To travel or not to travel, has become the question in our super busy lifestyles. With hectic work schedules, and many responsibilities at home, who has the time to travel? For many people, being busy round the clock is leaving them no time to pay attention to their health.
But what if you could take a break, travel, and gain some health benefits all in one go? It has been proven that traveling offers amazing health benefits. So it is time to dust off your luggage and zoom off for some vacation time and enjoy a special health boost.
Here are 6 Health Benefits of Travelling:
Numerous studies have revealed the positive health benefits of travelling. Here are a number of them:
Physical Exercise
Travelling will provide more activity than you get sitting in an office chair for long hours at a time. Of course, there may be some lounging on the beach, but many travel destinations have great activities for their guests. And since you must get value for your money, it is recommended that you take part in many of them.
Activities could include hiking to see views of breathtaking scenery, horseback riding, playing tennis, swimming in warm ocean waters – whatever takes your fancy. Or if getting back in shape is your number one focus, you can always choose to go to fitness-centered resorts, which will offer you more options regarding exercise.
Stress Release
Taking a break from the tedious routine of every day is sure to eliminate stress. A change of venue to an entirely new environment, away from work and home, has immense psychological benefits. The mind can rest as there are few worries about deadlines, projects, and even relationships.
The freed-up time will give you an opportunity for more sleep, and this will help relax you. Studies have shown that the effect of stress release can begin at the point of planning the trip. Vacations provide an escape from the things that contribute to stress levels.
To ensure that the trip itself is stress-free, prepare a packing list well before your vacation starts and make sure you have the right style of luggage for the trip you will be taking. If you need new luggage, check out a site like Luggage Direct to find out what is available on the market before you start shopping.
Reduced Chance of Heart Disease
One of the most famous studies on heart disease is the Framingham Heart Study. It was carried out over 20 years and concluded that women who travelled twice a year had less chance of developing heart disease compared to those who vacationed less. Add this result to the stress release and physical activity benefits that come with travelling, and you will surely increase your chances of keeping heart disease at bay by travelling.
Boost Mental Health
A trip away especially abroad enables you to interact with new people and new cultures. This can help expand your perspective, which will, in turn, make you more insightful. In addition, going to a new environment has been known to increase creativity and is a trick used by many musicians and authors. Plus, the new surroundings can help overcome burnout.
Traveling always provides an opportunity to learn more about various foreign cultures and this aids cognitive stimulation. A study by Brain Health Center, Inc revealed that travel promotes brain health and resilience. So if you are feeling a little dull, getaway for a refreshing mental boost.
Enhance Emotional Health
Whether you choose to travel alone or with loved ones, traveling will have a major social impact on you. You will engage with various people in your journey and might make some new friends. If you travel with a loved one, the getaway will provide a beneficial bonding opportunity as you are away from your normal daily routines.
All this will have a positive effect on your emotional health. The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology concludes that those who travel are more emotionally stable.
Boost Immunity
Exposure to different environments helps our bodies to adapt to new bacteria. This forces our bodies to create new antibodies to protect us against harmful pathogens. So the more you travel the better your immunity gets. Despite this, remember to maintain hygiene at all times during your trip.
Explore alternative health remedies
As you travel you get a chance to see how other people live including their health practices. This can give you a chance to see how different health remedies are used in different countries. You can pick up one or two to experiment with a back home as long as you clear it with your doctor first.
In addition, you can also include in your travel plans destinations that are known for places with healing properties, like hot springs with mineral-rich waters.
With all these positive benefits of travel, who can say no to some time away. Just don’t fall into the temptation of carrying work with you on your trip, no matter how busy you are. Your trip is an opportunity to get away from it all, have fun, and be completely refreshed while getting a health boost.