How Travel Can Improve Your Health
We all know the maxim about laughter, but some say travel might just be the best medicine. Maybe it’s because a great vacation can leave you smiling long after it’s over. Whatever it is, exploring far-flung destinations can have dramatic and beneficial effects on your mind, body, and spirit.
Finding yourself far from home can be an exhilarating experience. Thrust outside of your routine, you make choices in the moment, and go with the flow of a different place, at probably a very different pace from the one you are used to. It’s exciting, educational, and fun, and there’s a bonus: the things you experience on vacation have been proven to benefit you across a spectrum of different categories…
Reduces Illness
According to a joint study from the Global Commission on Aging and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, more frequent travel can significantly lower your risk of heart disease. In women who traveled at least twice a year, the study proved a significant reduction in risk of heart attack. In men who vacationed at least once a year, the risk of cardiovascular disease decreased by as much as 30%. Many experts also agree that moving from place to place exposes you to a variety of new bacteria, which in turn strengthens your immune system, which can have long term beneficial effects on your body.
Lowers Stress and Helps you Connect
In a recent randomized, controlled trial in Germany, researchers concluded that middle managers who took a four-day vacation perceived significant, positive effects on their well- being, recovery, and perceived stress up to 45 days after they returned home. We’ve probably all experienced this kind of effect – that feeling of being “blissed out”. It’s something that we usually take home with us and relive as we talk about our trip with friends and family. Certainly, most of us find time on holiday to breathe a little deeper, and take personal moments to reflect on ourselves and loved ones.
Expands your Horizons
Finding yourself in a different country, where perhaps you don’t speak the local language, challenges you to make new connections in new ways. You are literally using parts of your brain that you likely don’t use when you are back home. The stimulation can be invigorating as you let go a little bit, meet new people from all over the world, and see things a little differently because of it.
Improves Efficiency Back Home
Yeah, maybe this one sounds like a downer at first. I mean, who wants their vacation to come to an end? But, several studies have shown that once you get back, having taken regular time off to relax can actually improve your performance in the workplace, as well as your overall happiness in life. People who take time off are far less likely to experience burnout, tend to be more engaged at work, and tend to bring a new perspective to the workplace,
Ultimately, when we travel we come face to face with ourselves and see things in a new light. At Anamaya, we have been helping travelers change their perspective for over a decade. We offer wellness experiences that allow you to explore your mind, body, and spirit and walk away refreshed, perhaps even with a lasting smile on your face…Book your stay here.
