10. The Longevity Protocol, Four Seasons, Maui, Hawaii.

At number ten is the new super-luxe Longevity Protocol at the Four Seasons in Maui, Hawaii. Details are scant on the website considering this costs £35,316 per person. Yes you read that right, and yes that would buy an actual house in some parts of the UK. The architect of the ‘Protocol’, Dr. Darshan, with 64K followers on instagram, invites us to ‘Join me in the quest to live well, forever!’ It’s a little unclear whether room and board is included in the price but what they do promise is four one hour treatments which include an ozone session, and three “stemcalls and Exosomes’ IVs, including one with NAD+, a metabolism boosting co-enzyme. You can get these enzymes by tweaking your diet of course, but lying around in a five star resort in Hawaii having them helpfully dripped into your bloodstream sounds a way easier way to live well, FOREVER! 

If you’re in the top 0.01% of the population and would like to book this, here is the link.

(This Curious Life gets no kickback from any of the links in this article, including this one.)

9. Well ageing and prevention, SHA Wellness, Spain

The world renowned SHA Wellness chain has expanded from the original Spanish retreat to Mexico and the Emirates. On the website they promise  “The SHA Method— a way of adding years to life, and quality of life to years”. The ‘method’ promises an all round approach to preventive and healthy ageing. Guests book in for a week with prices starting at 7,500E.  And, it may be me, but after browsing the Four Seasons option, this looks a bit more like value for money. Sort of. Your five star week here kicks off with an assessment to build your well-ageing profile whereby they test the 88 predeterminations of premature ageing. Treatments include high tech facials, cryotherapy and ‘advanced cell regeneration therapy’ as well as guidance in nutrition, fitness, supplements and anything else they think you need. And if all that gets a bit much there’s a lovely pool too.

You can find out more information on SHA Wellness here.

8. The Long life Formula, Lucia Magnani Health Clinic, Bologna, Italy 

If you can only spare a long weekend then take a 3 day break sampling the Longline 

Formula in Bologna. The formula focusses on battling oxidative stress which they say is responsible for premature ageing. Again, the spa experts offer extensive medical check ups which includes scans for body fat and various blood tests. Treatments include facials, fitness guidance and nutritional advice including posture.  Costs start at 3,500E for a three night ‘Evergreen Route’. You can find out more here.

7. Yambura, Okinawa, Japan 

For something completely different, head to one of the original Blue Zones. Okinawa in Japan has been a Blue Zone since 2000 and is renowned for good diet and one of the cleanest environments on the planet. Stay in a stress-free traditional Japanese Inn for a totally immersive experience, eat the food, breathe the air and try to mindfully note what you can bring home with you at the end of your stay.  If you need any further encouragement the website promises: ‘This is still a place where natural time and human time cross. The wind is blowing softly and gently caressing all living creature”. I’m already saving up. Prices start at: £267 pppn based on two people sharing and a minimum 2 night stay. Flights not included. You can find out more here.

6. Find your passion with an activity holiday 

 If you can carve out even half an hour a day then you have time to welcome a new passion into your life. What will it be –  yoga, painting, hiking, writing, civil war reenactments?  And, finding your jam doesn’t need to break the bank, even if you fancy kickstarting it with a few days intensive instruction.  For example, if you feel you’re a budding Frida Kahlo, book in for a stay by the sea in the Marine Hotel in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland and learn how to paint in just five days. Prices start at £1194 including flights and meals. 

 Or if you want to get moving and build strength and quieten your mind you can join 300 million people worldwide who regularly practise yoga. There is a world of choice for how to learn. From spending all your hard earned cash jetting off to India or Ibiza for a residential induction or finding a local class which will help you make bendy pals in your area too. Or you could stay home to learn by tuning into the simply life-changing Yoga with Adriene on YouTube.  Every year Adriene uploads a free 30 days of yoga course to help you begin and keep your yoga habit. Try it, it might just lengthen your life. 

Finally, many people swear by Wild swimming, and if you are happy to risk the state of our seas and rivers at the moment it’s just one more life enhancing passion you can try. You’ll find everything you need to know here. 

5.  Airbnb somewhere in nature 

There are many holiday rental websites, but there is just something about the usability of Airbnb  that makes browsing on it seem like almost like a holiday in itself. Find somewhere far enough away to feel you’ve escaped from the everyday and think about what makes your heart sing, whether it’s mountains, rolling fields or, in this case – the sea. The Beach House in Wales is a proper seafront joy and is right on the beach offering two bedrooms prices start at £200 per night. Pack plenty of books, a jar of quality hot chocolate and a blanket for those cooler evenings sat out listening to the sounds of the oceans. To book The Beach House, or browse other endlessly tempting homes belonging to other people go to airbnb.co.uk 

4. Blue Zones tasting Experience, Vallebona, London 

Book in for a tasting experience to enjoy (and hopefully learn to incorporate) the cuisines of the original Blue Zones into your everyday diet. For the affordable price of £48 and whatever it costs to get you to London’s Kings Cross, you can join your fellow foodies to enjoy a a night of delicious flavours sourced from micro-producers in both Japan and Sardinia prepared by top chefs. You can find out more here.

3. Nurture your connections 

Communities in Blue zones value social connections highly and regularly schedule time in to see friends and family. So why not make a habit of inviting people over for dinner, or meet for a walk in your local park. If you find you sometimes struggle to maintain friendships think about how you could improve that. It takes commitment to keep our social connections alive, but it’s a job that is more than worth it, making your life richer and healthier. If you’re finding making time for your friends is becoming a particular challenge, check out this list of easy to achieve friendship maintenance tips. It doesn’t take long to feed a friendship and before you know it, your social life will be flourishing again.  You can find out more here.

2. Be Curious (we would say that wouldn’t we)

Staying curious, learning new skills as well as meeting new people are all ways of creating new neurons and producing new neural pathways in our brains. And none of this has to cost a thing. Whether you tackle the daily wordle  or fancy joining a local walking group, learn Tai Chi or, download a free app to help you  identify all the different flora and fauna in your area. One of the best tools for learning a vast variety of subjects areas is signing up to Masterclass. Try a free class to whet your appetite. Learn from business gurus, sports legends or wellness experts.  Theres also classes on science, food, design and style, writing, painting, music, meditation, breath work…the list is endless. The price is fixed. The choice is yours.  Masterclass starts at £14 per month. Try a free trial and feed your curiosity. 

1. Go to the library

Finally an option that is entirely free of charge and will quite literally change your life. Libraries are bursting with millions of brilliant books offering advice and guidance on every passion and interest you can imagine in the world, and many you can’t. You might even make a new friend there, maybe even a kindred spirit! Kick off by borrowing the original blueprint for longevity by Dan Buettner, ‘The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer: Lessons From the Healthiest Places on Earth’. Or how about an audio book on something else like ancient Rome, or Bob Marley or the cars of the 1950s? Sure, you can get most of this information from the internet, but just walking fifteen minutes to your local library and back everyday will increase your step count, giving you another blue tick in the longevity column. Always wanted to read the classics, then what about starting with David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Or delve into some new fiction by writers living in your neighbourhood.  

Libraries are the full of the most valuable things in the world – stories. And when we hear the stories of others, it’s going enrich our own lives, bringing new meaning, new joy, more empathy and stronger connections the world around us. All of which will help us live longer, healthier and more meaningful lives. We may not live forever, but life without a good book is surely a life half lived?  You can find your local library here.