Travel is good for your health. Research shows that traveling boosts brain function, heart health, and happiness, amongst many other benefits.
I’m currently on the road traveling to the U.K. to see family and to Barcelona, Spain, for a music festival and to be a digital nomad for a while. I love to travel and missed it during the pandemic. Life is very different in other countries or even different towns or regions in the same country. For me, travel is challenging and, at times, stressful (I just wasted 3 hours booking a Co-V1d test), but overall it is stimulating, enlightening, and good for my soul. But what does science say about the health benefits of travel?
3 Surprising Health Benefits Of Travel
- Brain Health
Your brain has an extraordinary ability to develop new neural connections (neurogenesis) and rewire (neuroplasticity) until the day you die (unless you have a neurodegenerative disease). These processes are good for the brain, enhancing memory and attention and protecting against cognitive decline as you age and one great way to stimulate them is with travel or adventures.
Travel also forces you to take a new perspective. Things you take for granted may be challenged. This week in Barcelona, I needed a power converter; in the U.S. or the U.K. I would go to a pharmacy or drugstore, so I headed to the local “Farmacia” to be met by a very confused pharmacist “we are not a drugstore,” she replied in broken English (yes, I don’t speak Spanish, I’m afraid to say). So next, I headed to a drug store, google translate in hand… again, no luck. Next, I stumbled across a tiny electrical store, where the shop owner proudly dug out convertors from under his counter. I know it was a minor, third-world problem, but it forced me to get resourceful and find creative ways to solve a problem (stimulating neurogenesis and neuroplasticity). It was also interesting (and stimulating for my brain) to see a very different way to shop, with lots of small family-owned stores reminiscent of when I grew up, before mega-grocery stores and chain pharmacies.
Travel truly awakens the senses:
- Fascinating sights
- Exciting sounds (music, accents, birds etc.)
- Unusual aromas
- Delectable or bizarre tastes
- Novel things to touch or experience.
All of this is good for the brain.
Travel in developing countries is, more challenging, and of course, you have to balance your comfort levels and desire for adventure when you pick a destination for travel. Squatting over a hole in the ground to go to the bathroom is not for everyone!
- Psychological health
Traveling can have some positive impacts on psychological health. Firstly in the lead-up to travel, you might experience positive anticipatory emotions, maybe excitement or happiness at the thought of the upcoming trip.
Travel can help you form long-term memories. You might experience high-intensity positive emotions such as delight, intense engagement, wonder, or bliss. In everyday life, most of us don’t experience these high-intensity positive emotions regularly. If you look back on your life, many of your long-term memories were formed when you experienced high-intensity emotions (both positive and negative); you are unlikely to remember dull or neutral things. You can increase the formation of positive long-term memories by creating opportunities and then being fully present and savoring the experience. I was lucky enough to visit the Taj Mahal a few years ago and made sure I was fully present and soaked up the sense of awe and bliss from this extraordinary place.
Some research suggests that travel may reduce stress for up to a few weeks after the trip, but I would say this can be highly variable. I’ve had several trips where I’ve needed a vacation on my return home!
Another psychological benefit is that you get to see how other people live their lives. There’ll be some similarities but many differences which will give you a new perspective. Travel to a developing community, and you may realize how many luxuries you take for granted and how good you have got it. You may also recognize that there are things in life you want to change. Maybe it’s time to start working harder so you can afford more trips or that it’s time to take life at a slower pace. You may also make new friends with whom you can create new relationships and magical moments. Travel can also give you a sense of accomplishment; maybe you climb a hill that you didn’t know that you could or cross a destination off your bucket list.
All of this is potentially beneficial for mental health, positive relationships, creativity (think of all the books written about travel), flexible thinking, sense of meaning and purpose, stress management, resourcefulness, and resilience.
It may not be all positive, however. When things go wrong when you’re traveling, it can be distressing without the safety net of home. Travel can also be stressful: uncertainty and unpredictability and the reliance on other people and companies (like the airlines, taxi drivers, and so on) who are notoriously unreliable. You may also miss the comforts of home and struggle to find things you take for granted (like good tea!) Traveling with family or friends can also cause tension in some relationships, especially if previously strained.
- Overall physical health
Research shows that travel has numerous benefits for physical health. It can help improve health outcomes, including reducing obesity, improving heart health, and positively affecting diabetes prevention. The exact mechanisms are not proven, but likely increased movement (I walked 11 miles sightseeing a few days ago), and the other benefits in this article are possible factors.
So if you love to travel, get planning! Improved mental and physical health, new experiences, and memory-creating adventures await.
