SHE Travels: 7 trips to consider after burnout, breakups or big life changes

There’s a type of trip that many women, or anyone, really take not for sightseeing purposes, not to check sites off their mental list of landmarks around the world they want to see, but rather to pause and reset. After burnout, after heartbreak, or maybe just to celebrate their personal goals far away from the maddening crowd, these trips are all about slow travel, which are quieter and deeply personal. For anyone who needs that special quiet place, or to travel on a pilgrimage far and free of urban chaos, here are eight choice locations where they can go for closure, to start afresh, or just to re-calibrate their own self.

For all those dealing with emotional or professional burnout, Rishikesh provides a structure, with no pressure. Days are spent attending yoga classes, walking by the Ganga along the riverside, or meditating in a place, where no one cares. Many travel alone, sign up for short retreats or do nothing more than wandering alongside the river, allowing routine to replace the chaos.

Hampi attracts people who are looking for an escape from noise, both external and internal. Set against ancient ruins and boulder-strewn landscapes, it exudes an air of separation from the needs of our modern age. Days pass slowly: scenic sunrise spots, cycling around the ruins of temples, reading in cafés. It is a place where time seems elastic and one can heal without anticipation.

After burnout, or emotional fatigue, some escape to altitude, both the kind you can measure and the kind you feel. Ladakh’s beauty is raw, there are monasteries balanced on cliffs, and the silence feels purifying. There is minimal dialogue, maximum self-reflection and the rhythm of life is fixed by nature. The place provides no solace; it clarifies.

Take a trip to Gokarna for an escape from overstimulation. Quieter and less crowded than Goa, it has beaches made for long walks, silent swims, reflective moments. Days flow on its own entirely uncomplicated equation: sunrise, coffee, ocean, sunset. For many, this simplicity is what healing calls for.

The setting, on a cliff over the Arabian Sea, provides perspective. You will find people coming here after major life transitions, lured by ocean vistas, yoga spaces and seafront cafés. It strikes a balance between solitude and human presence, perfect for people who like to be alone without feeling completely cut off.

It is Spiti, when emotional distance from the known is to be sought. The cold desert, its remote villages and monasteries require patience and presence. There's no wi-fi mostly, comfort is in short supply and introspection is inevitable. It’s not an easy place, but it is a truthful one.

Shillong is one of those places that people often go to when they need time out, and an exploration into the unknown. Enshrouded by mist, pine forest and rolling hills, the city seems nurturing rather than demanding. Days pass unhurriedly here, spent taking walks around Ward’s Lake and cafe-hopping or going for short drives to waterfalls and viewpoints. The cool weather, music-filled cafés and informality is good company for those who need a place to feel held as they regain balance.