From today’s Travel + Leisure online magazine here.

“This Wilderness Was Named Europe’s Best Destination for a ‘Stillcation’—With Dark Skies, Empty Beaches, and Almost No Crowds

Wester Ross, Scotland, is often described as “the last wilderness of Europe.” By Stacey Leasca Published on August 21, 2026

In the National Alliance on Mental Illness 2024 Workplace Mental Health Poll, more than half of American workers reported feeling burned out due to work, with 37 percent saying they felt “so overwhelmed it made it hard to do their job.” In an increasingly maxed-out world, the idea of finding stillness can sound appealing, especially on a vacation where you lay low in the pursuit of relaxation.

That’s why the walking vacation specialists at Inghams Walking set out to find the “stillest” destinations in Europe. These destinations, which the company says are conducive to rest, presence, and agenda-free travel, are ideal for what it calls a “stillcation.”

To find the top spots, the team at Inghams Walking looked at nearly 100 destinations across Europe and scored them on six equally weighted environmental factors it associated with achieving a still state of mind, including number of walking trails, air quality, birdsong richness, stargazing quality, human density, and total forest coverage. Each destination was scored out of 100 across all six factors, and the scores were combined to determine a final “Stillcation Score,” also out of 100.

Wester Ross in the northwest Scottish Highlands, a place Inghams Walking said is often described as the “last wilderness of Europe,” came in at No. 1, with a score of 44.74. The region has “an abundance of beautiful beaches, gleaming lochs, centuries-old pinewoods, deep glens, and lofty mountains,” the team wrote in its findings.

It also has some of the darkest skies on the continent, boasting a Class 1 on the Bortle scale score, a nine-level numeric scale that measures the night sky’s brightness. The lowest rating on the scale, it indicates a sky with minimal light pollution, making it perfect for stargazing. With just 1.6 people per square kilometer (about 4.1 per square mile), Wester Ross is ideal if you’re looking for some quality time alone.

The French side of the Pyrenees, the mountain range forming much of the border between France and Spain, came in at No. 2 with a score of 41.20. Pyrenees National Park and the region’s other abundant green spaces give visitors the chance to be fully surrounded by nature. Plus, its more than 319 recorded bird species create “one of the richest natural soundscapes in the study,” per the findings.

Abisko, Sweden, came in No. 3 with a score of 40.86. The village is home to Abisko National Park, which has a hot spot surrounded by mountains known as the “blue hole,” creating excellent conditions for viewing the northern lights during peak season, which runs from September to April. Abisko also has the highest walking-trail score among the destinations in the study, so pack your sturdiest shoes.

Other top destinations on Inghams Walking’s list include Engadin Valley, Switzerland, at No. 4, followed by the Dolomites, Italy; Picos de Europa, Spain; the Outer Hebrides, Scotland; Corsica, France; Gotland, Sweden; and Kitzbuhel, Austria, which rounded out the top 10.”

Our story about stillcations:

There is a new word making its way around the travel world that I rather like: “stillcation.” It is the opposite of a vacation where we rush from one attraction to another, trying to see and do everything before it is time to pack our bags and head home. A stillcation is about staying still, slowing down and allowing ourselves to enjoy where we are without feeling the need to be somewhere else.

For people like us who have spent more than a decade traveling the world, the idea of a stillcation may sound a little strange. We have crossed oceans on cruise ships, driven thousands of miles through countless countries, visited famous cities, toured museums, explored national parks, and searched out places we had only previously seen in photographs. We have often had a schedule, even when we told ourselves we were traveling slowly.

But there comes a time when staying put can be just as enjoyable as going somewhere new.

A stillcation doesn’t necessarily mean sitting inside all day doing nothing. It can mean waking up without an alarm, making a cup of coffee and sitting outside while the morning unfolds. It can mean watching birds come into the garden, listening to the sounds around you and noticing things that you might normally overlook when you are busy getting ready to leave for the day’s adventure.

Here in Marloth Park, a stillcation could be particularly easy to embrace. We can sit on the veranda and watch the wildlife wander through the garden. A warthog may appear, followed by a family of mongooses. A giraffe might be visible in the distance, or a zebra may decide that our yard is a convenient place to stop for a snack. There is always something happening, even when we aren’t going anywhere.

A stillcation also permits us to enjoy the ordinary things. Cooking a favorite meal, reading a book, watching a movie, taking an afternoon nap, or spending hours talking with friends can become the day’s activities. There is no itinerary to follow and no attraction closing at five o’clock that we need to hurry to see.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of a stillcation is that it removes the pressure to make every day memorable. When traveling, there can be an unspoken expectation that we should be doing something because we are in a particular place. We feel as if we should take the tour, visit the attraction, drive the scenic route, or try another restaurant.

A stillcation says that it is perfectly fine not to.

After years of traveling, I have come to appreciate that some of the best memories aren’t necessarily made while we are rushing around. They can happen while sitting outside watching the animals, sharing a meal with friends, or enjoying a quiet evening with Tom.

Maybe a stillcation isn’t about giving up travel at all. Maybe it is about discovering another kind of travel, one where the destination isn’t the most important part. Sometimes the destination is where we happen to be, and the adventure is allowing ourselves to stay still long enough to enjoy it.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, August 24, 2016: