Wellness Q&A with Ernesto Fucci
Wellness is a broad and varying concept to tackle; self-care means something different to everyone (a daily 30-minute rose-infused bath to some, training for an iron-man for others). In creating a wellness portfolio, we had to define what the term means to our small group departures—so that your expectations can be properly set.
We sat down with Ernesto Fucci, a B&R guide and collaborator on the Wellness portfolio, to flush out the guiding principles of this new collection.
Q&A with Ernesto
The Slow Road: If everyone has a different set of expectations when it comes to the concept of wellness, how did B&R create their version?
Ernesto: Ultimately everyone’s self-care ritual is different and emphasizes something personal, we’ve crafted these trips with lots of freedom in mind. Sure, we’ve got physical activity every day and interesting activities planned, but just like any other B&R trip you can opt out when you see fit. Maybe one day the best plan of attack is to sit on a sun-soaked deck and finally crack open that hardcover novel you’ve been neglecting. We’re not going to tell you how to do wellness, we just orchestrate trips that incorporate the main tenets as we see them: physical activity, stretching and meditation, healthy eating with an eye to the region we are travelling through, and a real interest in local knowledge and perhaps, depending on the location, the spiritual or healthy-lifestyle knowledge that residents of this region have to impart. Oh! And lauded spa-centered properties…they are important too!
The Slow Road: Broadly, the classic concepts of wellness can be found in all B&R trips—so why make a separate trip collection?
Ernesto: We are trying to get better at identifying what people want and focusing our trips to really satisfy the needs of our travellers. Most people who travel with B&R live busy lives and they want their breaks to count. We owe it to them to make the most of their precious time. We want to get you on the right trip, and we want you to get exactly what you want out of it. Hopefully, by crafting trips with more variety and focus we can really help you find the perfect journey.
In terms of Wellness specifically, there’s a real demand and need to disconnect from unhealthy patterns (be it work-life, social media obsessions, the constant news cycle) and to re-connect with something meaningful. Again, for you that could mean any number of things. We just wanted to make sure we had a trip collection that was addressing and thinking about those specific needs. Whether the way you clear your mind is through challenging physical activity or through a day of ancient thermal pool-hopping—we are not here to judge! (But here to create trips that provide the opportunity for that.)
The Slow Road: Are the guides on small group wellness trips picked specifically?
Ernesto: Yes, any guide that finds themselves at the helm of a wellness trip will be well-versed in the B&R wellness concept and, naturally, bring their individual wellness capabilities. We have fascinating people leading our trips all over the globe and most of them arrive with strong interdisciplinary backgrounds, so that it is not hard to find guides that already excel in any number of wellness elements. From personal trainers, world-class athletes, culinary chefs, foraging and yoga experts…you can trust that we’ll match the right person to each trip.

The Slow Road: Do you plan to extend your small group Wellness portfolio into more regions?
Absolutely. This is our first direct foray into the wellness arena, and we want to proceed mindfully (yes, we’re applying the concept everywhere) and with an eye to what is working for our travellers. Hopefully in the future we are combining more niche activities with a broader range of regions. Stay tuned!
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