After years in this business and countless conversations with travelers seeking transformation rather than just relaxation, I’ve learned the most restorative trips rarely happen in spa treatment rooms. Real restoration comes from disruption, from experiences that knock you so far out of your regular patterns that your nervous system has no choice but to recalibrate. It comes from awe, from challenge, from encounters with something larger than yourself.

We all know about the popular “wellness” offerings in places like Arizona, California, Switzerland, and Germany, but true resets can happen in the most unexpected places, where wellness isn’t a prescription, but rather a way of life. Here are three of our favorite destinations that do just that.