After more than a year of coping with restrictions associated with the coronavirus, people around the world are getting vaccinated and hoping for a return to life as we once knew it. For many, a life without travel has been especially difficult, and new research explains why it's been so tough.
In a 2021 survey published in the journal Tourism Analysis, Washington State University researchers determined that people who regularly travel are 7 percent happier than those who rarely travel. Researcher Chun-Chu Chen surveyed 500 Taiwanese adults who traveled several times a year, at least 75 miles (121 km) from home. Their responses indicated that tourism can have a prolonged effect on happiness and wellness.
Getting bitten by the travel bug:
- Previous studies have examined the stress relief, health and wellness benefits of tourism, but only on the effect of a single trip. Chen's research hoped to quantify the sustained benefits of travel over the course of a year.
- A 2010 study found that planning a trip contributes a larger and longer-lasting boost of happiness than the trip itself.
- Similarly, a 2020 study found that planning post-pandemic travel tended to restore a sense of control among pandemic-stressed individuals.