Our thoughts and opinions don’t always align with those of the people around us. But if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that people love to travel. There are many reasons we travel – for the adventure, relaxation, and the culture (to name a few). Better yet? The benefits of travel are practically endless. Some of the most important benefits include that going on a trip can actually improve your mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing.
If you’re still not convinced, here are ten benefits of traveling that will make you want to book a plane ticket ASAP.
Traveling Can Improve Your Health
The most important thing we have is our health, which is why knowing this first benefit is crucial. It’s been proven that traveling can improve our overall health, and in recent years, travel has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
A study done at the State University of New York at Oswego found that people who take at least one vacation per year reduced their overall risk of dying by about 20%, and the risk of death from heart disease by almost 30%.
Other than promoting heart health, travel also reduces your stress levels, fights depression, and involves plenty of physical activity. This just shows that taking time for yourself and utilizing vacation days is crucial to your wellbeing.
Traveling Helps You Better Understand Other Cultures
We all have our preconceived notions about other cultures that we most likely learned from television, movies, word of mouth, or the internet – but that doesn’t mean they’re true. A lot of people get caught up in the ideas and beliefs they were brought up on, without having experienced different cultures first-hand.
Traveling is one of the easiest ways to see the world through someone else’s eyes. You can learn a lot about the culture of a location by talking to the locals. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Locals can give you insight into how they grew up (most likely different than you did), what places you should visit, foods that are important to their culture, and what values they hold close to their heart.
Traveling Can Help Lower Your Stress Levels
Stress – a word that most of us have become all too familiar with. Whether it’s desperately trying to meet a deadline at work, dealing with agonizing rush hour traffic, or just feeling like there’s not enough time in the day to get everything done.. Life can be stressful at times.
Luckily, taking a vacation can help lower your stress levels. A study conducted by the University of Vienna found that employees who took time off from work to travel, had less stress-related complaints such as headaches, backaches, heart irregularities, and continued to feel this way for up to five weeks after returning from a trip.
Next time you’re on a trip, sit back, kick up your feet, and feel that stress melt right off your shoulders.
Traveling Inspires You to Learn a New Language
Unfortunately, language barriers can sometimes get in the way while traveling in another part of the world. Think back to a time when you were visiting a country and the main language wasn’t your native tongue. Maybe you needed to ask for directions and had no clue how to. Or a waiter was trying to ask you a question, but all you could do was smile and nod.
Traveling inspires us to challenge our brains, and learn the local language before departing for a trip. One of the best parts of traveling is getting to meet new people and take part in great conversation with them. You get to share life experiences, exchange stories, and maybe you’ll even make new friends!
Don’t know where to start? Duolingo is a fun way to learn almost any language!
Traveling Gets You Out of Your Comfort Zone
There are numerous circumstances that can put you out of your comfort zone while traveling. It could be meeting new people, attempting to navigate through the airport, or eating a new cuisine. Being out of your comfort zone doesn’t have to be a bad thing! Actually, one in two travelers think the best thing about travel is getting out of their comfort zone.
We all get so wrapped up in our everyday lives and routines that we’re rarely pushed outside of what we know. Traveling pushes us outside of our comfort zones which only helps us to grow as people, have new experiences, and expand our understanding of the world.
Traveling Gives You a Chance to Experience Things You Can’t At Home
What do snorkeling, eating at a Thai street cart, and watching the sunset at the Eiffel Tower have in common? It’s that you can’t do any of these things at home. Experiences are priceless. Getting the opportunity to try out new foods, cultures, and activities while on vacation really brings out a sense of adventure in all of us.
In a survey conducted by booking.com, they found that 35% of travelers take vacations to try local delicacies. Besides, as we mentioned earlier, it’s pretty awesome to get out of your comfort zone and try new and unusual things.
Traveling Can Help Strengthen Relationships
Mark Twain once said, “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” Though traveling is supposed to be fun and relaxing, that’s not always the case. There are times where it can be stressful, and there’s no better way to strengthen a relationship than to go through a distressing time with someone else. Furthermore, traveling helps bring people together by creating memories they’ll share for a lifetime.
A study from the U.S. Travel Association found that couples who travel together are more likely to say that they share similar goals and desires; that they have a good balance of time together and apart; that they have shared hobbies and interests; that they agree on how to spend money; that they laugh and have fun together; that they handle differences well; that their partner is patient; and that they are best friends.
Traveling Creates Memories That Last a Lifetime
Something our family always looks forward to is vacation. We’re all so busy with work, school, and our daily lives that it’s sometimes hard to set aside time to spend together. That’s why vacations are a great time to create memories with the people you love. They involve a set amount of time together that is solely meant for bonding with one another.
According to research conducted by the Family Holiday Association out of Britain, the happiest memory of 49% of those surveyed was on a vacation with family, a third of them said they can still vividly remember their childhood family vacations, and a quarter of them copped to using such memories to get them through tough times.
Vacations are an opportunity to spend quality time with your friends and family, while creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Traveling Can Improve Your Patience
We’ve all been in situations while on vacation that have tested our patience levels. From a missed flight to lost luggage – you can’t control everything (even though you’d love to).
Traveling helps you understand that getting upset or impatient isn’t going to open up that restaurant any earlier, or make your Uber arrive any faster. Take this time to sit back, relax, enjoy a hot cup of coffee, and maybe even enjoy people-watching. Trust us, people watching is very entertaining.
Traveling Lets You Learn More About Yourself
Exploring the world gives you the opportunity to learn a lot about yourself that you didn’t know before. When you are put in an unfamiliar place or situation, you find yourself having to overcome challenges and make decisions that you don’t have to in your everyday life.
There’s something about having to navigate your way through a trip that really gives you confidence and a better understanding of who you are.
We’ll Get You There!
Who would’ve thought that traveling has so many great benefits that come along with it? In fact, we’re booking our next trip right now!
If you have future travel plans, we’d be happy to help you get there. Wherever you’re going, visit us here to get started on obtaining your expedited visa or passport.
