These Trips Can Help You Live Longer and Better

Here’s how to plan a getaway that supports longevity

a gif of wellness activities and resorts

Simple steps such as spending time in nature, taking daily walks and enjoying a slower pace of life can help older travelers feel their best and adopt healthy habits at home. These destinations focus on wellness.

Romina Kullock Photos/Courtesy Nantipa, a Tico Beach Experience; Courtesy Hoshino Resorts; Courtesy Andaz Peninsula Papagayo (2)

Jamie Davis Smith,

AARP

Published January 23, 2026

Many older adults want to live longer, healthier lives and travel is one of the ways they’re doing just that. An AARP survey shows that 95 percent believe travel is good for their mental health and 85 percent believe travel is good for their physical health. Yet, some trips are better for our well-being than others.

Longevity travel involves taking trips “intentionally designed to support long-term health, function and quality of life, not just relaxation or sightseeing,” says Dr. Andrew Mock, a physician focused on preventative medicine and longevity at Hoag, a hospital in California. These trips typically are centered around one or more principles of longevity medicine: regular movement, restorative sleep, stress reduction, social connection and cognitive engagement, he explains.

“Longevity medicine is all about expanding one’s health span to match his or her lifespan, enjoying a vibrant, active, happy life free from the stress and risk of chronic disease,” says Dr. Florence Comite, a longevity physician and author of the upcoming Invincible: Defy Your Genetic Destiny to Live Longer, Better. “When travel aligns with the biology of aging, it becomes a proactive investment in long-term vitality, not just a temporary break from routine,” she says.

Comite notes that regular movement preserves muscle and bone, while reducing stress lowers inflammation and restorative sleep is “essential for metabolic, immune and brain health.”

As someone in my 50s, I intentionally plan trips that support longevity. As I get older, I prefer a slower pace of travel that enables me to sleep more, take daily walks and seek out fresh, local foods. On a trip to Japan, I balanced time in the big cities with a few days surrounded by nature in the mountains. My next travel goal is to attend a focused retreat to learn more about longevity techniques.

people getting massages outdoors at a resort

Nantipa resort in Costa Rica offers a Blue Wellness program that explores the region’s cultural practices linked to longevity and health.

Courtesy Nantipa, a Tico Beach Experience

How to plan a longevity trip

Planning travel with longevity in mind doesn’t have to be complicated. Even before you travel, simple steps such as spending time surrounded by nature, taking daily walks and enjoying a slower pace of life can help older travelers feel their best and adopt healthy habits at home. Those who want a crash course in longevity can attend an immersive wellness retreat or visit an area with a lifestyle that has been proven to promote longer, healthier lives.

Comite stresses that longevity travel doesn’t have to be extreme or expensive, adding that it’s not so much about where you’re going but what you do when you’re there. “The most powerful effects come from consistently supporting the fundamentals of health in an environment that makes those choices easier,” she says.

This type of travel takes many different forms. It “isn’t about where you go; it’s about what your biology experiences while you’re there,” says Dr. Halland Chen, a functional and longevity specialist who runs longevity wellness retreats and has concierge practices in California, Florida and New York. If you need more guidance, “choose a location and an itinerary that’s not about rushing to see sites but about relaxing and getting in tune with your body and mental health,” Comite suggests.

Such trips can help older adults reset their habits and prioritize those tactics once they return home. “When people feel the difference that prioritizing movement, rest and nutrition makes, they’re more likely to carry those behaviors forward,” Comite says.

These suggestions could help you make the most of longevity travel.

The Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia, which is open seasonally, is located in one of the blue zones.

Courtesy Hilton

Visit a blue zone

Planning a trip to a blue zone, a place where populations age successfully, is a good place to start, says Dr. Wendolyn Gozansky, a geriatrician and vice president and chief quality officer at Kaiser Permanente in Colorado. In blue zones, more people live to 100 than anywhere else in the world.

Traveling to blue zones exposes people to the regions’ lifestyle. Constant low-grade movement, such as walking and gardening, strong social connections, natural fasting windows and simple, nutrient-dense food promote longevity, Chen says. Travelers to these regions “unknowingly adopt longevity behaviors by default, instead of forcing discipline. That’s powerful, especially for people who’ve struggled to stay consistent at home,” he says.

Blue zones include Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; the Ogliastra region in Sardinia, Italy; the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica; Singapore; and Loma Linda, California.

At Hoshinoya Okinawa, guests are introduced to the region’s diet, customs and lifestyle practices. Okinawa, Japan, is one of six blue zones where more people live to 100 than anywhere else in the world.

Courtesy Hoshino Resorts

The Hoshinoya Okinawa offers a two-night, three-day blue zone stay, which introduces guests to the region’s diet, customs and lifestyle practices. Guests can also stay at the resort and explore the cultural and dietary practices on their own. In Costa Rica, Nantipa resort offers a Blue Wellness program that explores the region’s cultural practices linked to longevity and health. The Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia, which is open seasonally, offers blue zone–inspired spa services and experiences with a nod to the region’s lifestyle practices.

A safari in Botswana allows visitors to be immersed in nature and wildlife.

Courtesy Intrepid Travel

Spend time in nature

Trips that involve a significant time in nature can also promote longevity, Comite says. “Numerous studies link spending time in nature to cognitive benefits and improvements in mood and emotional well-being,” she explains. Remote, biodiverse locations may be particularly beneficial, but you don’t need to travel far to reap the longevity benefits that being in nature provides, she says. “Any space where you can feel connected to nature” can help.

Hyatt’s Andaz Peninsula Papagayo, located on Costa Rica’s Peninsula Papagayo, is nestled between a lush tropical forest and three pristine beaches. The resort offers outdoor activities on-site and in the surrounding region, from gentle walks to zip-lining. Alternatively, head to a safari in Botswana with Intrepid Travel, where you can immerse yourself in nature and wildlife. Those who prefer cooler weather can experience friluftsliv, the Norwegian tradition of “free-air living,” by taking HX Expedition’s Ultimate Norway — Arctic Expedition Under the Northern Lights cruise, which includes opportunities to snowshoe, kayak and sit on the beach with warm drinks.

people walking on suspended bridges and aerial balance logs

Andaz Peninsula Papagayo is nestled between a lush tropical forest and three pristine beaches. The resort offers on-site and nearby outdoor activities, from gentle walks to zip-lining.

Courtesy Andaz Peninsula Papagayo

Wellness retreats

Retreats are a good option for those seeking an immersive experience. Longevity retreats offer meaningful benefits by exposing attendees to multiple longevity techniques and reinforcing existing healthy habits in a distraction-free setting in a short period of time, Mock says. He emphasizes the importance of attending a high-quality retreat that emphasizes “personalization, gradual progression, adequate recovery and evidence-based lifestyle interventions rather than quick fixes or biohacking extremes.”

Canyon Ranch, with four locations across the United States, creates personalized wellness retreats in Tucson, Arizona, and Lenox, Massachusetts. It also offers group longevity retreats throughout the year at the Tucson resort. Kripalu, in Massachusetts, offers a variety of wellness retreats, including some focused on spending time in nature and mindful exercise for older adults. Sha resorts in Mexico, Spain and the Emirates offer advanced longevity retreats with optional add-ons focused on cognitive performance and sleep.

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Jamie Davis Smith is a mother and writer living in Washington, D.C. She has written for National Geographic, The Washington Post, Business Insider, Fodor’s Travel and several other outlets. She can be reached at byjamiesmith@gmail.com.