How Travel Helps You Process Grief, According to Experts

Forbes

3 days ago

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When grief hits, the instinct is often to retreat. But for some people, changing environments can help create the space needed to begin healing. Grief travel (sometimes called a 'griefcation') is gaining attention as a powerful tool to support the grieving process.
Whether it's a solo trip for quiet reflection, a return to a place filled with memories, or a wellness retreat that offers professional support, travel can offer the kind of emotional distance, perspective, and rituals that daily life rarely allows.
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'Griefcation isn't a clinical term,' says Lynn Zakeri, LCSW, a licensed therapist based in Chicago, 'but it captures something I've seen again and again, with clients and also in my own life.' She describes it as stepping out of the demands of everyday life—not to escape grief, but to finally give it room to exist. 'To cry without feeling like you have to pull it together… to have feelings and not apologize for them—that's powerful.'
Dr. Gail Saltz, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the NY Presbyterian Hospital Weill-Cornell School of Medicine, agrees that travel can offer relief—but she cautions against treating it as a one-size-fits-all solution. 'It's more recognized in the travel industry than in mental health,' she says. 'For some individuals, travel based in grief recovery can have benefits, but it is not a one size fits all and it is not prescribed as a treatment for grief.'
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One of the main reasons travel can support healing is that it interrupts the routines that reinforce absence. 'Most people don't get to grieve 'on demand' between work meetings or school pickups,' Zakeri says. 'Travel offers a pause. The change in scenery quiets the daily noise and lets emotions safely rise to the surface.'
That change in environment may also give grief a different texture. 'A very different setting can create enough distance from the day-to-day feelings of loss to allow a more manageable amount of grief to be present,' says Saltz. 'As opposed to being awash in it and overwhelmed.'
Zakeri recalls one personal experience where a spontaneous sunrise unlocked tears she hadn't been able to access at home. 'Now every sunrise brings that same person to mind,' she says. 'It doesn't feel unbearable—it feels tender.' Is It Healing—Or Avoidance?
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Not all travel is helpful, though. Experts warn that grief travel shouldn't be used to suppress or deny feelings. 'If travel is used to deny death or to pretend the person is waiting at home, then it's not really processing the grief,' Saltz says.
Zakeri draws a line between intentional space and avoidance. 'I've seen families go on fast-paced, distraction-heavy trips just to get through something—like the first holiday season without someone. That's different from making space to feel what you need to feel.'
A key sign: If your trip gently invites emotion or reflection, it's more likely to support healing than hinder it. Choosing the Right Kind of Trip
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Grief is personal—so it makes sense that the best destinations vary widely. Zakeri says some people find comfort in nature: 'The ocean, forests, sunrises… they don't ask anything of you. They just hold space.'
Others may want to return to a place filled with memories, or choose somewhere entirely new to explore a future without the person they've lost. 'There's no wrong answer,' she says. 'Just like buying a house, you'll know when a place feels right.'
Saltz notes that structured trips with grief support programming can be especially helpful. 'There's no expectation to be 'normal'—grief is understood and allowed,' she says. What to Do While You're There
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Whether traveling solo or with a trusted companion, incorporating small rituals can deepen the emotional benefit of the trip. Zakeri recommends writing letters to your loved one, journaling one sentence a day, or talking to them out loud while walking. 'I've had clients make playlists, take meaningful photos, or light a candle each night,' she says. 'These rituals don't have to be elaborate. They just need to be yours.'
Saltz echoes the value of ritual and memory. 'Memorial rituals can help the idea of lost but present, a celebration of their life, appreciation for what you had with them, and a method of letting them go.' After the Trip Ends
Coming home from a grief-focused trip can be emotionally jarring. 'You might think you lost the progress you made,' Zakeri says, 'but that's not accurate. Just because you still feel grief when you return doesn't mean you're not healing.'
Both experts recommend carrying something forward—whether it's continuing a journaling habit, joining a support group, or simply holding on to a small ritual— because grief isn't 'resolved' on a trip. 'Grief is a long up and down process,' says Saltz. 'They may have a setback of readjustment again, but they may also have new insight about the loss and feel more accepting of it.'
As Zakeri puts it, 'You're allowed to keep grieving and keep living—at the same time.'