White Lotus

Volutneer Voices newsletter graphic image of conversation clouds, announcement horn, speaker microphone

(Posted 2025 April)

woman in morning yoga session over looking the Bali jungleEver feel like you need a vacation to recover from your vacation? You might want to give wellness tourism a try. Traditional vacations are often busy but wellness trips exist to relieve stress and promote health so you can return to your everyday life feeling grounded and rejuvenated and grounded. This is why wellness tourism is a growth industry. 

To be clear, self-care isn’t new; we make gentle be-good-to-yourself suggestions to our volunteers every month in this newsletter. But the idea of wellness tourism is accelerating, and not just in the usual markets, like beauty, personal care, and physical activity. When things start to feel off kilter and uncertain, we look to escape. And what better way to escape than to give wellness tourism a try. 

You don’t have to pack your bags and fly a great distance to experience this. Wellness tourism could look like a destination exclusively for wellness purposes, like a yoga retreat in the mountains or squeezing healthy habits and experiences into already established trips, the way you might stop in at a spa for a massage between sessions at a work conference or visit hot springs with your partner and children while on the annual family vacation. But if you want—and can afford—to travel to far-flung locales, go for it. It’s the White Lotus effect, and we’re not entirely mad at that.


This article posting is part of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Services' Volunteer Voices monthly newsletter for current and potential volunteers. If you're not already a volunteer, learn how to get involved. Find out about upcoming trainings, volunteer trainings, happenings around the DSVS office and information about articles, books, media recommendations and more.

Learn more about the Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS).

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