8 Reasons Why Traveling Is Remarkably Good For Your Health And Mind

I love traveling! In fact, it’s one of my life aspirations and I truly believe traveling has great benefits for everyone’s physical and mental wellbeing. Each year, I spend a significant amount of time researching travel destinations for my family. As a matter of fact, traveling allows me to focus on the two skills I am passionate about: planning and researching. I get so excited researching a destination (a country) and the variety of attractions it has, like historical sights, museums, beaches, restaurants and bars. And the planning process is one of my biggest strengths at work and home. I enjoy collecting all the information I’ve learned and put it together in an executional plan, as if it is a corporate mission!

Traveling has changed me!

I started traveling with my parents when I was very little, and I vividly remember most places we visited. The memories of our travels will forever live in my psyche. This is because we got to see new places, experience different food and listen to foreign languages. As I grew older, it became clear to me that traveling has great benefits, and evidently it became an important goal in life. It made me happy and I felt empowered through the knowledge and experience attained from traveling. As well, it helped me grow as a person and taught me that life is way more meaningful and valuable than what we perceive it to be. 

Traveling keeps us healthy

What I am about to share is not a personal opinion but rather a true study. The Global Commission on Aging and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, in partnership with the U.S. Travel Association, conducted a research that proves traveling offers benefits for the health and mind. The study found that women who vacation at least twice a year show a significantly lower risk of suffering a heart attack than those who only travel every six years or so. Therefore ladies, make sure to take the “Travel Supplement” couple of times a year.

The health benefits of traveling

During my latest trip, I had moments of solitude as I walked along the stunning Croatian shoreline and swam in its pristine waters. During these brief moments I was able to reflect on the reasons why many people love to travel. Consequently, it inspired me to write this article which outlines the health and wellness benefits of traveling. So let’s uncover them as follows:

Relax & Unwind

The most common reason people like to travel is to relax. Our daily lives are filled with deadlines, errands and responsibilities. And we know traveling is a way to “weasel out of responsibility”. It doesn’t matter what we do for a living, or where we live, people everywhere are living in the fast lane of a highway. As much as we enjoying living the fast moment, reach our goals and achieve a sense of value, we often neglect the need to slow down for a brief moment of time. Pressing the break paddle enables us to rest the mind and body from the toxic impact of stress. Traveling is that break from the routine and stress. It is the exit lane from the highway to the scenic route. And who doesn’t like driving through breathtaking scenic routes with mountains, rivers, beaches and small towns? Traveling is a therapy for the mind and body and research studies continuously prove the benefits of traveling on stress level.

Boosts imagination and creativity

There are so many examples to prove that traveling boosts creativity and imagination. People who work in the arts field such as photography, architecture, design and writing place significant value on traveling. The thing with creative people is their need to step out of their own visual and artistic surroundings and limitations and explore new ideas. Traveling is a mean to boost creativity and invention. A fashion designer will find inspiration in an folklore costume while visiting Kenya; an interior designer will discover a sculpture at a local Italian shop for one of their picky clients; a photographer will spot new sites for creative photoshoots in LA; an advertising professional may find inspiration in a street ad display in Tokyo; and a writer could find the content for her next editorial gig while sipping coffee in Beirut! Even a child will discover new toys to play with. Traveling is an endless ocean of creativity and imagination for artists of all sorts and ages.

Gratitude and appreciation 

Each time I travel, I come across locals and situations which remind me of how good life is. I learned to appreciate where I live, the people and friends I have. Most importantly I am thankful for the security, comfort, justice and stability of living in Canada. As a traveler, I make an effort to socialize and talk with the citizens of the visited countries, as well as tourists, in an effort to learn more about their cultures, politics and social welfare. They love to share their stories, struggles and pride. I’ve discovered eye opening realities I would’ve never known if I didn’t travel. As creatures of habit and territorial by nature, we live in neighbourhood bubbles and become accustomed to the same “local” trends and values, yet we unintentionally forget there’s a world outside such boundaries worth exploring. Traveling enables us to see how other societies live, thrive and struggle and this is important to strengthen our gratitude and appreciation for what we have.

Enlightenment and wisdom

Another benefit of traveling is gaining wisdom and knowledge. Traveling is about exploring new places and cultures, and it is a natural momentum for curiosity and inquisitiveness. We enjoy trying new dishes and drinks, we learn a few words in a foreign language, we uncover interesting historical events that shaped the course of human life, and we expand our knowledge of geography and politics. Add to this, the fact that traveling boosts creativity and imagination, which in turn improves artistic skills. When we travel, we are eager to learn and adds to our wealth of wisdom and enlightenment. 

Acceptance and tolerance

Tolerance and acceptance enhance our ability to love others and strengthen the sense of humanity. And love is fundamental for our mental and emotional health. Traveling helps us better understand how others think and feel. It eliminates bias, stereotypes and misconceptions handed down to us by society, media and politics. When we travel to a different place or country, we form a better understanding of their values, beliefs, cultures and become more tolerant. We even learn to accept and adopt some of their values and customs in an effort to improve our own lives and attitudes. 

Happiness and joy

So what is the outcome of relaxation, knowledge and love? Happiness of course. I don’t even need to point out that traveling offers a sense of happiness and joy. When we travel, we feel like we are in dreamland. Traveling is an aspiration, and a dream come true to people. We often “dream” about going to Venice, for example. And once we make it there, we feel that sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. And that sense of accomplishment “dream come true” is a source of internal happiness and joyfulness. So what is your next dream destination?

Increase productivity

This is another benefit of traveling. I mentioned earlier in this article that traveling allows me to utilize my best strengths: research and planning are types of productivity! As you know, traveling requires planning, scheduling, budgeting and decision making. We have to figure out the best time to travel, we allocate “time off” in our calendars, we define a budget to spend on traveling, and then make the decision. I personally treat traveling as a project by itself and apply professional skills to execute it effectively. Traveling is a form of goal setting and that implies productivity.

Increased confidence and improve problem solving abilities

As with every project, hiccups may come along and affect the progress of an event. The same applies to traveling. Poop happens and we can’t help prevent it but we have to find ways to clean it up. It could be something as simple as losing your luggage or getting your wallet stolen! Regardless, one must resolve these problems in an unfamiliar place and country and that can be an overwhelming case to handle. Yet once the matter is resolved, we feel uplifted and confident about our ability to get this fixed regardless of how easy or complicated it may have been. And let’s not forget, this issues becomes a personal adventure we enjoy sharing with everyone.

Summary: the health and wellness benefits of traveling outweigh the costs! Besides the great memories and photos we collect with each travel experience, we also gain wisdom, creativity, and affluence.