Why Traveling Is Good for Your Health

At its base, every vacation is about relaxing, recharging your batteries, and having a good time—but it’s also a chance to improve your physical, mental, and emotional health. Take the time to make every trip an opportunity to broaden your horizons, exercise your body, and possibly remake and rebrand yourself for the better. Here are several reasons why traveling is good for your health.

Travel Beats Stress

Whether you’re seeing the country by road or jetting to a faraway beach, travel provides the instant relief of getting away from it all and spotting something new—a lot of “somethings,” in fact. So much everyday stress comes from repeating the same old monotonous patterns and practices with little to no variation in your surroundings. That leads to atrophy in your body and soul. Travel yanks you out of your routine, puts you in a low-stress environment, and provides you with new challenges in a fun, playful way.

You Can Be Someone Else for a Change

While we’re not suggesting changing your name and clothes or wearing a fake beard, consider travel a time to step out and away from who you and others think you are. Try new things. Reassess your habits with the goal of exchanging them for newer, healthier ones. Look for places and scenes of inspiration, and meditate on where you are and where you want to be. Finally, listen to and emulate any fascinating and wise people you meet in other places. You could return home an entirely new and energized person.

Exercise in a New Environment

Can’t bring yourself to run the same path or visit the same gym back home anymore? Travel brings new vistas to your exercise regimen. Consider green exercise, and plan a trip that takes you to scenes of natural beauty, such as old forests, broad canyons, soaring mountains, and blue waters. Push yourself to go farther, faster, and higher with backdrops like these. Beautiful scenery can also help clear the mind and bring serenity to your heart.

Bring It All Back Home

Finally, the biggest reason traveling is good for your health is that, afterward, you’ll find yourself rejuvenated and filled with new eagerness for your work and home life. It’s wise to keep a small notebook handy to jot down ideas and observations during your travels. Make it a lively one, with plenty of color and imagery, so that you can store your memories and revisit all the feelings and experiences you had elsewhere every time you reread it.