The Top 4 Hidden Health Benefits of Traveling
Travel is amazing. No matter where you go, it’s thrilling to board a plane or begin the first leg of your quick, two-day road trip.
While travel is exciting, you always wonder if it’s benefitting you in any way (other than the obvious benefit of escaping your cranky boss).
So that leaves you to wonder – what are the benefits of traveling?
Travel is an Excellent Stress Reliever
Work is overwhelming. Let’s just get that out in the open. You need a break!
Work stress and the daily grind make you feel like you’re drowning. It’s easy to get bogged down and distracted from what truly matters – your mental and physical health, and your family.
Did you know those who travel have a lower risk of heart disease? Crazy, right? The benefits of traveling keep getting better!
It’s time to take a break to get away from it all. And you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a vacation.
Take off for a long weekend stay at a local cabin. Pack easy-to-make food like boxed mac n cheese and frozen pizza. Or find a nice hotel and chill out while watching The Great British Baking Show all day.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure it’s relaxing for you.
A study done in 2013 noted that 89% of Americans noticed a significant drop in their stress levels after a day or two of traveling.
Why is this? Well, traveling makes you feel happy, right? That means you experience lower cortisol levels, leading you to feel calmer, focused, and content.
Stress? What stress?
2. Travel Encourages Physical Activity
It’s easy to slack on daily exercise. Who actually enjoys getting hot, sweaty, and sore?
Ah-hem. Not me!
Everyone knows the importance of physical exercise. You know it decreases your chances of an untimely death, but it’s so hard to remember to do it. That is – if you’re me, anyway.
The best benefit of traveling comes from your abundance of free time.
When you get to your beachfront cottage in Maui, a long walk feels oh-so-satisfying. Imagine a walk at sunset with the ocean on fire from the setting sun. Soft calls fading away as the seagulls take one last swoop over the water.
Mountains are another source of great physical activity. You’ll have limitless options for long, meandering hikes through nature. Or, you can hit the ski slopes in the winter. Whatever you do, make sure you take the time for a snuggle in front of a roaring fireplace or a sticky s’mores evening around a campfire.
When you use your vacation time to keep your physical body healthy, your mental health improves. Work your body, but remember to give it the rest it needs.
3. Travel Broadens Your Horizon
Foreign travel is amazing. You get to experience new foods, traditions, and different nationalities. All unique to themselves – how exciting!
You’ll learn valuable life lessons as you travel in a foreign country. Like how to embrace “weird” traditions. Or sampling exotic foods you’d never try at home.
The benefits of international travel are endless.
International travel pushes you out of your comfort zone. It teaches you to adapt to new surroundings and “scary” things. While it can be uncomfortable, you’ll grow in ways you never would’ve considered possible.
My favorite travel memory is from my first trip to Ireland. We were driving along the M1 when we realized we were lost. Instead of getting scared, we embraced the idea and made the most of it. As we rounded a corner, we stumbled on the perfect tower house castle, Barryscourt Castle. It turned out to be one of the highlights of our vacation.
This mindset increases your cognitive flexibility. Just as physical exercise makes you feel spry and limber, the mental exercise of keeping an open, positive mindset creates a peaceful environment.
Don’t allow yourself to feel stressed during your international vacation. Embrace each day as it comes along and bask in every new experience.
It’ll be great, I promise!
4. Travel Health Benefits Continue After you get Home
Going back to work after an amazing vacation is painful. I know.
You often experience a slump of the blues when you get back to the daily grind. You’re tired. You’re grumpy. I get it.
But what if I told you you could continue to reap the benefits of your vacation after you get home?
While you’re on vacation, begin to look for ideas to bring home with you. If the Cajun food during your Louisiana bijou trip makes you drool just thinking about it, look for seasonings to take home. Ask a local for their favorite recipe, then spend time recreating your favorite dishes.
Did the coffee roasting class you took in Costa Rica ignite your inner barista? Find out what supplies you need to DIY roast your coffee at home and buy them while you're there.
And of course, in this age of technology, make sure you take a lot of pictures. Build a Mixbook filled with the best memories of your vacation. Spend your evenings after work arranging pictures and writing down the memories.
Did you start a good habit while you were away? If you made use of your beach condo’s gym every morning, why not begin to work out at home? Did your family play a game together every evening at your mountain cabin? Make it a regular weekend activity at home!
Take note of the activities that make you feel relaxed and at ease during your vacation. Keep a list and bring those ideas home with you.
Your mental and physical health will thank you!
The Benefits of Traveling Never End!
Are you excited to go on vacation now? I know I am!
There are so many health benefits to consistent traveling. Not business travel, but pleasure travel. The purposeful time you take away from your everyday life to consciously relax and rejuvenate.
Go ahead, the professionals said you should go on vacation. You have permission to pamper yourself!
Yes, go book your next vacation – even if it’s a little two-day stay in your local hotel.
What are you waiting for?
Sources
https://www.mauiresortrentals.com/blog/5-scientifically-proven-health-benefits-travel
