Kick off 2026 with travel that nourishes body, mind and spirit… and your wallet! In honor of Trafalgar’s Big Travel Sale, which lets you save up to 15%* on top guided tours (with past guests enjoying an extra 5% off*) we’re rounding up some of our favorite wellness travel experiences. From forest walks with Irish wolfhounds in Ireland to floating in the Dead Sea in Jordan, these mindful moments are designed to slow you down and leave you feeling restored. Yes, travel can be restorative, rewarding and unforgettable – and right now you can plan ahead while taking advantage of one of the year’s best savings.
1. Explore the estate at Ashford Castle
At Ashford Castle wellness comes with four legs and a royal pedigree. On Trafalgar’s Castles and Manors tour, the Stays with Stories experience invites you onto the castle’s vast estate for a forest walk led by Irish wolfhounds – dogs bred for kings, now your unlikely guides. Their calm pace sets the rhythm as the path winds through centuries-old trees, the brisk air sharp and clean. This grounding moment is wellness travel at its most raw, enjoying the simple pleasure of being outdoors.
But if your idea of wellness is spa time, Ashford Castle has a top-tier one that proudly earnt the title of ‘Ireland’s Best Hotel Spa’ for its 10th consecutive year in the 2025 World Spa Awards.
2. Connect with the Lusitano horse in Portugal’s countryside
On Trafalgar’s visit to Tiago and Vera’s Portuguese ranch, you’ll be welcomed by a landscape shaped by sunshine and slow living. During a Be My Guest lunch you’ll come face-to-face with the Lusitano horse breed, part of Portugal’s heritage. Hear an ancestral story of unrequited love that defined the character (and colour) of the ranch before sitting down to a home-cooked lunch with Tiago and Vera. It all takes place in the heart of the Alentejo region, an area known for its vineyards, olive groves, whitewashed villages and more relaxed pace.
READ NEXT: 10 reasons why you should visit Portugal
3. Walk through a UNESCO natural wonder with 90 waterfalls in Croatia
With 16 terraced lakes linked by more than 90 waterfalls, Plitvice Lakes National Park is the geological answer to wellness travel. Breathe in, breathe out and soak up the landscape and soundscape of Croatia’s oldest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Trafalgar’s Balkan Delight trip. Wooden boardwalks thread across the water, allowing you to explore 18 kilometers (11 miles) of rushing cascades, birdsong and bright blue and green pools created by mineral-rich limestone. It’s at once energizing and calming.
READ NEXT: Discover the best places to visit in Croatia
4. Stay in a historic Franciscan monastery in Italy
Long before wellness retreats were a thing, pilgrims came here to find peace. On Trafalgar’s Grand European journey, a special Stays with Stories brings you to Hotel Cenacolo Assisi – a restored Franciscan monastery – for the night. Set just outside Assisi’s hilltop walls, the hotel once housed pilgrims on spiritual quests and still radiates calm through its cloistered gardens, private chapel and simple, light-filled rooms crafted from original convent spaces. After an afternoon exploring the Basilica of St. Francis, with its stunning architecture and world-famous frescoes by Giotto, you’ll check in and have time to slow down, reflect and consider the place of history and faith.
5. Dine with the Montferrier Family in the Loire Valley
Step back into 17th-century France at the de Montferrier family farm, just a stroll from the famed Château de Villandry. A very special Be My Guest experience (which you can join on Trafalgar’s Highlights of France and Barcelona trip) invites you to taste the terroir of Touraine with a three-course, home-cooked dinner paired with Loire Valley wines. Wander the family’s gardens, meet friendly animals and sit back as centuries-old family recipes land on the table. Each bite is a flavorsome triumph of tradition, made better by a local connection.
READ NEXT: Meet 6 amazing women running successful travel businesses
6. Cruise Wineglass Bay in Tasmania
Pink granite cliffs rise from the sea, waterfalls tumble into hidden coves and wildlife pops up alongside the boat. On Trafalgar’s Perfect Tasmania trip, a four-hour cruise through Freycinet National Park glides you across the calm waters of Coles Bay toward famou Wineglass Bay. As your Local Specialist shares insights, keep watch for sea eagles, playful dolphins, basking fur seals and migrating whales. Anchor at the crescent of white sand for a relaxed ploughman’s lunch, and feel good knowing this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience helps protect the pristine wildlife and landscapes you’re here to savor.
7. Float in the Dead Sea in Jordan
Sink into the mineral-rich waters, let its buoyancy lift the body and feel any tension drift away. If you extend your Jordan Experience tour to include the Dead Sea you’ll find yourself relaxing in the warm water and rejuvenating black mud that’s packed with natural nutrients. Besides being a moment of wellness travel, the Dead Sea is surrounded by desert and dramatic cliffs that make it a beautiful destination to visit too. Extend the quiet reflection with an Optional Experience that takes you to a sacred site believed to be where Jesus was baptized.
8. Find foodie heaven in Parma, Italy
Taste with intention in Parma, the heart of prosciutto and parmigiano reggiano cheese country. On Trafalgar’s Northern Italy Including Cinque Terre trip, guests step inside the beating heart of Italy’s culinary heritage with visits to a working prosciutto factory and a Parmigiano Reggiano caseificio just outside the city. You’ll see, smell and taste these famous foods that take time to perfect. Once in Parma, choose to join an Optional Experience dinner to round out a foodie day. Over Italian wines you’ll sample even more local specialities and gain a deeper understanding of Italian cuisine.
Those are our favorite wellness travel moments, which you can experience for less thanks to Trafalgar’s Big Travel Sale. Hurry now to save up to 15%* on top guided tours (with past guests enjoying an extra 5% off*).