Can Travel Help You Live Longer? These Resorts Think So.

Within 20 minutes of introducing ourselves in an ocean-facing suite in Costa Rica, the seven of us were behaving like lifelong friends, revealing our darkest secrets and most embarrassing concerns. One woman expressed how lost she was after an unexpected divorce. Another conveyed frustration at being unable to find her “people.” I was flipping through my friends in my mind to determine who constituted my community and questioning whether I’ve ever truly felt like I belonged.

It was day one of a five-day immersive program at the Andaz Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, set in one of the planet’s six designated Blue Zones: geographic areas where residents live measurably longer, happier, healthier lives. Identified by demographers in 1999, these regions were coined “Blue Zones” in 2005 by author and cycling Guinness World Record holder Dan Buettner. He applied the name to “longevity hot spots” that share a common characteristic: They are home to a large number of centenarians who follow a lifestyle that incorporates daily physical activity, low stress, supportive social interactions, a local diet, and low disease incidence. According to Buettner, they are spread across the globe—Okinawa, Japan; Ikaria, Greece; Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, California; and the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica (where I was). Singapore was recently added to the list as the only city and the only place whose leaders embraced the principles of other Blue Zones to manufacture such a zone.

Courtesy of Andaz Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo

At the Andaz, Celine Vadam, a trained Blue Zones facilitator, guided us through the “Power 9,” a checklist devised by Buettner that encapsulates the lifestyles and habits of the world’s healthiest, longest-living humans. We started with the “Connect” workshop, which would lead us through thought exercises and discussions about belonging, putting our loved ones first, and finding the right community. We learned about Nicoyans’ sense of humor and ability to laugh easily, as well as their “plan de vida,” in which they live in multigenerational compounds and frequently visit and share resources with neighbors.

Upon reflection, I realized that while I have loads of individual friends, I definitely don’t have a dedicated clique beyond my family. As I gazed out at the green, biodiverse Guanacaste coast from a duplex villa, I meditated on what makes me feel connected to others and decided that it’s when I’m dancing to live music, even if I’m among strangers. (Note to self: See more concerts!) When Vadam told us that a Brigham Young University study found that having a supportive social network can improve lifespan by up to 50 percent, I made a mental list of my favorite people and sent them texts when I was back at my room, just saying hi, nurturing a community into existence.

The origin of “Blue Zones” and the longevity travel trend

Thanks to the raging success of Buettner’s Netflix documentary, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, plus viral HealthTok advice and books like Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Bill Gifford and Peter Attia, longevity travel is on the rise. According to the nonprofit Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness tourism market is expected to surpass $1 trillion this year, up from $439 billion in 2012. A survey conducted in 2023 by market-research group Phocuswright found that around 13 percent of Americans participated in spa or wellness activities while traveling in the past year. Research from luxury travel advisor network Virtuoso revealed that more than one in five clients globally are traveling with the intent of improving their well-being.

So it makes sense that major hotel groups are tapping into the wellness travel trend, incorporating the Blue Zones approach, even if they don’t have properties in those specific areas. (After all, part of the reason why these regions are home to large numbers of healthy centenarians is because they don’t embrace modern conveniences, like fast food or social media.) Kerzner International just launched its SIRO brand, an acronym for “strength, inclusivity, recovery, and originality,” in, of all places, Dubai. A hotel-within-a-hotel concept at One&Only One Za’abeel, SIRO’s programming was created by top global athletes and focuses on five wellness pillars: fitness, recovery, nutrition, mindfulness, and sleep. SIRO’s goal is to offer high-touch coaching for serious athletes as well as sessions on maintaining healthy habits for regular road warriors.

Six Senses, known for incorporating wellness into every detail from architecture to menus, is upping its wellness game, too. The brand’s holistic approach to well-being comes close to that of the Blue Zones, prioritizing plant-based foods, slowing down, and organically creating connections. European and North American properties remain more focused on longevity, says Anna Bjurstam, the brand’s advisor on all things wellness, while properties in Asia tend to be more spiritual and outdoorsy. “If you’re connected with nature, have community, and feel that you have a purpose, you’re happier and healthier, and live longer than people who do IVs and injections and stem cells while stressing about it,” Bjurstam says.

TJ Abrams, vice president of global well-being at Hyatt Hotels, which includes Andaz in its portfolio, says Hyatt’s different hotel collections have the benefit of reaching people where they’re at in their wellness journeys based on the brands they choose. There’s reiki in the redwoods at Alila Ventana Big Sur, which falls under the Blue Zones Power 9 principle of “downshifting”; there’s the Path to Gratitude program at Miraval in the Berkshires, which fits neatly under the “loved ones first” pillar; and there’s a partnership with meditation app Headspace (“downshifting”) and online lecture series MasterClass (“purpose”) across all the brands. “What we know based on trends and data that we’ve seen from a booking standpoint is that guests continue to invest more and more in well-being amenities when they travel with us,” says Abrams.

How the Blue Zones program at Andaz Costa Rica changed my habits back home

To be honest, I arrived at Andaz Costa Rica as a skeptic. I wasn’t sure that the Power 9 checkup would have any impact on my itinerant lifestyle. But a few nights of meditating in riotously abundant landscapes, strolling through hand-planted family farms, eating healthfully, connecting with women I now consider friends, and mining my depths for purpose, physical fitness, mental clarity, and ways to slow down in nature, maybe I’m a reluctant believer.

“Blue Zones retreats are designed to provide a transformative experience to attendees,” Vadam tells me. “They allow them to go deeper, quicker, and have the accountability and social interactions that people need to get vulnerable, think thoroughly, and make life-enhancing shifts.” She’s convincing.

Courtesy of Andaz Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo

Two months later, I find myself regularly consulting my Blue Zones worksheets, as some major life changes are coming my way. I make sure to “move naturally” every day in the park. I’m making solid plans with people I enjoy, eating only until I’m 80 percent full (one of the Power 9 principles), and even fulfilling an insane endurance goal of hiking the Grand Canyon in one day with some cousins. With any luck, like the residents of the mountainous villages of Costa Rica’s Pacific coastal peninsula, I, too, will be twice as likely as my fellow Americans to reach 90 in excellent health, surrounded by friends and family and accomplishments that bring meaning to my life.

I also continue to contact those women in our Blue Zones WhatsApp group, sharing little victories and checking in, weeks since we hugged goodbye—the newest members of my growing global community.

Blue Zones vacations around the world

You can do the same retreat I did at Andaz Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica in February (21–24 and 24–27, 2025; rooms from $750, three-night retreat from $2,889 per person) with Celine Vadam. In addition to these planned offerings, the resort offers private Blue Zone retreats that can be booked exclusively for small groups. Lots of hotels around the world offer wellness programs that tap into Dan Buettner’s Power 9 formula, but they’re especially transformative when they include interactions with locals in an immersive, multi-day journey in an actual Blue Zone. Here are a few of our recent favorites in some Blue Zones around the globe.

Silvestre Nosara Hotel & Residences, Costa Rica

The luxe surf resort debuted in February 2024 by kicking off its World Class Speaker Series with Blue Zones marketing mastermind Dan Buettner. Silvestre was built with Blue Zone principles in mind, from the community spaces meant to foster connection to the locally sourced ingredients to the daily classes that encourage an active lifestyle.

Courtesy of Silvestre Nosara Hotel & Residences

Shangri-La Singapore

Set on 15 acres of landscaped gardens but only a few minutes from busy Orchard Road, Shangri-La Singapore’s wellness programming focuses on holistic well-being. Along with the Chi Spa, which offers a Better Sleep program and a half-day Wellness Escape, the 792-room property recently added a 23-foot-tall orchid greenhouse that nurtures 32 hybrids across some 600 flowering plants. Walking through it satisfies the Power 9 principle of “moving naturally.”

Halekulani Okinawa, Japan

Set in one of the original Blue Zones, Halekulani Okinawa, one of the few high-end resorts in the area, is collaborating with Buettner to kick off a three-year partnership that begins on October 20. Across six nights, the Blue Zones Retreat will follow much of what took place at the Andaz in Costa Rica, including visits to pottery-making villages, breathwork, and even karate.

Courtesy of Romazzino, a Belmond Hotel

Romazzino, a Belmond Hotel, Sardinia, Italy

At this Belmond hotel, guests can go on a gastronomic journey through local flavors at La Terrasse, with its panoramic views over the bay, and Éntu e Mari, a seaside trattoria grill. Move naturally in the turquoise water on paddleboards or on land during personalized hikes along the Pevero Health Trail, located steps from the hotel. At the spa, try the Silentium treatment, which uses the wind to reduce noise and thyme, lavender, and myrtle to diminish the signs of aging. If you’re going to live until you’re 100, you may as well look radiant.