Kale. Meditation. A good night’s sleep. You know all these things are good for you (even if you don’t always incorporate them into your daily routine). A vital addition to that list is travel, which offers a host of health benefits to your mind, body, and soul.
Anybody who has traveled outside his or her comfort zone can attest to the excitement that comes from being in a new environment. As research has shown, travel is not only exciting; it also offers the following six health benefits.
1. Promotes Heart Health
One of the amazing benefits of traveling is that it promotes physical activity, whether it is rushing through the airport, walking the streets of a foreign land, or climbing a mountain. Physical movement lowers blood pressure and the risk of heart disease and stroke.
According to information gathered from the Framingham Heart Study, a landmark study that began in 1948 and spanned over the course of 20 years, women who vacationed only every six years or less were nearly eight times more likely to develop heart disease or have a heart attack compared to women who traveled at least twice a year.
2. Keeps the Mind Sharp
Travel also can promote brain health and keep the mind sharp. When your brain is introduced to new experiences and environments (which happens during travel, essentially) it becomes challenged and builds resilience at the cellular level so degenerative disease is potentially delayed. This increase in cognitive stimulation due to exposure to novelty has been shown to improve both memory and concentration, particularly in individuals with dementia. Similarly, when you travel, you interact with novel stimuli in the form of new people, cultures, situations, and experiences, which can contribute to the delayed onset of degenerative disease.
Note: While you may like to frequent the same vacation spot every year, visit new destinations that will allow your brain a chance to reap the benefits that result from different activities and locations.
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3. Enhances Creativity
Turns out writers have good reason to travel to a different country in search of inspiration and motivation for their next novel. The brain’s neural pathways are influenced by environment and experience (the brain’s adaptability is also known as neuroplasticity), which leads researchers to believe that travel can spark synapses in the brain and enhance creativity.
A 2012 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found a strong link between creativity and travelers’ immersions into cultures different from their own. According to the study, the better you are at engaging and adapting to new cultures, the more creative and professionally successful you will be. In order to actually enhance creativity, the author stresses the importance of immersing yourself in new cultures, rather than simply changing your physical location.
