According to Merriam-Webster, wellness, a noun, is defined as “the quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal.” As the definition states and as the travel industry knows, wellness reaches far beyond just simply being not sick; for some, the idea of wellness is an entire lifestyle. Wellness is sought daily, at home and, for many, while traveling. The meaning of the word can also shape-shift depending on the person. Maybe for you it’s morning meditation every day, while for your neighbor it’s splurging on a luxury spa day while on a beach vacation.

Whatever wellness means to you and however you define it in your day-to- day, our April Wellness Issue delivers expressions of wellness across every page.

Of course, I can’t wait for you to delve into the articles on the following pages; but when it comes to wellness, some information from this issue stuck with me as we went through the production cycle. Here are some of those insights:

• It was incredible and heartwarming to learn upscale hotels are creating treatments specifically for those undergoing chemotherapy. Learn more in our News section on page 14.
  • As Beyonce said, “Who runs the world? Girls!” and that’s truer than ever according to the travel industry, as Six Senses launches a female wellness program (page 15), and hotels and resorts around the globe offer perinatal retreats to help parents with newborns in that crucial, oft-forgotten fourth trimester (page 76).
• Even airports can get in on the fun, ensuring the food and beverage offerings meet a range of dietary needs (page 22), with some even offering fitness centers (page 77).
• Hotels around the globe are definitely focused on better sleep, and travelers focus on this at home, as well — check out the Ozlo Sleepbuds and Eight Sleep’s latest product in our Technology column on page 24.
• I need to try a Zero Gravity Wellness Massage, like the one offered on Regent Seven Seas; turn to page 37.
• The bright red wooden walkways at Termas Geométricas hot springs are just the perfect amount of pop against the mature green vegetation (page 38).
• Hong Kong’s vertical hustle and bustle still offers moments of serenity, as seen on page 48.
• Booking an international walking tour (my husband, daughter and I actively try to fit in a 2-mile walk daily) is now on my bucket list (page 68), as is getting back into yoga, perhaps at a specialized retreat in India (page 70).
• Wild swimming sounds exhilarating; find out for yourself on page 80.

Sometimes wellness can even be defined as doing things that make your life easier, which is exactly what my husband and I did when we booked an overnight at the iconic TWA Hotel at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport before an early morning flight. My photo this month was taken outside Connie, the former aircraft turned cocktail lounge, and more details about the one-of-a-kind hotel can be found on page 17.

With Earth Day celebrated on April 22, we also can’t forget to preserve the wellness of our most important asset: Earth! Check out some hotels bringing eco-conscious products to the forefront on page 78. Also in this issue, travel with us around this great, big, beautiful globe to Greenville, South Carolina; Reykjavík, Iceland; Budapest, Hungary; the Swiss Alps; Helsinki, Finland; Australia’s Gold Coast; and Bali.

We keep kicking back next month with our annual Leisure Travel Issue and the announcement of the winners of our 13th Leisure Lifestyle Awards!

Kimberly Inlander, editor in chief