The hiking group was as diverse as a trail mix bag, ranging from men in their 70s to women in their early 30s. That morning, we sat at the breakfast table at Palazzo Fiuggi over coffee and cured salmon omelets before driving into the hills outside town for a three-hour hike. We reached the forest and followed our guide through the trees, past grazing horses and pale yellow wild orchids. We were told to go at our own pace; if we got lost, we could contact the group on walkie-talkies, which we all carried. As a fast New Yorker, I expected to take the lead and lead the pack, but instead I went at the same pace as the other hikers and enjoyed friendly conversation.
One of the key elements of Palazzo Fiuggi’s new “Hiking for Longevity” program is making connections between people. The program is modeled on the Blue Zones concept. Studies show that social connections can increase survival rates by 50%, so bonding is a key component of Fiuggi’s program. Located an hour from Rome, the spa is at the forefront of wellness travel, offering a range of medically-minded treatments, including personalized infusion sessions, genetic testing and full-body scans. The new six-day hiking program takes a more holistic approach to living a longer, higher-quality life, with guests hiking in nature each day and eating Mediterranean meals around the table to inspire connection.
Longevity is one of the hottest topics in health, and it’s also big business. The life extension market is expected to reach $44.2 billion by 2030. There’s even a book about it (survive by Dr. Peter Attia) and discussed in a podcast (lifespan The longevity movement has seen a plethora of longevity-themed programming, including talks by genetics professor Dr. David Sinclair and TED talks by experts such as Susan Pinker and Dan Butener. With influential figures such as Jeff Bezos investing heavily in research and treatments, cutting-edge regenerative medicine, such as breakthroughs in stem cell therapy, frequently makes the headlines. The longevity movement seems to be moving faster than we are aging.
Hotels and wellness resorts are also jumping on the trend, with some offering advanced medical procedures such as infusion therapy and genetic testing. For travelers looking to try a week of longevity treatments, the options are truly endless. Six Senses Rose Bar on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza has launched a Young Forever Retreat in collaboration with longevity expert and physician Mark Hyman, featuring biohacking and meditation. In addition, they offer stem cell and exosome therapy, which are said to repair damaged cells. A personalized program at Lily of the Valley, a luxury wellness venue south of Saint-Tropez, offers a rigorous program with a specialized aging assessment that includes a skin diagnosis and a recommended course of facial treatments. Spain-based SHA Wellness Clinic, a pioneer in medical tourism, offers a six-night healthy aging program featuring advanced hormone treatments and telomere length measurements designed to uncover abnormal expression of genes. At Chenot, a chalet-style wellness hotel in Switzerland, advanced RNA-based molecular testing (designed to uncover abnormal expression of genes) is offered as an option in their detox program. On Maui, the Four Seasons Resort at Maui Wailea has teamed up with NextHealth founder Darshan Shah to launch a week-long longevity protocol in which guests receive an IV infusion upon arrival that is said to help repair and regenerate cells.
Longevity treatments don’t necessarily have to involve stem cells and infusions. For MEA co-founder Chip Conley, taking a more socio-emotional approach than medical is perhaps just as effective. “If you change your mindset about aging from negative to positive, you can add seven and a half years to your life expectancy,” says Conley, a longtime hotelier and former Airbnb executive. With campuses in Baja and Santa Fe, this school of midlife wisdom focuses on changing the mindset around aging, and workshops with instructors like Dan Buttener and Elizabeth Gilbert encourage people of all ages to cultivate purpose. “How do we help people re-establish their relationship with aging, and really see the positives of aging, not just the negatives?” asks Conley, who has seen life-changing clients at all ages, from millennials to baby boomers. With online programs and workshops available, enrolling in the MEA Institute is more financially feasible than traveling to a far-flung wellness retreat or spa.
When I first joined the Hiking for Longevity program, I wondered why the simple act of hiking was supposed to extend our lifespan or help us live more comfortably into old age, especially when cutting-edge treatments are readily available. Shouldn’t I be getting platelet-rich plasma injections? But when I asked a fellow hiker who’d done a similar trip in Malibu the year before why he’d decided to repeat the experience, it finally made sense.
After immersing herself in nature, sharing meals, and making friends with fellow hikers she still keeps in touch with, she said she “experienced a long period of feeling better,” which is, after all, the point.
