Traveling is not just vacationing in a tropical paradise or historic European city. It’s the act of experiencing new locales, customs, foods, and ways of being, whether around the corner or the world. Avid traveler Nicholas Liou recently discussed five life-changing benefits of travel that are more than simply relaxation.
Travel Impacts Mood and Happiness
Liou explained that one of the premier benefits of travel is its ability to make travelers happier. It removes people from their daily lives for a brief amount of time and often relieves them of the stresses of the daily grind. These stresses may include caring for others, studying, working, or taking care of the home. After a while, even enjoyable daily activities can wear a person down.
A study from Cornell University stated that spending money on experiential purchases rather than physical objects can leave people with a greater sense of happiness. Additionally, the study showed that anticipating future experiences is more exciting than anticipating purchases or physical gifts.
A separate study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health showed that travel can lower levels of stress and anxiety. Research showed that even a three-day-long vacation had immediate, positive effects on stress recovery and overall well-being.
Travel Promotes Superior Physical Health
The studies mentioned above show that travel is good for emotional and mental health. It’s excellent for physical health too. For many, travel offers opportunities to exercise more, whether that exercise is swimming in the ocean, walking miles in a new city, or hiking to unforgettable lookouts.
Nicholas Liou explained that travel gets people out of their office chairs and onto their feet, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and other ailments.
Travel Improves Character
There’s no way for a person to travel without opening their mind a little. Traveling forces people to adapt to other styles of living, whether simply in another state or another country. They meet new people, eat strange foods, and have new experiences.
According to the world travelers behind World Wild Hearts, traveling promotes superior independence, self-confidence, open-mindedness, productivity, and creativity.
Travel Offers Opportunities for Educational and Career Advancement
Travel promotes personal development through new experiences, but that personal development can also lead to a career or educational advancement. Travelers are constantly exposed to forms of real-life education, which include learning about new cultures, history, languages, food, and more.
It also promotes the development of critical thinking, planning skills, and organization. Many travelers also become more extroverted through engaging with people of different cultures and backgrounds. The ability to communicate with all types of people can lead to superior leadership skills at school or the workplace.
Travel Encourages People to Disconnect
People have their smartphones in their hands or pockets everywhere they go. This causes them to remain constantly connected to the good and bad influences of the online world.
Traveling to another country often involves putting phones in airplane mode or solely using them when WiFi is available. This disconnection from technology encourages travelers to have more experiences, communicate face-to-face, and enjoy the benefits of a simpler time.
Nicholas Liou and the Importance of Travel
Liou emphasizes that the benefits of travel can also serve as advantages when travelers return home. They enter their workplaces happier, refreshed, ready to work, and with new experiences under their belts.
Nicholas Liou looks forward to adding more countries to his world travel list and encourages others to break free from routine to experience the mental and physical benefits of travel.
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