You see description, Holistic Retreat, more and more these days. You know that term holistic when applied to complementary therapies means - that whole person, mind, body and spirit, is targeted. But what exactly does this mean when it is describing a retreat?

As ever, there will be a million right answers to this question - or at least as many right answers as there are holistic retreats available. Because each retreat is going to be slightly different from others, enhanced by experience and personalities of people who run it.

Holistic Retreats, like any other kind of retreat, can be large or small, basic or exclusive, group oriented or targetted at individuals. The size and nature, and background of any retreat will influence experience.

What all holistic retreats will have in common is knowledge that human beings cannot be seen as one dimensional. Any activities that people engage in will, inevitably, impact on them at many levels. This is how we are, and accepting this can help immensely when providing suitable therapies, courses and workshop topics. This approach should also ensure that environment of place is one where people are encouraged and inspired to recognise and realise their own potential.

This brings us to need for holistic retreats. At any such retreat focus is going to be on helping you to regain a balance between all aspects of yourself.

-To do this you will be offered a selection of exercises and therapies that will help you release tension from your body.

-You will be offered relaxation techniques, and self discovery workshops to help you re-balance mental and emotional aspects of yourself.

-Of course both these alternatives will work to enable other - a relaxed body more easily maintains inner balance between logic and heart, and a balanced mental emotional connection helps you release stress and tension it creates physically. So a single course or topic can be holistic.

This takes us to spiritual side - and I am not talking about religion! I mean that part of us that we all think of when we think of our potential, our dreams. That self that is influenced by and reflects our body mind and emotions, but is something else, something more. An Holistic Retreat will offer you opportunity to explore this side of yourself.

-There are many ways to do this. Experiencially through art, writing, meditation, yoga, reiki, and many other techniques of healing, balance or self actualization.

Leaders from both continents may have different opinions about world politics, but US travelers love Europe, just like Europeans love to see US. Some American tour operators and travel agencies even expect to sell more trips to Europe this year than ever before.

That is remarkable. The dollar-euro exchange rates make a European vacation far from cheap nowadays.

If you want to see Europe without losing too much money, you should pick destinations that have not switched to euro.

Sweden is a great choice. Sweden is an EU country (no visa required for Americans), but Swedes still pay with crowns, not with euros.

To check if prices in Nordic country are really that much lower, I compared prices of three well-located three-star hotels in Swedish capital Stockholm with similar hotels in popular capitals of two euro-countries, Paris and Rome.

The difference was incredible. Rates in Stockholm started between 113 and 125 US dollar per night. In Rome you had to pay between USD 155 and 184 and in Paris between USD 167 and 222 USD.