Travel and Mental Health: 5 Ways Travelling Can Improve Your Happiness

Have you ever scrolled through your Instagram feed and marveled at the influencers who get to travel the world with smiles permanently plastered on their faces? Have you ever gone on a vacation and realized your smile hardly diminished?

Well, that’s because happiness is intrinsically linked to traveling. Here are 5 reasons why travel is good for your mental health.

Travelling Disrupts Your Routine

When you’re traveling, you rarely do the same activity every day. Also, while you’re on vacation, you’re breaking the 9-5 work grind that can, at times, feel tedious. By adding some novelty to your life, your brain can be experienced improved cognition and even activate reward centers.

While consistent routines can place you in a rut and spark depression and low energy levels, traveling can help you feel reinvented and happy by starting each day afresh.

Travelling Promotes Creativity

It’s hard to feel creative when you’re experiencing the same activities on a daily basis. However, when you’re traveling, you’re consistently introduced to new sights, smells, people, and experiences.

Because our brains react to new stimuli, traveling is a great way to enhance creativity and, in turn, promote happiness. Let’s see how traveling can improve creativity:

Embrace new cultures

Experience a variety of new things

Increase opened-mindedness

Receive a new perspective of the world

Travelling Increases Confidence

When you’re traveling, you’re free from the imaginary restraints which can hinder your confidence. You worry less about what people think and more about your experiences.

Also, you’re more willing to try new things while you’re traveling. For people who suffer from social anxiety, traveling is a creative way to increase your confidence in various social settings.

Travelling Alleviates Stress

While you’re traveling, you’re more at the moment. You worry less about work deadlines and other stressful conditions.

Also, traveling allows your mind and body to relax and recharge. Whether it’s soaking up sun rays in the tropics or hiking to the top of the Acropolis, your mind and body are distanced from the stressful stimuli of your work or home life.

Travelling Aids in Personal Growth

Travelling can put your life into perspective. If you travel to a moderately developed country or third world nation, you’ll realize many of the things you take for granted are a luxury or non-existent in that part of the world. Through this discovery, you’ll experience more gratitude throughout your trip and when you return home.

Final Thoughts

Through this list, it’s clear that traveling is undoubtedly linked to happiness. So, if you experience indecision over a potential vacation, remember these 5 reasons travel is good for your mental health.