Five Unexpected Benefits of Travel

You may get excited about jumping on a plane and going someplace new, but did you know that there are real benefits of travel? I was excited to hear this because it gives me an excuse to do more of it! If you know me at all, then you know that I love to travel. I fell in love with understanding other cultures as a teenager and can’t seem to get enough. My husband and I are finally living out my life long dream of living abroad as we move to Spain next month. This opportunity not only allows us to get immersed in a new culture, but also explore many others much more easily. Our move has been in the works for a while now, and it is getting real!

I can go on forever about my love for travel but thought you might want to hear about real, legit benefits of travel. 

5 Benefits of Travel

Broadened Perspective

I am a naturally curious person. It actually drives my husband crazy. But I think it’s the number one benefit of travel. Traveling exposes you to new cultures, customs, and viewpoints, if you let it. Of course, you can eat at McDonald’s and only hang out with people from your culture, but what’s the fun in that? Challenge your assumptions and expand your understanding of the world by engaging with people in each place you visit. Talk to the waiter in a local restaurant. Attend a local festival. Shop in a local supermarket. Look for ways to be with the locals and understand more about their world.

Seeing the world through another’s eyes changes how I see myself in the world. I not only find it super interesting, but it helps me feel more grounded and appreciative of the life I have. 

Improved Mental Health

Another benefit of travel is an improvement in well-being. Travel can help reduce stress, improve mood, and increase feelings of happiness. This obviously requires that you don’t take all of your work with you, which sometimes can be a necessity. But when you spend the time and energy to go somewhere else, be there. Take a break from your daily routine to relax and rejuvenate yourself. 

Another consideration is the complexity or fullness of your travel itinerary. It can be tempting to fill your time with stuff, but that can actually add to exhaustion and stress. Instead plan half of what you think you want to do and let the rest just happen organically.

Increased Creativity

When you get outside your normal environment you open yourself up to new ideas. For me this happens when I’m out in nature but also when I’m in a new place. Experiencing different environments and cultures stimulates a new awareness, which can fuel creativity and problem-solving abilities. When I was writing my book, I went up to the mountains for a week to finish my final draft. The more relaxed time and the new environment allowed for renewed reflection and a fresh perspective on the content. I wrapped up the manuscript without feeling forced and came home refreshed and confident in what I’d created.

Educational Experience

This one is a bit obvious, but traveling can be very educational. Visiting historical sites, museums, or learning about local traditions offers firsthand knowledge that can’t always be found in books. On a recent cruise in the Baltic Sea, I received a wealth of information about every place we visited. This education gave me a whole new understanding of the people in each country, as well as, historical context for my own world. Visiting Berlin was especially significant because I was alive when the wall came down. Seeing those sites allowed me to feel more connected to it and better understand the experiences of the people that lived there during that time.

Health Benefits

Did you know that traveling is good for your health? Physically, you are often walking, hiking, or engaging in new physical activities that might provide exercise you aren’t accustomed to. My step count increased significantly on the days we were in port during our cruise. Additionally, exposure to new environments can support immune system adaptation. Of course, you want to be healthy enough to be exposed to those new bugs, but it is an interesting concept worth evaluating.

I talked above about mental health and the opportunity to relax and reduce stress, but according to Dr. Marian Diamond travel also supports neuroplasticity of the brain. When you step into a new place, your brain immediately gets to work on processing everything around it. Your senses are turned up as you take in all of the fresh experiences. As Dr. Diamond states “In order to process all these stimuli, you start to train your brain as if it were a muscle. Instead of dumbbells, however, you train with new sights, activities, flavors, people, languages, and more.” Since I lost my dad several years ago to Alzheimer’s Disease, I’m very intrigued by this idea. I’m hoping that by increasing my fluency in Spanish and putting myself in all sorts of new environments, I’ll stave off that disease for as long as possible.

Conclusion

The benefits of travel go beyond time away. Whether you like to explore old ruins in a medieval city or sit with your feet in the sand, travel can have a significant impact on how you see the world and your place in it. It can give you renewed creativity and support your physical and mental health, if you’re intentional enough to allow it. And if you need an excuse to travel more, I just gave you five. What are you waiting for?

If you’re curious about my move to Spain and what it might look like to live abroad yourself, sign-up to receive updates and notifications about upcoming workshops.