11 Reasons Why Travel Makes You a Happier Person
Travel is good for lots of things, but it can
also increase mental well-being - and not just in the short-term. Whether
you’re traveling for business, on a one-week family holiday, or have sold
everything to pursue a life on the road, traveling can make you a happier
person by building self-confidence, providing new experiences and memories,
breaking routine and allowing you to meet people from all over the world.
Keith Jenkins, founder of the luxury travel
blog Velvet Escape and
prolific traveler, said:
I feel happy when I’m gaining new experiences
and insights, and challenging my boundaries. Travel is the perfect catalyst for
happiness, as it has allowed me to experience the natural, cultural and
man-made wonders of the world. Being in foreign lands, it also continuously
forces me to step out of my comfort zone - a great confidence-builder. In my
book, travel is the best school there is: I’ve learned so much about the world
and, most importantly, about myself.
Marilyn Tam, entrepreneur and author of The Happiness Choice, was
travelling when I emailed her to ask her take on happiness and travel:
I’m travelling right now and yes, I am indeed
very happy. I am in Myanmar and learning and appreciating another culture.’ Tam
worked with Minister of Home and Culture in Myanmar and the first Prime
Minister of Bhutan to introduce the idea of the International Day of Happiness to
the UN, an annual day which this year falls on 20th March. ‘Travel expands our
capacity for wonder, joy and appreciation of the amazing diversity on our
lovely planet. It makes me very happy indeed. If I didn’t travel, I may never
have had the opportunity to meet the Minister and, who knows, maybe the
International Day of Happiness may not have happened yet.
So the next time you find yourself heading out
on a shopping spree to lift your mood, why not put that money towards a vacation instead? Here are 11 ways in which travel can make you happier:
1. FIND YOUR SELF-CONFIDENCE BY DEALING WITH
UNEXPECTED SITUATIONS
There comes a time when everyone must deal with
an unexpected situation when they’re on the road. Even if you plan your trip to
the letter, things can take a surprise turn. Whatever happens, there is a way
around the problem and knowing that you can deal with these situations is a big
boost to self-confidence and therefore your happiness.
2. HAPPINESS IS INFECTIOUS
When locals are happy, smiling and friendly, it
has an immediate knock-on effect. I found the people of Cambodia and Laos to be
notably friendly and cheerful, despite the relative poorness of these countries
and the former in particular having a very recent traumatic history. When faced
with those big beaming smiles, it’s hard to be annoyed at the hassling you
might experience; putting that knee-jerk irritation to one side
instantly lifts your mood and is a good habit to take home.
3. BEING AWAY MAKES YOU APPRECIATE FAMILY AND
HOME
Being away from things we often take for granted
— family, close friends, home — makes us appreciate them more. Calling home
isn’t a chore, but something to look forward to: no one enjoys listening to
your envy-inducing travel stories more than your parents, so it’s the perfect
excuse to wax lyrical about whatever place with which you’ve just fallen in
love.
4. YOU MAKE NEW FRIENDS
It’s much easier to make new friends on the road
than it is at home, where people are less inclined to chat to strangers on a
bus or strike up conversation in a bar (at least, that’s true of London). When
people are away from home, there seem to be less boundaries to cross and making
friends becomes much easier, whether it’s a local curious to know where you’ve
come from or a fellow travellers keen to have someone with whom to enjoy a beer
or share a taxi. Social interactions make us happier and increasing our social
circle means that we’re talking more and meeting different, interesting people,
which hopefully means we’re learning more, too.
5. DETOX FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media can be used for both good and bad,
but it’s healthy for everyone to have a break from the internet every once in a
while. Wi-fi is so prevalent that it’s hard to turn off and you can quite often
find yourself tuning out whatever amazing place you’re in with your face in
your phone, checking Twitter, scrolling through your Facebook feed, checking
your emails... stop. Turn it off. Better yet, find somewhere with no reception and
no wi-fi so that you don’t have a choice. It’s liberating and allows you to
better enjoy the ‘here and now’, which nicely ties into the following point.
6. GETTING SOME ‘YOU’ TIME
Traveling gives us breathing space that is often
lost in our usual day-to-day existence. Having a moment to take advantage of
peace and quiet and to simply ‘be’ allows us to let go of stress and tension
and just enjoy being in the moment — a key focus of meditation and a practice
you can take home with you. If you’re traveling with a partner, it’s a chance
to spend time with only each other for company, which is a thought that
probably shouldn’t fill you with dread.
7. EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION
Whether it’s learning a new skill such as
cooking Thai food or learning a new language, travel presents ways in which we
can further our knowledge and education. Learning makes our brains more active,
which psychologists have found increases our level of happiness - particularly
when learning something we find enjoyable.
8. GET A VITAMIN D BOOST
Whilst it’s a bit of myth that you need to be on
a sun-lounger for twelve hours to feel the full effects of vitamin D (20
minutes of exposure to sunlight is enough), there’s no doubt that in the same
way that the cold and dark of winter makes us unhappy (feeling the effects of
seasonal affective disorder or SAD), sunshine and warmth generally put us in a
much better mood. A beach break is a great way to relax and enjoy the health
benefits of a warm climate. Admittedly, this is more of a short-term boost, but
a healthy glow makes everyone feels better and lasts for a few weeks after your
trip is over.
9. YOU’RE MORE INTERESTING
You don’t need to be a ‘travel bore’ to have a
few interesting stories to tell. Traveling throws up a lot of bizarre, funny
and sometimes serious situations that relating back to people will make you —
at least — feel interesting. Making someone laugh is an easy way to instantly
bump up your self-esteem, so hold on to those embarrassing memories — no matter
how much they might make you cringe.
10. NEW EXPERIENCES GIVE US MOMENTS TO REMEMBER
For most people, travelling is about the new
experiences. I will always remember that moment of awe when I stood watching
the sunlight leak out over the rainforest around the ancient temple of Borobudur in Java at sunrise, the sky turned a striking
shade of violet: it was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen.
Recalling memories of happiness can sustain a feeling of contentment long after
the moment has passed, and new experiences are memories that can stick with you
forever.
11. THE EFFECTS OF TRAVELING AREN’T JUST
SHORT-TERM
Aside from making you happier in the short-term,
traveling can make you a much more contented, happy and relaxed person in the
long run, too. Of course, most travel enthusiasts are constantly planning their
next trip, but when we’re at home or past a point of being able to jet off
whenever we like, past travels leave us with the memories and personal skills -
such as confidence, broad-mindedness, friends and a more worldly perspective —
that make people happy. And that’s why travel makes you a happier person.
Article Written By THE BLOG
