Travel and Wellbeing: Does Travel Make You Happier?

When the word ‘travel’ is mentioned, many of us usually think about breathtaking beaches, beautiful sunsets, and luxury hotels. Whilst all that is fulfilling and satisfying, and of course the reason why we vacation in the first place, travel does a lot more for us than we think. 

Recent research has brought to light that travel can help maintain your well-being and mental health. Many years ago this matter was largely disregarded, but with the rise in mental health concerns, people are being advised to travel to help alleviate some of these concerns. Don’t just take our word for it. Here are three reasons why travelling can positively impact your mental health

Travel Can Reduce Stress

 Several researchers such as Mina Westman and Dalia Etzion have found that employees performed significantly better in their jobs after having taken a vacation. Stress levels were compared before and after the experiments, and the results were clear! The employees exhibited a clear decline in stress upon returning from a vacation. 

Stress from work and daily life can be a distraction from realising the beauty of the world around us. So to bring that joy into your life and break up that mundane routine, pack your bags and head off somewhere new! Doing this will help you take your mind off those moments that cause you to stress at work. Many travellers found that despite the difficulties they faced on the road, they were at their happiest when travelling. 

Travel Makes You Creative

It is a proven fact that those who are engaged in creative endeavours are usually happier than their counterparts. The word creativity comes from the word create which comes from the Latin word  creatus which means “to make, bring forth, produce, procreate, beget, cause,” and also has meanings such as “arise, be born, increase, grow.”All these acts are directly associated with an increase in happiness.

Travel allows one to go somewhere new and do something new. It allows a person to taste new foods and smells new fragrances. By experiencing something new, one gets a spark of new and profound ideas, which can leave the mind feeling excited and happy! Sure, some of those ideas may be lame, but you’ll have a plethora of ideas that can potentially manifest into something great!

Travel Makes You Resilient

Many studies have shown that being resilient can lead to a happier life. Whilst there is a range of activities that can make one more resilient, travel has been voted quite often as one of the most powerful ways of teaching one how to be resilient. Whether it’s a delayed flight, language barrier issues, sleepless flights, or getting mugged, reacting and adapting to uncertain situations makes travel exciting and results in resilience.

People don’t often run into as many problems when at home as our home keeps us safe and there’s normally a structured routine that we follow. What’s more, there are very less risks being taken which means fewer chances of mishaps. Travelling, on the other hand, can be quite the opposite as people are faced with an increasing amount of challenges on a daily basis. This alone is the reason why it causes one to become more resilient. The more challenges you’re faced with, the better your chance of becoming resilient which can ultimately lead to you being happier! And all this is because you’ve conquered your fears and adapted to a challenging situation which leaves you with a strong sense of accomplishment!

Main Image – Paul Gilmore, Unsplash