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Written by: Lily Greene
We good name a million awesome reasons why traveling is healthy for us. But we have limited space so we will limit ourselves to 16 good reasons to travel. For one a change of scenery is always healthy for mental and emotional well-being. It does the soul good to leave familiar surroundings and go to someplace perhaps a person has never been before. Even if the person travels to the same place every year just being on vacation make all the difference in the world to reduce the person’s stress level. They may discover a new feature in that vacation spot they have never seen or experienced before. Summertime is synonymous with vacation to me. Just think how much fun it is to travel to your favorite paradise beach to relax in the sun and get that golden brown tan you always dreamed of having. If you are relocating to another area the traveling aspect can be very refreshing for you and your family.
What if you were just married and you are traveling to that dream destination for the honeymoon. It will do a world of good for the budding marriage to start off with a healthy tone. The two of you are in love and want to get to know each other in a fresh, relaxed atmosphere. You can start your new lives together in style enjoying each other’s company in a tropical paradise. The list can go on and on as we said as to why traveling can be so healthy for the human race. Let us narrow it down to 16 awesome reasons. These will be the best 16 reasons you can imagine as to why traveling can be so emotionally relaxing and fulfilling.
1) Travel Travel and More Travel
Who wants to travel around the world anyway! It would take a small fortune to travel around the world especially if you want to do it in one trip. You can do it for mental health reasons which are far more important than the monetary concerns. Or you can break the trip up in segments you know take a few years to make that international dream a reality. Do not let the money stop you and do not stress over how you will get money to travel the world. The focus of this article is to discuss many reasons why traveling is so healthy for humankind. If you are not good at coordinating travel then contact a professional or an atlas. Triple AAA, in the United States, used to send Atlases to their members upon request. I do not recall if there was a fee involved or not. The atlases can show you all the points of interest that you could visit on the upcoming trip.
A healthy part of traveling is planning the trip before you even go. Then as the months, days, or years tick off you will get excited knowing the long-awaited trip is coming. This gives you something to look forward to and if you let it the experience can be a pleasant diversion to think about before you actually step on the plane or get in the car to start the adventure. These can be refreshing times. You are in the middle of the busiest time of your life at work. Stress is mounting beyond the boiling point but sit back take a deep breath and know the traveling is just around the corner. I remember when I use to work for a laser company as a shipping clerk the day before we were to leave on our annual summer trip. I would be very excited and that much more motivated to bet all my work done. Leaving for vacation knowing my workload was cleared out helped me to look that much more forward to the trip. It also gave me a big sigh of relief to know the long-awaited day had finally come. I was also able to really enjoy the travel knowing I would be away from work for a couple of weeks enjoying the traveling time with my family. Traveling is such a relaxing time to spend with your family if you let it be.
2) Who are You when you Travel?
Have you ever thought about that you are a different person when you travel? You let all your defenses down and you go into cruise mode. You have no pressure there are no deadlines to keep (unless you are traveling by an itinerary) and you really do not have to be anywhere by any specific time unless you want to be. This is a great time for some impromptu creativity. Nothing refreshes the soul like when you are actually on the trip and you make an unexpected and unplanned side stop on your trip. One healthy thing about traveling is you will discover new places and sites as you move deeper into the trip. You may come to a city or a country and find a site you were not planning on visiting and decide to take a peek.
This adds a healthy mystique to the trip. It is exciting to come across a site, park or event you were not planning on taking in. I am reminded of a road trip we took across the country a few years ago. We were driving from Montana to Arkansas to visit my wife’s sister. We had just entered Iowa and were entering the town we would be spending the night in. Unexpectedly, we had stumbled into John Wayne’s hometown in Iowa. There at the entrance to the town was a brown sign with bold white letters sprawled on it. “This is the home of John Wayne!” What! the home of John Wayne? We had no idea the town was where John Wayne was raised and lived his childhood in.
Of course, being a major John Wayne fan I had to find the house and take the unforgettable tour. We managed to navigate to the house the next day. I bought a few souvenirs and we toured the famous icon’s house. He was brought up in a very small but cozy home. The house was nestled in the wide and open Iowa countryside. Obviously the home and become a national landmark in Iowa. We then went to a little gift shop; (another unexpected surprise) in this country shop I found a Chicago Bears Christmas ornament made out of clay. The point is you never know what hidden treasures await you on your travels.
3) Are you a Natural Traveler
Don’t ask me stupid questions. Of course, when you travel it comes naturally doesn’t it? What do you mean am I a natural traveler? I mean that some people stress out and have their blood pressure blast through the roof when they think about going on a trip. The idea of boarding a plane and flying for thousands of moles somewhere terrifies some people. Or driving in a cramped car for hours may not be someone’s idea of a fun time. You can overcome both obstacles you know. You can prepare yourself mentally and physically for the long plane or car ride. You know that millions of flights have taken place and probably thousands of flights take place all over the globe daily. The pilots are trained to fly those big computerized machines and they take flight safety very seriously. Plane crashes are rarer than common and it will not happen to you if you decide to fly to a faraway paradise getaway. Remember, there are 200+ people who are going to be on the plane with you. Take comfort to know you will have loved ones or dear friends sitting by you the whole trip if you are taking a family or friends on vacation. So, sit back and relax and enjoy the flight or the car trip whatever may be the case.
Did you know there is another aspect to being a natural traveler? Once you get to your final destination or even on the way there you can get out and do plenty of walking, hiking, or running whatever your passion is. This will get the blood flowing to different parts of your body and it will release the “good feeling” hormones in your brain. You cannot help but relax and get happy with your trip. It will help you to lose weight and keep your heart healthy for a long time to come. Maybe you won’t eat the healthiest cuisine on vacation nut all that moving around will surely help you to lose weight. What a deal. Move, move and move are your call words while you are traveling. But enjoy the movement and don’t move at such a torrid pace that it ends up stressing you out instead of relaxing your body. Vacations are for relaxing and to have fun. Remember, when you are on vacation you are not at work. Besides, work should be the furthest thing on your mind when you are traveling.
4) Be a Happy Traveler and Learn to Release the Happy Traveling Hormones
Come we are not in nursery school here. What do you mean to release the happy traveling hormones? It is a known fact that if you work all the time and stay in the house and never get out you will raise the stress hormones to unhealthy levels. You see when you get outdoors and travel you release happy hormones in the body. Also, if you hike or walk a lot on your trip you can actually improve your mental health. You can increase your ability to take in new information and have a better potential for long and short-term memory functions. You can hike and take in new sites and adventures.
5) Travel the Stress out of Life
It is a well-known fact that life brings many daily stresses with it. The human body was not designed to always be moving in the stress mode. Vacations are designed to take the body, soul, and spirit out of the lanes of stress. If you are short on money and not take the vacation you really want to take then take several one-day trips or go on a few weekend getaways. The more you travel and get away from the stress of everyday life the healthier you will be. You see you will come back from traveling with a healthier and fresher perspective. He will be better equipped to handle the stress of life once again. Only this time you will be operating from a vantage point of power in instead of all the tanks running on empty. If we are constantly living life in frazzle mode then that life will be cut short from too much stress. If stress is knocking at your door and threatening your health this is a sure sign you need to travel.
6) Is Traveling about You
There is a lot of positive things to be said about traveling with companions but there is nothing wrong with traveling solo if you are interested in doing that. Personally, I do not like to travel solo because it is more fun and fulfilling when you can share your traveling experiences with someone else. If you do decide to travel solo there can be some advantages to it. Some healthy advantages as well. You will not have to plan with others where you want to go, sleep or eat. This will alleviate some of the stress on you of having to plan your trip around others wants and desires. You can go where you like and eat where you want. You may be into photography but what if your traveling companion is not?
This will cause all kinds of unhealthy stress for the both of you. You will want to go somewhere that has naturally beautiful sites around every corner. This is a photographers paradise to catch God’s creation on camera. You can cherish those breathtaking sites and memories through the camera. But your companion who doesn’t like taking pictures will not be on the same page with you in making memories by taking pictures on vacation. This is when you travel alone and go where you want to take the photographs you want. It is a win-win situation you will both keep your peace of mind. You will have your picturesque memories and they will have the trip of their dreams.
7) Traveling Socialite
This can be healthy if you and our travelers travel to a foreign country for instance. You can mesh in with the locals or join a group of other travelers who know the terrain well. The other traveling partners can show all the ins and outs of the local cuisine. They can point you to sites you may not have considered seeing or even knew existed. It is refreshing and healthy to form friendships with others on your travels. You may make some lifetime friends in this encounter. It can be healthy for you if you let the right travelers enrich your life with their experiences. You may become a richer person just by being around them and seeing how they react to different traveling scenarios. They just being themselves could change your trip and maybe your life forever.
8) A Reading Trip
Whoever thought of taking a vacation to read? It could be very relaxing for you. You can take as much time as you want to read as many books you want. You may travel to spot you always wanted to visit and take a walk in nature. You may find yourself perched on a rock high atop a mountain reading your favorite romance novel. What could be more pleasurable than partaking of your two most favorite pastimes hiking and reading while you are on vacation?
9) You Know Best
Here is an angle to think about. If you went traveling with a group or family you know you would have no time to yourself. But if you take a trip by yourself or even take a one day excursion from your traveling companions then you will be alone. What is the point here? The point is that you get by yourself to get to know yourself in a deeper way, To be in touch with yourself in a beautiful vacation spot can be one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself. Catch up with the inner you and reconnect with that person who lives with you and you know the most intimately.
Related: Seven Reasons to Start Traveling NOW!
10) Enough is Enough
Yeah, you know exactly what I mean. We have all been there when we get off the plane from a long grueling flight. The last thing we want to do is go hike Mt. Everest. We will want to go to our motel room and rest for a night. Tomorrow we can pick up the vacation pace but we will be rested and ready to go. Make sure you have some traveling buddies who are understanding and of the same mind.
11) Oh No I am in Trouble
Tell me something that can be worse than getting in trouble on vacation when you are by yourself? You do not have the proper currency in your wallet. Do not panic this is a chance to give yourself a confidence booster. On top of it, you are lost in a big city. You made the arrangements to get the foreign country and you got yourself lost in the big city. Just reverse your traveling direction and retrace your steps. Before you know it you will be on familiar terrain. See you can do it!
12) Solo Drama not Needed
You know the drama that surrounds the family dynamics and friends you have hung around all your life. The last thing you want on a relaxing vacation is to stress out with old friends or family members. So, do yourself a very healthy favor and choose to take a vacation by yourself. This way you can predict the drama that will occur because it will be the drama you create. So, don’t create any and you will have one of the most peaceful and healthy vacations ever.
13) Let There be Self-Creation
No better time to let the creative juices flow when you are in a relaxed environment and there is no one to distract you from making that project come to life you have been thinking about for years. You are on vacation and you can use your time as you see fit. Creativity flow can be a very healthy thing, especially on vacation.
14) Yo Depression Go
Are you on the last nerve? Are you stressed and frazzled out beyond your ability to tolerate? It is time to step back step out of the stress zone and go to your favorite travel get away. I guarantee it will do a world of good for your emotional, physical and mental health. You will be stronger to tackle life when you return.
15) You’re Hired
This will be the remotest thing from your mind but traveling can look good on your resume. To prospective employers, it shows you are driven and confident. Besides, it will give you peace of mind to be on vacation knowing you are capable of handling all the challenges that come with traveling solo.
16) You Won’t Get Ripped Off
This could be very true in foreign cultures. The local merchants are more likely to zero in on a group of travelers than a solo traveler. If you are by yourself you can be a chameleon and mix in with the local culture then you would be able to with a traveling group. Your chances of walking away with the deal of a lifetime on the object you have been eyeing for the whole trip will increase dramatically.
Conclusion:
There you have it 16 reasons to travel with a group or by yourself. Whatever you decide to do just make sure you plan time for a vacation or vacations. Going to an environment other than your daily one will do wonders for your overall health. Your heart will last longer, your mind will be healthier and you will be a happier person in the long run. Plus to will met people you would have not otherwise met and you can make some fresh and lasting memories. Have time will travel.