We have all heard the age old saying “travel is good for the soul“, but up until recently, I didn’t quite understand the magnitude of this statement. Lately I’ve been struggling a lot to get inspired, motivated and even to participate in social activities due to burnout. But I knew I had a big trip coming up for my 25th birthday to the United Kingdom.
Honestly, thank goodness I took this vacation when I did, it caused me to have a plethora of revelations about my life as well as helping me recharge and get inspired again! Not only is travelling good for your mental health, it also does wonders for your physical health.
Who doesn’t love to travel? If I could afford to travel the world, I would head to England or Wales or Scotland and never return to home. There are not enough words I could use to describe the incredible benefits of travelling on your health. It has the potential to make us healthier, both psychologically and physically. Travelling is therapy to your soul! Travelling has no limits; it is infinite, except for what you can afford. You can choose exotic adventures and wander around some of your most dreamed places. Go by plane, car, rails, or even by boat, there are many options.
Increases activity and fitness
I know what you’re thinking, “how in the heck does it help fitness if I am sitting on a plane, train and car for hours?” Trust me, I get it. Even though there are hours you will be inactive, travelling presents a multitude of opportunities to make up for that by being extremely active.
In London, we walked everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Not only did we walk way more than we normally do, but we even biked around, thanks to the London Cycling Campaign. I haven’t been on a bike since I was a little kid. This is because when we travel, we are more willing to try new things like hiking, extreme sports and even walking the city streets.
Travelling is a sort of exercise to keep you fit. It provides lots of opportunities that force you to be active. In trying new things and exploring new places, you are more likely to attempt an extreme sport. You walk the city streets or hike to get the best views of the surroundings and walk on the sand along the shores; all these things will force your muscles to work twice as hard.
Lowers stress levels
This one might not come as a shock, but it’s been scientifically proven that travel will increase your happiness, decrease your depression and chill you out from the hustle. A study found that three days after vacation, travellers felt well-rested, less anxious and in a better mood. Proving that travelling provides us much needed time to relax, rejuvenate and recharge. Read more in our article on business travel.
It is inevitable fact that travelling reduces your stress level and it’s been scientifically proven. It increases your happiness, chills you out and reduces you depression. In a research, it has been found that travellers felt less anxious, well rested, and in a better mood right after three days of vacation and this mood lasted for weeks afterward.
To further reduce stress, you can choose to use a chauffeur service on occasion. It greatly reduces anxiety to have someone else do the driving for you. A chauffeur service such as Cars Exec will take you on a custom tour of Bristol, or even provide Bristol airport taxi transfers to and from UK airports and your hotel.
Boosts happiness and overall satisfaction
Besides the obvious factors of wanderlust and not having to go into work, travelling gives you the opportunity to step away from the daily grind. The new experiences, whether it’s climbing Cabot Tower to get a full view of the city of Bristol, enjoying the fun of Balloon Fiesta, or crossing the Clifton Suspension Bridge, help rewire your brain, in turn boosting your mood and self-confidence. Travelling also helps you take your mind off stressful situations, hence leading to lower cortisol levels, making you feel more calm and content.
Experiencing or even planning new events can help get rid of the trapped or monetizing feeling of everyday life. According to a Cornell University study, the anticipation of a trip can increase your happiness substantially, even more than the anticipation of acquiring something tangible, like new clothes.
Helps grow mental resilience
Travelling somewhere where you feel excited as well as intimidated can help you toughen up not only mentally, but emotionally as well. According to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, those who travel and study abroad tend to be more open and emotionally stable.
Facing difficulties in an unfamiliar environment also forces you to learn and adapt to a life that’s out of your comfort zone. This makes you more patient and flexible. Studies have shown a connection between travel and an increase in creativity, a deeper sense of cultural awareness and personal growth. And after you overcome any challenges you can reverse course and do the opposite — schedule a chauffeur taxi ride about Bristol to wind down and take in the views in a more passive manner.
Exposure to different environments
As someone who has a cousin with their PhD in Epidemiology as well as having a well-seasoned nurse for a mother and many doctors in my family, it’s safe to say I grew up living by one of the most famous lines in She’s the Man, “Suck it up, rub some dirt in it!”
In all seriousness, research has shown that being exposed to dirt and some illnesses is actually good for our immune system. When you travel from place to place, your body adapts to thousands of new bacteria, which makes it a lot stronger.
The most significant benefit of travelling is that it helps your immune system to respond much stronger to viruses, bacteria, and other foreign bodies. But that doesn’t mean that you should be careless about hygiene and sanitation while travelling or put yourself at direct risk of getting ill.
When you visit new places, your body will naturally interact with different particles which lead to human bodies creating more antibodies. These antibodies make your body stronger over time and protect you from similar illnesses in the future.
According to a research, the immunity has much more to do with non-inheritable influences than with genetics. As you travel to new locations with new climates, food, and greenery, the more you are exposed to different antigens and your body can stock up antibodies against them.