HILTON HEAD, SC – Dean Price doesn’t know if he’ll still be able to walk in a decade.
He started losing muscle unexpectedly in the summer of 2018, and though he’s undergone a battery of tests ruling out diseases like multiple sclerosis and ALS, he said, “Western medicine has no answer for me.”
But a neurologist told him something life-changing: “‘It really doesn’t matter, any of it. Either you're going to be able to walk 10 years from now or you're not. We don't know. But what matters is that you figure out what you really, truly love to do in life and you do it, and you do it right now.’”
He’s spending his summer doing just that, while continuing to focus on his well-being. In June, that led him to his first wellness retreat at Hilton Head Health,
an all-inclusive wellness resort in South Carolina, which USA TODAY also visited.
Wellness tourism has exploded in recent years and is expected to become a $1.4 trillion industry by 2029, according to data from the nonprofit Global Wellness Institute and analysis by travel research experts PhocusWright and its sister company Web in Travel.
This year alone, more than half of the global respondents to Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report identified “rest and recharge” as their top reason for travel. Additionally, Hilton noted more than a third of respondents cited improving their mental health as a key motivation for leisure travel, and 20% were seeking dedicated "me time." KAYAYK’s 2026 trends report found 66% of Gen Z and millennial travelers surveyed named relaxation and mental reset as their top priorities.
Personal reasons for wellness travel vary as widely as the travelers themselves. Hilton Head Health staff say some guests come for stress relief and help finding balance. Others are working on their physical well-being or longevity. Still others are processing life changes like diagnoses, loss or milestones, including retirement.
Time to reset
“I'm just very content coming here and resetting myself, renewing my spirit,” said LaVina Jo Meyer, who was also there during Price’s visit.
“I came here serendipitously because of a girlfriend's suggestion,” she said of her first stay in 2023. She’s visited seven times already.
Hilton Head Health stays start at just over $3,900 for a seven-night experience with a single-occupancy Comfort King room at the resort's on-site Sweetgrass Inn. Pricing varies by length of stay, time of year and choice of accommodations. Meyer knows visits are not for everyone but said it's how she's decided to spend her travel budget. “What keeps me coming back is it's a healthy place. It's an excellent environment. It’s beautiful."
She loves the resort's location on Hilton Head Island, surrounded by moss-draped trees. She also enjoys the beach 1.5 miles away, where she takes morning walks during her stay. Research supports the mental and physical benefits of spending time in green spaces outdoors, but the biggest draw for Meyer is the experience at Hilton Head Health itself.
She lauded the resort’s supportive instructors and staff, healthy gourmet dining and array of daily activities, ranging from pickleball drills and yoga classes to workshops on mindful eating and how to get better sleep.
“It helped me put in my mind healthy habits,” she said. “Not like I didn't know what those were before, but they kind of just fell into place.”
Time to recommit
Enzo Caiazzo had a specific goal when he first visited Hilton Head Health in 2015: weight loss, which the resort has specialized in for nearly 50 years.
Learning about the importance of nutrition, practicing portion control and focusing on food quality at the resort, he said he saw results after a week.
It's important to note that not all wellness destinations deliver the benefits they may toutor guests may expect. And travelers should thoroughly research and read reviews on any destination they plan to visit.
However, Caiazzo said, “I was so satisfied about the results that I continued the same approach (at home), and the more I continued, the more results came.”
He went on to lose nearly 40 pounds and said his doctor congratulated him, showing him results from blood tests before and after his transformation. “It’s day and night.”
Caiazzo has kept the weight off, but still goes back to Hilton Head Health at least once a year to recommit. He met Price and Meyer on his latest visit. “If you know this program, sooner or later you come back,” he said. “I’ve been (to) other places, but I always come back here.”
Time to reconnect
Price has already been back for a second stay this summer.
“I absolutely, totally loved it. It gives me healthy eating, which was a big part of what I was trying to figure out – how do I travel and eat healthy?” he said, extolling both the food, education and optional cooking demonstrations. He also enjoyed the myriad exercise and meditation classes, which built on what he was already doing on his own. “Every single day there was something available that I could do where I would push myself."
He said a big part of what was so fantastic was the people, including Caiazzo and Meyer.
Meyer agreed, saying, “It feels like I make all these very close friends while I'm here.” She's kept in touch with several she's met through the years.
Even if they all have different reasons for going on the wellness retreat, Caiazzo said, “It's a community … You are on the same path, searching for something.”
Many guests who form friendships at the resort return year after year, together. Price thinks that’s a great idea.
USA TODAY reporter Eve Chen was provided access by Hilton Head Health. USA TODAY maintains editorial control of content.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why travelers are choosing wellness retreats
