The monotony of our daily lives can lead to stress and to the feeling of being stuck. It is quite hard to get used to the routine for a long period. That is the reason why vacations exist. In these modern times, emphasis on mental health is being given by all companies. It is expected that employees find a balance between work and personal life.
6 Way Travel Benefits Your Health
3. Boosting Of The Immune System
5. Travel Promotes Physical Health
6. Travelling Increases Happiness
Traveling is one of the most common and the most important way to spend your leaves that you earn from your work. Also, traveling to a different places for a vacation is considered good for your mental health if you are in a stressful job, taking a break and traveling to a new place relaxes you from your core.
There are many benefits of travel that can be life-changing and can give you something indescribable in words. The benefits of health after traveling can be felt in the body as well as in the mind. Following are some of the ways that traveling can benefit our health.
1. Stress Reduction
Although it is an obvious fact that the consistency of a work-life without a break can create stress and anxiety within you. People usually turn towards medications and other forms of exercise to combat this chaos within them. But, if you consider traveling for a long enough vacation to relax, then it is better than any other chemical solution.
Travelling has many benefits to reduce your stress drastically. One of the scientific researches in the year 2015 done by the University of Tampere in Finland found out that a minimum of 8 to 10 days of vacation time is required to get the stress-reducing benefits. It has been scientifically observed that stress is greatly reduced when a person is taking a healthy break from work and fully enjoying a good vacation time.
One fact to consider is that stress is the main catalyst for many diseases. Ailments such as heart diseases, depression, and diabetes are directly associated with the increased stress levels.
It is not quite possible to imagine being stressed while laying on a beach of Goa and enjoying a beautiful sunset. Traveling benefits our health by lowering our stress levels as it allows us to open up to the relaxing atmosphere and truly enjoy activities associated with the various activities of the destination we are traveling to.
It has also been observed that the people stay more positive and relaxed even after returning back from their vacations. This is clearly a very good thing for the overall health of the person. Lowering stress levels is one of the key benefits of travel that everyone should consider if their work-life has started to get hectic.
With reduced stress, the risks of heart diseases are also reduced. Travelling has a great impact on the overall health of the heart. Many studies show that the risk of heart attack is reduced up to 50% when a person travels and engages in many travel activities.
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2. Combat Depression
There was a recent study conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which found out that around 7% of the Indians are suffering from some form of serious mental health issue. However, this percentage is likely to be much higher because the study was done only on the reported cases of people suffering from mental disorders.
In India, people are likely to hide their mental disorders because of the social taboo towards mental illness. There are way more people that battling depression on daily basis. The reasons for their depression range from economic hardships, relationship issues, trauma, and abuse. Although the severe cases of mental illness require professional treatment by medical experts. But the beginning stages of these issues can be treated with the right amount of self-care.
Traveling can greatly benefit our health and can help us combat the early stages of depression. Being exposed to a new environment and culture can help us reduce the chances of depression. Apart from the many benefits of travel, the reduced risk of depression is one of the best benefits for mental health.
Another medical study from the state of Wisconsin in the United States of America conducted by The Marshfield Clinic found that the women who travel at least twice a year have lesser chances of depression. It has also been found that the chronic stress symptoms were also greatly reduced when healthy travel options are considered.
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3. Boosting Of The Immune System
There are so many modern studies that have been conducted by the reputed Scientific Institutions that clearly demonstrated the benefits of travel on physical and mental health. There are several healthy travel packages available in India where you can travel only to rejuvenate your health.
There are many studies that found that being exposed to a new place and a new culture and lifestyle, the human body is also prone to different pathogens and microbes. This is more true for international travelers who visit a new country with different climatic conditions. This exposure to the new environment and pathogens makes the body produce strong antibodies. These antibodies make the immune system even stronger than before.
However, it is very important to stay healthy on vacation since being exposed to a new environment can also make you severely sick if your immunity is already compromised. It is advisable that you prepare your own foods for travel rather than eating out frequently. Exploring the street food options is good in moderation but going overboard can lead to stomach infections and other health problems.
Boosting your immune system will eventually help you combat many illnesses and help you live longer. So, a healthy traveling itinerary with the right balance of adventure and safety will make your vacation worthwhile. Research shows that traveling will lead you to better brain health and makes you an emotionally balanced human being. This will help your relationships more healthy and eventually reduce your stress.
In order to boost your immune system, it is also good advice to stay active and physically fit. If you are considering traveling to India, your travel agent can help you find many exciting trekking destinations in India. You can choose from the many Himachal holiday packages and Uttarakhand tour packages.
If you wish to stay fit on your vacation, then trekking is the best activity that is good for all types of travelers. In India, the state of Himachal and Uttarakhand has some of the best trekking destinations in India. These trekking trails have the right amount of challenge for all body types. Trekking will help you stay healthy on your vacation and boost your immune system.
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4. Boosting Creativity
Combating depression and stress is only superficial level effects that you can feel when you travel healthy. If you step up to explore further benefits of traveling, then the aspect of exploring your own creative nature is the best mental health benefit that stays with you forever.
Creativity is a very abstract subject to explain, however it is something we all know and how it makes us feel. It is a positive surge of energy that makes us flow effortlessly to create something from within ourselves. For example, painting, dancing, playing music, sculpting are only some of the forms of artistic expression.
Exploring your own creative dimension and tasting something that you never knew you had within you is an experience that cannot be expressed in words. This creative aspect is most easily known when you are exposed to a new environment where you are not restricted by time or cultural norms.
Being exposed to a new culture when you travel helps you greatly in knowing this aspect of creativity within you. You are most likely to meet interesting people from all over the world who influence your mental health in a positive way.
This creative boost of energy can stay with you for years and help you make better decisions in your work and help you re-prioritize your life. This positive health impact of traveling promotes both mental and physical health.
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5. Travel Promotes Physical Health
If you are stuck in a routine with a job that requires you to sit for a long duration in front of a computer, then it is highly likely that your physical health will eventually deteriorate. Constant sitting in front of a computer has become a norm in these times. Especially due to the pandemic situation, most jobs were done from home and online. That is why traveling and vacations are more needed than ever.
As mentioned earlier, traveling can promote physical health if you opt to travel healthy and choose the right kinds of foods for travel. One of the major activities that travelers opt for is Trekking. Trekking is a perfect challenge for all kinds of people. With various kinds of trekking options available ranging from beginner treks to adventurous treks, almost everyone can find healthy physical benefits from trekking.
In North India, you can find many Himachal holiday packages and Uttarakhand tour packages that include trekking as a popular tourist activity. You can find some of the most scenic routes where the clean air and the physical activity will boost your overall mental and physical health.
In the Southern parts of India, there are several places you can visit for trekking. But the trekking routes in Kerala tour packages are some of the most serene experiences you can have as you walk through the forests and the wildlife sanctuaries.
Even walking to explore the various tourist attractions available in the popular tourist destinations will help you stay healthy. The whole idea is to keep your muscles in a good condition. Exploring a new travel destination will automatically make you want to walk in a market and seeing different areas of the town or village.
Even a simple stroll on a beach will help boost your physical energy and overall physical health. It is hard to imagine someone visiting a new country and staying in a hotel room the entire time. Almost every one of us wishes to explore a new country even if it means just to go to a popular attraction and click some photos.
Traveling is a great way to encourage you to stay healthy physically and mentally. The effects of healthy travel can eventually be felt long after your vacation ends.
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6. Travelling Increases Happiness
Well, it goes without saying but just to know that you are about to travel to a new place can make you feel elated and excited. Even the task of planning your vacation can increase your level of happiness. This boost of happiness is great to reduce your stress.
Reducing stress and being happy are not the same thing. Lowering stress simply means you are reducing the negative aspect of your mind that is fighting itself. However, being happy is a positive aspect which is the expansion of the feeling of health.
When you travel, your stress level goes down but once you are at an optimum state of zero stress level, something positive happens. The feeling of well-being starts to expand and releases dopamine and other ‘happy hormones’ that relax you completely.
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With ample time to relax and eat exotic foods from a different country can make your mind feel as if it is already on a vacation. A very popular study by Cornell University shows the direct correlation of traveling with your happiness.
These were some of the greatest benefits that you can derive from traveling that directly affects your health. Traveling benefits your overall mental and physical state and helps you get in tune with your inner self. For many travelers, traveling is a spiritual experience where they understand more about the ‘Why’ of life or the meaning of their existence. These experiences cannot be expressed in words and such experiences are subjective to every person’s being.
However, poetically speaking, one thing is for sure that traveling has the potential to open up your heart to something that is beyond the mind’s capacity to comprehend. If done in the right way, traveling can provide you with a perspective that is truly valuable in helping you prioritize your life in a way that fulfills you.
This article is originally published in Postallblog
