12 Unconventional Ways Travel can Give You A New Lease on Life After a Divorce

Finding Yourself in the Strangest Places

Life Quake Series

They say travel broadens the mind, but here’s a lesser-known secret: it also closes doors. Yep, the ones that need closing—like the door on a marriage that’s run its course. Forget bingeing on chocolate chip ice cream and sad playlists; there’s a big, wild world out there waiting to help you start over. Travel has a way of shifting perspectives, shaking things up, and giving you more than a change of scenery. From learning to be curious about the future to losing yourself (and finding yourself again) in some foreign city, this article is your unconventional guide to moving on. Because sometimes the best way to heal a broken heart is to get a new stamp in your passport.

Travelling is one of my all-time favourite things, especially exploring new places in unconventional ways. I’m into slow, solo and sustainable travel. Hosting retreats here at my little farm in the southwest of France sometimes feels like “reverse” travelling, discovering other countries through the people who come on retreat here from all over the world. “Research” travelling too, that’s what I tell myself it is when I attend other people’s retreats in weird and wonderful places.

I’ve made a list of the weirdest and most wonderful ways to travel, to inspire you, especially if you are struggling during a life transition, like a divorce. Drastic measures are indicated when the life transition is a divorce:

Further down you’ll find a second list of even more unconventional ways that travelling can empower you to get over your divorce – not for the faint of heart)

12 Unconventional Ways Traveling Takes Your Mind Off Your Divorce

1. Cross-Country Train Journey

What It Is: Book extended rail passes for networks like Eurail, Japan Rail, or Amtrak, creating your own flexible, multi-stop journey across entire continents.
Why It Works: Train travel combines motion with stability. The changing landscape provides constant visual meditation, while the confined space creates a cocoon for processing emotions. The ability to spontaneously hop off at interesting stations adds adventure and dining cars offer controlled social interaction.

2. Long-Distance Walking Pilgrimage

What It Is: Complete traditional pilgrimage routes like the Camino de Santiago, Kumano Kodo in Japan, or the Via Francigena through Europe, but with modern amenities.
Why It Works: Walking meditation creates a natural mind-body reset. The established routes provide structure while allowing for spontaneity. Meeting other pilgrims offers connection without commitment, and the physical challenge builds self-reliance. The centuries-old tradition of walking to find oneself provides a tested framework for transformation.

3 Days on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela: Not ready to commit to a full-blown odyssey? Think of this walking retreat as the “Camino Lite.” This 5-day retreat in the sun-soaked southwest of France offers you a taste of this world-famous pilgrimage without the “I’ve been walking for a month and now speak to trees” level of commitment. The route is not too strenuous, and you’ll stay at the same little French farm, in your own room, every night – no need for a sleeping bag and no lugging around a heavy rucksack. So, if the Camino is on your bucket list but you can’t take off 6 weeks to walk it beginning-to-end, this essence-of-the-Camino-experience retreat has your name written all over it – click here to find out more about the Camino de Santiago as a bite-size hiking adventure.

3. Island-Hopping Workaway

What It Is: Use work exchange platforms to hop between islands, staying 2-3 weeks at each location while helping with local projects in exchange for accommodation.
Why It Works: The isolation of islands creates natural boundaries for emotional processing. Each new island represents a fresh start, while the work component provides purpose and local connection. The surrounding water serves as a constant reminder of flow and change.

4. Mountain Hut Circuit

What It Is: Trek between maintained mountain huts in places like the Alps, New Zealand, or Nepal, creating a challenging but supported high-altitude journey.
Why It Works: High altitudes literally give you a new perspective on life. The physical challenge demands focus on the present moment, while the nightly community in mountain huts provides camaraderie. The dramatic landscapes remind you of your small place in a vast world.

5. Culinary School Immersion

What It Is: Enroll in intensive cooking courses in different countries, learning traditional cuisines while staying in student accommodation.
Why It Works: Creating nourishment for yourself and others is deeply healing. The structured environment provides stability while mastering new skills builds confidence. Food connects you to culture without requiring language fluency, and cooking requires present-moment focus.

6. Diving Center Challenge

What It Is: Get your diving certification and move between diving centres in places like Thailand, the Red Sea, or the Caribbean, progressively advancing your skills.
Why It Works: The underwater world provides literal immersion in a new reality. The meditative quality of breathing underwater calms the nervous system, while the focus required for diving safety prevents rumination. Each new certification builds confidence.

7. Monastery Retreats

What It Is: Participate in monastery programs across the world, spending 1-2 weeks at each location learning meditation practices.
Why It Works: Structured spiritual environments provide tested frameworks for processing loss. The daily routines ground you in the present, while spiritual teachings about impermanence help reframe divorce. The silence and simplicity create space for healing.

8. Sustainable Farm Support

What It Is: Move between organic farms and eco-communities, learning sustainable living practices while staying in each location for 3-4 weeks.
Why It Works: Connecting with natural growth cycles provides perspective on life transitions. Physical work grounds you in your body, while community living offers gentle social reintegration. Growing food provides tangible results and hope.

9. Language Learning Journey

What It Is: Create a personalised language learning journey, staying in different regions of a country while progressively advancing through language schools.
Why It Works: Learning a new language literally rewires your brain. The challenge of communication keeps you present-focused, while measurable progress builds confidence. Cultural immersion provides new perspectives on relationships and life.

10. Photography Expedition

What It Is: Join photography tours and workshops in dramatic locations, developing both technical skills and artistic vision while traveling.
Why It Works: Photography encourages you to see the world with new eyes. The technical learning provides focus, while creative expression allows emotional processing. Capturing beauty helps rebuild appreciation for life.

11. Rock Climbing Journey

What It Is: Progress through climbing locations worldwide, starting with guided trips and advancing to more challenging routes while staying at climbing hostels.
Why It Works: Climbing demands complete mental focus and trust in yourself. The progression builds confidence, while the climbing community offers natural support. The physical challenge channels emotional energy constructively.

12. Wildlife Conservation Projects

What It Is: Participate in wildlife monitoring and conservation projects, moving between different species and habitats while staying in research stations.
Why It Works: Connecting with animals provides uncomplicated emotional bonds. The focus on protecting other beings shifts attention from personal pain, while the natural settings provide healing environments. Scientific work offers a rational balance to emotional processing.

Some Unsolicited Suggestions

• These options are fairly accessible but still require planning and preparation
• Consider starting with shorter commitments to test your comfort level
• Most options can be scaled up or down in intensity
• Combine different types of travel for variety
• Always maintain connections with your support system
• Consider travel insurance that also covers emotional health needs
• Key Benefits All These Options Share:

12 Seriously Unconventional Ways Traveling Will Definitely Take Your Mind Off Your Divorce

1. Floating Hospital Ship Volunteer

What It Is: Join medical ships that provide healthcare to coastal communities, serving in non-medical support roles like logistics, kitchen staff, or translation services.
Why It Works: Being part of a mission to heal others while healing yourself creates powerful symmetry. The constant movement between ports prevents stagnation, while the focus on helping others provides perspective on personal pain. Witnessing medical transformations daily reinforces the belief in healing and new beginnings. The ship environment itself becomes a self-contained world, offering both community and the therapeutic presence of the ocean.

2. Sacred Cave Circuit Keeper

What It Is: Travel between ancient sacred caves worldwide, helping with preservation efforts and serving as a site guardian during off-peak periods.
Why It Works: Ancient sacred spaces have absorbed countless human stories of transformation over millennia. The silence and darkness of caves create a womb-like environment perfect for rebirth and reinvention. Working in spaces humans have used for spiritual transformation since prehistoric times connects you to a longer timeline of human experience. Plus, the absence of natural light helps reset your circadian rhythms and break old patterns.

3. Nomadic Festival Builder

What It Is: Join crews that travel worldwide building temporary festivals, from music festivals to cultural celebrations, helping construct and dismantle temporary cities in remote locations.
Why It Works: Creating spaces of joy and celebration helps reconnect with life’s positive aspects. The temporary nature of these events reinforces the impermanence of all situations – both good and bad. Physical construction work provides tangible accomplishment, while the festival atmosphere offers controlled exposure to social situations. Witnessing thousands of people finding joy in spaces you helped create rebuilds faith in new possibilities.

4. Historic Railway Line Guardian

What It Is: Take positions maintaining historic railway lines in remote areas, living in converted railway cars while moving between sections of track that need attention.
Why It Works: Railways represent journeys and transitions, making them perfect metaphors for personal transformation. The rhythmic motion of rail travel has proven calming effects on the nervous system. Living in a moving home while maintaining paths for others creates a perfect balance of purpose and motion. The historic aspect reminds you that you’re part of a longer story, while the physical work of maintaining tracks provides tangible progress.

5. Underground City Explorer

What It Is: Tour the world’s subterranean cities and cave dwellings, from the underground cities of Cappadocia to the catacombs of Paris to modern subway cities.
Why It Works: Going beneath the surface (literally) helps you explore beneath your own emotional surface. These hidden worlds remind you that there’s always more to discover. The physical act of emerging from underground spaces daily mirrors the emotional journey of rising from darkness to light.

6. Shepherding in Remote Mountains

What It Is: Join seasonal shepherds in places like the Pyrenees, Alps, or New Zealand highlands, helping to move flocks between summer and winter pastures.
Why It Works: The simplicity of focusing on animal care and the ancient rhythm of transhumance provides a complete break from your previous life. The physical demands leave little energy for rumination, while the connection with animals offers unconditional acceptance.

7. Lighthouse-Hopping Along Distant Coastlines

What It Is: Arrange to be a temporary lighthouse keeper at various remote locations, moving from one lighthouse to another over several months.
Why It Works: Lighthouses represent strength and solitude, standing firm against life’s storms. The isolation gives you time to reflect, while the responsibility of maintaining the light provides purpose. The rhythmic sound of waves and the circular motion of the lighthouse lamp create a meditative experience. Plus, there’s something poetic about guiding others to safety while finding your own way.

8. Ice Road Trucker Assistant

What It Is: Work as a support person on ice roads in Alaska, Canada, or Nordic countries during their brief operational seasons.
Why It Works: The extreme conditions and high-stakes environment put relationship troubles in perspective. The necessary focus on survival and safety leaves little room for dwelling on the past. Plus, the temporary nature of ice roads themselves serves as a reminder that all things are transient.

9. Ghost Town Caretaker

What It Is: Take temporary positions maintaining historic ghost towns during off-seasons or helping with preservation projects.
Why It Works: These abandoned places put personal endings in perspective – entire communities have dissolved and yet life went on. The quiet and solitude provide space for reflection, while maintenance work offers tangible accomplishments. There’s something therapeutic about caring for places that others have left behind.

10. Mobile Library Navigator

What It Is: Join mobile library services that travel to remote communities, bringing books and cultural resources to isolated populations.
Why It Works: Surrounding yourself with stories helps you rewrite your own narrative. The constant movement combined with the stability of literature creates a perfect balance. Helping others access knowledge and escape through books while finding your own path forward is deeply rewarding.

11. Desert Mail Runner

What It Is: Join mail delivery services in remote desert regions, helping connect isolated communities in places like the Australian Outback or Saharan borders.
Why It Works: The vast emptiness of deserts provides space for emotional processing. The essential service of connecting people reminds you of your value and purpose. The harsh environment demands focus on the present rather than the past.

12. Arctic Research Station Support

What It Is: Work as support staff at polar research stations, helping maintain facilities during the long polar days or nights.
Why It Works: The extreme light conditions and isolation create a complete break from normal routines. The international scientific community provides new social connections without pressure. The harsh environment requires focus on basic survival, while the stunning auroras remind you of life’s continuing beauty.

These 12 suggestions may sound extreme, but then some divorces are extreme. If you choose one of these options – I quite fancy volunteering on a floating hospital ship – keep in mind:

• Each of these options requires proper preparation, permits, and often specialised training
• Many positions may require basic language skills or certifications
• Always research safety considerations and take out the necessary insurance
• Consider starting with shorter commitments to test your comfort level
• Connect with others who have done similar journeys through online communities
• Maintain some form of communication with your support system

These unconventional travel experiences offer unique ways to rediscover yourself, build new memories, and embrace life’s possibilities. Each journey brings fresh insight, helping you heal after a divorce.

Final Thoughts

Travelling post-divorce isn’t just about escaping the old life you left behind; it’s about stepping into a brand-new version of you—one you might not have met yet. Every destination becomes a blank canvas where you can let loose, make mistakes, say yes to experiences that scare you, and start to rewrite your story on your own terms. From navigating an unknown city solo to laughing with strangers in places you never dreamed you’d go, each experience chips away at the version of you tethered to the past.

Travel doesn’t just distract you from the heartache; it fast-tracks the healing. By throwing yourself into unfamiliar situations, you’re forced to rediscover your resilience, explore your newfound independence, and realise that you’re not just moving on—you’re moving up – you’re much more than someone’s ex. Every destination brings fresh stories, a new community (however temporary), and people who see you exactly as you are in this moment.

Travelling during or after a divorce serves not only as a much-needed escape but as a springboard for self-discovery, emotional freedom, and all the beautifully chaotic “firsts” that await you. It’s your chance to pack light, wander far, and return home feeling like you’ve left your baggage behind… and gained a whole new sense of yourself along the way. So go, travel far, and let every mile put a little more distance between you and the past. This next chapter? It’s got your name all over it. And trust me—it’s going to be one hell of a ride.