7 Reasons Why Travel Is Good For Your Mental Health – #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

With this week being Mental Health Awareness week we thought we’d take this moment to share with you 7 reasons why travel, and meeting new people whilst doing so, is great for your mental health. It’s no secret that travelling to different places is good for you, but a huge amount of research suggests that exploring a new place can do wonders for your mental and emotional health as well.

Here are 10 evidence backed ways in which travelling makes your mind happy and healthy.

1. It’s a great stress buster

By taking a break and going travelling, whether it be for a weekend or a few weeks, this allows us to reset our minds and forget about our chores and workload back home. By doing this we can focus on the present and take in our surroundings. By taking a break you may find when you return from your trip you will perform better not just at work but throughout your personal life too. This is because you are able to break away from stress-related daily tasks and clear your head and heart.

2. It boosts happiness and satisfaction and helps you improve your mental clarity

By going travelling and visiting the unknown you will find this will leave you feeling both excited and nervous thus sharpening up your mind mentally and emotionally. As well as this by facing difficulties in an unfamiliar environment, among new people, forces you to learn and adapt to things that are out of your comfort zone. The anticipation of an upcoming trip also boosts your mood. After all, don’t we all look forward to our next vacation? 

2. It allows you to learn how to communicate with strangers and broadens perspectives

When you are travelling be it by yourself, with someone else, or in a group you get to interact with new people. You get to meet people from different culture and background. This can broader your view of the world. 

3. It enhances creativity

Immersing yourself in a new place with unfamiliar sights and sounds can boost our creativity. Creativity is directly related to neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to reorganise itself by forming new neuralconnections throughout life), which means our brains are sensitive to change, influenced by new environments and experiences. By changing our environment we can literally form new neuronal pathways enhancing our creativity. 

3. Travelling can help us to practice gratitude

It is also a great way to help us recognise how fortunate we are. Through interacting with different people and ways of life, travelling can help us realise our privilege and all of the things we have to be thankful for.

4. Travelling can boost your confidence

By leaving home to travel it has the potential to increase self-confidence. It is a process of increasing self-knowledge where you can be a participant and a researcher of your own inner process of growth.

5. It can positively change your personality

As mentioned earlier, travelling to unknown territory can often push you out of your comfort zone. And by doing so, you are emotionally and mentally challenged. Travel forces you to be more open, to ask questions, and to socialise with others. This kind of new adaptation makes you less emotionally reactive to day-to-day changes, while meeting new people can promote agreeableness and improve emotional stability.

6. Increases sense of self

When we travel, we’re put into unfamiliar situations, and interact with strangers. All of this can lead to greater confidence and a better understanding of who we are.

7. Decreases risk of depression

Women who took a vacation every year were less likely to suffer from depression than those who took a vacation every few years. This isn’t surprising, as sunlight, exercise and pleasurable experiences all increase our serotonin levels which can improve our mood.

Where Will Travelling Take You This Summer?

Travelling can push you out of your comfort zone and promote a healthier way of living. Discovering new food, scenery, and cultures can have a positive effect on your health. So, the next time you’re feeling frustrated and unmotivated, start planning your next trip.

Bouden Travel provide coach hire, minibus hire and chauffeur car hire for a multitude of different clients. We welcome any group size no matter how small or large. Our fleet ranges from budget vehicle hire to executive and luxury hire. With true national reach, our customers are travel across the UK and international in style.

Call 0800 112 3770 or drop us a message on sales@boudencoachtravel,co.uk if you are looking for a full travel management solution.

www.boudencoachtravel.co.uk