On a scale of one to ten, how rested are you? Don’t worry, if you’re in the lower range, meaning you’re more tired and drained than alert, then you’re in good company. According to a recent Statista survey, 23 percent of Germans suffer from sleep disorders. The Techniker Krankenkasse has meanwhile found out that two out of three people in this country regularly feel stressed.
If you take these numbers, it is hardly surprising that a new travel trend has been making the rounds for the past few weeks: sleep tourism. The term, which became known primarily through a contribution from “CNN” last fall, describes a whole new reason to travel: sleep. This means that a holiday is not about seeing as much of the area as possible, having adventures or relaxing on the beach – but about sleeping as much as possible.
Sounds bizarre at first? It is. But the hype has a very serious background. Due to our fast-paced everyday life of job, family and leisure time stress, we are only too happy to neglect the much-needed night’s rest. As a result, many people do not get the healthy amount of sleep between six and eight hours. The result: permanent fatigue. Almost everyone knows that sleep is healthy.
This is precisely why more and more destinations are taking up this valuable commodity and offering holidaymakers the opportunity to get a (night) rest: sleep tourism. The concept behind it is actually quite simple: Instead of an oversupply of activities and excursion destinations, the relevant travel destinations focus on deceleration and relaxation. And it takes place above all in one place: in the bed of the chosen accommodation.
Some hotels have already specialized in special sleeping experiences and offer corresponding travel packages. The Park Hyatt Hotel in New York, for example, has a bedroom suite with a bed that adjusts to the individual needs of the guests. The London hotel “The Cadogan” even employs sleep experts who help guests fall asleep with meditations or tea. In the “Mandarin Oriental” in Geneva, insomniacs can even work out a long-term sleep strategy with medical staff.
But does it really make sense to get on the plane to finally get a really good night’s sleep? On the one hand, there is no question that we should also use our free time for relaxation – and sleep contributes significantly to this. And for those who have no ambitions to explore the surroundings of their travel destination and gather new impressions, sleep tourism may be the key to renewed energy. That’s one side of the medal.
On the other hand, one should note that the hotels and destinations sometimes charge very dearly for their sleeping experiences. The message: good sleep has its price. Apart from the journey to the sleeping hotels, which is often anything but climate-friendly. Above all, anyone who comes up with the idea of leaving the continent for a good night’s sleep will be surprised by jet lag, which will further disrupt their sleep rhythm.
There is no question: sleep as a travel trend fits into today’s society. Instead of giving ourselves breaks from everyday life and getting enough sleep, we prefer to do regeneration in our free time. We close our eyes when traveling because we can’t relax after a stressful day at work. Even a short stay will not change that, because you can neither save nor catch up on sleep.
Instead, it is worth taking a critical look at how we deal with work and leisure time. That means tackling the cause of exhaustion rather than sacrificing valuable free time to replenish energy reserves with sleep. Because if we ever get on the plane to New York, London or Geneva, then it would be a shame if we overslept the adventures there.
Source: Techniker Krankenkasse, CNN,
