All For One and One For All: The Power of Travelling with Family and Friends

In the past several decades, our pursuit of wellness has expanded into an open, confident movement toward finding the activities that make us our healthiest, happiest selves. Brands like Explora Journeys are fully tuned into this – not only because wellness, globally, is a steadily growing industry – but because it’s indisputably good for everyone.

In the luxury travel space, the term “wellness” used to refer to a travel provider’s spa and fitness offering. Now, it cocoons nearly every facet of a travel experience – from culinary to destination, from sleep to movement, from creativity to relaxation – and it’s just as often referred to as the broader concept of “well-being.” 

Thus, when Explora Journeys goes beyond its comprehensive Ocean Wellness program to encourage guests to find their Ocean State of Mind. This is a belief in the essence of the Explora Journeys experience being a catalyst for guests and hosts alike to find their state of optimum flow – whatever that looks like to them.

For some, it’s feeling a sense of transcendence beyond the everyday. For others, it’s the space to let their inner adventurer roam through some of the world’s most fascinating destinations, well-loved and lesser-known alike. For other guests, it’s being surrounded by beauty – both outside, in the glimmering sea and fresh ocean air, and indoors, in their luxurious, serene, and spacious oceanfront suite that has been created with refined European elegance, comfort and simplicity – their Home at Sea, really.

And for so many people, an Ocean State of Mind is amplified even more by the joy and fulfilment of travelling with loved ones. On Explora Journeys, all are welcome. 

Multi-generational travel – say, grandparents, their adult children, and their grandchildren – is wildly desirable. It lets family members grow even closer, create precious memories, and perhaps discover more about themselves in the process. 

Mixed-generational groups – perhaps an aunt and uncle and their children, plus their nieces or nephews who may also have children of their own – are also popular, particularly among families spread out geographically and those who may have parallel interests and passions.

One-on-one travel – where one or both parents travels with one child at a time, often to reconnect as those children become more and more independent – is also growing in popularity. 

And friends – who, some say, are one’s chosen family – are equally exuberant when travel interests align. Even planning a trip with friends can become a series of fun social moments that reinforce bonds. 

As more travelers seek deeper meaning from their trips, they look for ways to feel more connected.

The Global Wellness Summit’s “The Future of Wellness 2023 Trends” report posits that the global crisis of loneliness that has affected so many people over the last several years, is being healed, in part, by wellness experiences that bring people together. What’s more, research shows that simply being together enhances well-being. 

The report also includes a quote from Dr. Jack Travis, a founder of the modern wellness movement who, in the 1970s, created the first wellness center in California. He said, “Connection is the currency of wellness.” 

Indeed, well hearts and minds are those that feel connected, which is a terrific benefit of spending time discovering the larger world together. 

That’s why Explora Journeys has put so much time into creating programs that make it easy for families and friend groups to travel together. The brand – launching its first ship, EXPLORA I, this year – has introduced a number of benefits and programs that recognize how much sweeter it is to find your Ocean State of Mind with the people you love most.

These include:

Group programs like Journey Together/+ and Journey Together Gatherings

78 connecting suites on both EXPLORA I and EXPLORA II

Generous third- and fourth-guest supplement fares

Welcoming Solo Traveler program; fares for solos start at 115% on select journeys – significantly lower than the 200% solo fares typically found throughout the industry

Dedicated program for children and teenagers

Culinary offerings for every palate, with a sophisticated and varied collection of 18 distinct restaurants, bars and lounges created to celebrate global cooking talents, provenance and wholesome ingredients sourced by local partners.

A reimagined approach to curated entertainment and enrichment at sea with unexpected – and, often, subtle – presentation of numerous experiences and interactions with enormously talented resident and guest artists, experts and luminaries.

Destination Experiences that offer a myriad of different ways for travelers to explore the world – individually or together with their family or friend group

Your tribe – be it family, friends or both – is your cocoon, and together, experiencing ocean journeys which inspire you to travel further, immerse deeper and linger a little longer, all of you can feel transformed by the power of connection.