How Traveling Can Make You Healthier And Happier

Whether it’s a weekend road trip or a safari adventure, there’s one thing for sure.  Most of us love to travel.  It’s our chance to get away from the day-to-day routine, the office cube, or maybe even the neighbors we don’t like!  It’s exciting to plan the trip, and there’s nothing like that exhilarating feeling when you finally click the door closed behind you and know you’re on your way.

Once we’re in full travel mode, everyone has their favorite parts of the journey.  Maybe it’s the sights and sounds.  Maybe it’s the travel itself, whether by car, boat, or air.  Or maybe it’s meeting new people and exploring new cultures.  But beyond all that, there are some real benefits of travel.

So if you’re looking for some solid reasons to get out the travel magazines and maps and start planning your next adventure, here’s some benefits of travel to stir up that wanderlust.

Benefits of Travel

Reduces Stress and Depression

It only makes sense that you’ll be less stressed away from the demands of work.  But it’s been proven that after just a couple days people feel more relaxed.  The anxiousness and depression of everyday life melts away fairly quickly, and tends to stay at lower levels for weeks after the travel has ended.

If you’re the kind of person that tends to stress about everything, you can make your travel more enjoyable by knowing you’ve handled the “what-ifs” prior to departing.  Make a list, get it done,  and then let it go knowing you’ve addressed your worries.  Don’t forget to do these –

• Hold or stop mail.  If you’re going on an extended trip, you can forward it to most anywhere, even on that African safari.
• Alert neighbors to keep a watch.  Knowing that someone has an eye on the homestead makes it easier to leave.
• Check for medical and other necessary insurance coverages.  Whether it’s your travel insurance or car insurance in your destination, these are all available online in advance of your trip.

A little extra preparation can make that already stress-reducing trip even more pleasurable.

Increase Happiness and Satisfaction

Seems only natural that if you’re stress and depression tendencies decrease,  you’ll be happier, right?  But studies show that you don’t just move back to center.  You really do get a lot happier.  As shared in a Huffpost article, “Aside from making you happier in the short-term, traveling can make you a much more contented, happy and relaxed person in the long run, too.”

That’s been confirmed by studies such as one by Cornell University that found that spending money on experiences, like travel, makes us much happier than spending it on more “stuff.”  So maybe you want to forego that new car and go for an adventure you’ll remember and talk about the rest of your life.

Improved Health

All that happiness leads to better health.  How much?  According to the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee,   active travel  lowers health risks of conditions such as diabetes,  high blood pressure, heart disease, colon cancer, breast cancer, and more.  And lest we forget the health of what resides between your ears, a recent Forbes article said, “according to many doctors, travel promotes brain health and builds brain resilience.  Anytime you’re placed in a new environment your senses, your powers of observation, and your focus intensify.  You’re sharpening  your mind as well as enjoying the world.”

And More . . .

But wait!  There’s more!  If you act now, you also enjoy improved social and communication skills, become more adaptable, and have greater levels of gratitude and empathy.  With all that to gain, seriously, what are you waiting for?