We are well aware of the good things that we should incorporate into our daily routines. A healthy sleeping pattern, meditation, exercise are some of the common anecdotes on that list. But some of us forget to add another healthy habit. This habit goes by the name of travelling.
In fact, there’s a good reason to place travelling at the very top of your to-do list. Well, to put it simply it offers a host of health benefits for our body, mind and soul. Any person who has travelled extensively will tell you how travelling brings you out of your comfort zone and as we know already know it, fun things wait for us past that boundary.
But how exactly does travelling make us healthier? Let’s find out.
Travel truly brings us out of our comfortable environment. It exposes us to people we have not met with before and brings us face to face with novelties, whether it’s a historical site or a splendid natural landscape. When we are exposed to an unfamiliar environment, our mind is challenged and this delays the onset of degenerative diseases.
Resilience is built at cellular levels and this cognitive stimulation improves our concentration and memory. While each of us has a favourite go-to place, it may be a good idea to switch to different locations and activities in order to truly challenge our minds.
So, the next time you are confused about how to execute your corporate days out, you could plan an exciting trip instead of those mundane team building exercises. A sharper minded team will definitely do wonders for your business.
Whether you are rushing to the airport so that you don’t miss your flight, walking down the streets on a foreign land or climbing a mountain, you are constantly involved in a physical activity. Physical movement is known to lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases and also lowers blood pressure.
According to a Framingham Heart Study, which was conducted over a period of twenty years, women who only vacationed once in six years were at a higher risk of developing a heart disease as against women who travelled frequently. The study also suggested that people who travel less are eight times more likely to have a heart stroke.
The neural pathways inside our brain are greatly influenced by the environment they are subjected to. Changing environments makes our brain develop new neural pathways. By having new experiences our brain becomes more adaptable and this promotes neuroplasticity. Whether it is an actor, film maker, writer or painter, we constantly hear about those affiliated with an art travelling to different countries and environments to seek inspiration and spark their creativity.
Travelling immerses our mind into different cultures, which are very different from those of our own, and this has a direct impact on the creative juices that flow in our mind. The more adaptable we are and the more we engage with different cultures, greater are the chances of us being professionally successful and creative. But it is worth remembering that it is not just the change of physical location that enhances creativity but our ability to immerse ourselves in different cultures that actually does that trick.
Perhaps the most important benefit of travelling is its ability to reduce our stress levels. An Expedia survey revealed how eighty-nine percent of travellers get relaxed and let go of stress just after a day or two into their trip. Travelling acts like that reset button in our lives, putting our body and mind at ease we pull ourselves out of our daily routines and get into new surroundings. This works like a charm for our stressed mind and body.
Travelling is a form of a leisure activity even though it physically exerts us. And as we already know leisure activities improve psychological functioning and lower levels of depression. From the minute you begin to plan a trip to the moment you are back home, you experience several spikes in levels of happiness throughout the process. It makes us look forward to something exciting and feels rewarding, even if it is only a two-day trip.
It is not even important for you to leave the city or country in order for your excursion to qualify as a travel. Just driving a few miles away from home and taking part in exciting activities should make you feel great.