Why Travel is Good for Your Mental Health

Have you ever wondered why travel is good for your mental health? We already have a sense of what people enjoy most about traveling. But what about the biggest benefits of travel from a mental health perspective? What are the psychological benefits of traveling?

There are quite a few reasons why travel is good for you, but I’ve sorted through to find the three biggest mental health perks of traveling. In this post you will learn the top three mental health benefits of travel, and even some tips to help make them work better for you.

Travel Benefit #1: Physical Health

First, travel has been associated with all kinds of physical health benefits. The short story here is that our minds and bodies are connected. What’s good for one is usually good for the other. When on vacation, our stress levels tend to decrease leading to all sorts of health benefits. One exception might be all you bungee jumping adventure travelers out there. For the rest of us, as vacation mentality sets in, stress moves out.

If you want to really get into the science of the health benefits from stress relief, read the next few paragraphs. If your eyes gloss over at the mention of any scientific jargon, feel free to skip the next few paragraphs!

“When on vacation, our stress levels tend to decrease leading to all sorts of health benefits.”

-Psychology of Travel

Health psychologists have long been familiar with the relationship between stress and physical health. When chronically stressed, cortisol is released into the blood stream primarily through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system (aka, the “HPA-Axis”). It’s a really helpful system in general for short periods of stress since it helps get energy to the right places when we need to confront a physical problem (kind of like the old notion of “Fight or Flight”).

However, an unfortunate result of chronic stress and over-activation of the HPA-Axis is consistent elevations of cortisol.

We know that cortisol can cause increased blood pressure, blood glucose problems and fat storage in the gut, and impaired immune system functioning. So, too much cortisol for too long is unhealthy for the body. At a family trip to the beach last summer, I remember taking a deep breath as I stared out into the rolling waves and I could feel the muscle tension in my shoulders dissolve like an effervescent tablet.

One-time instances of relaxation like that can start to help, but patterns of living with stress under control is really the best way to keep the HPA-Axis nicely balanced.

So, want to know a great way to help develop healthy patterns to deal with this stress problem? Spoiler alert. Travel! Relaxation is a premier stress-reducer. So much so, many counseling techniques use Guided Imagery to help people picture themselves at relaxing places they’ve been….you guessed it…on vacation before.

It helps people manage stress and anxiety in therapy sessions similarly to how travel can be stress relieving for you during your trip. Make travel part of your healthy living pattern. Let the stress melt off at the beach or chill out on the slopes, and then repeat!

Another great benefit is the activation of neural reward pathways (think, brain pleasure centers). Sometimes these brain reward pathways get a bad reputation because they come up in discussions about substance addiction. However, like the HPA-Axis, neural reward pathways are not inherently “good” or “bad”. They are just natural “feel good” brain circuitry that get reinforced when you do things that spark a sense of pleasure and enjoyment. This happens often during travel. So go ahead, activate those reward pathways you traveler!

Even simply planning your vacation can be emotionally healthy. Find patterns of stress management and relaxation, including a nice blend of vacation opportunities, and the health rewards will follow.

Travel Benefit #2: Mindfulness

Second, travel helps us to be more mindful. Mindfulness encompasses two key notions. First, the notion of present-centered awareness (meaning, not dwelling on things from the past or looking off into the future).

Second, the idea that we can take in our present surroundings or circumstances with a non-judgmental stance. This just means that a goal is to notice the things going on in the moment and to simply observe them, not interpret the meaning behind them.

If you were to picture yourself at a pristine beach, which of the following sounds more relaxing to you? You are thinking about the long drive home and the work you need to resume, and you think the hot sun is rather bothersome. Or, you see the shimmering crystal turquoise waters, hear the waves gently crashing with a foamy spray, and notice the smell of the salty sea air; all the while aware of the sun’s heat though not judging any degree of comfort.

The latter example is a more mindful approach, and you can imagine how the two scenarios might lead to different degrees of stress versus relaxation.

“Travel offers us a natural promotion of mindfulness.”

-Psychology of Travel

Travel offers us a natural promotion of mindfulness. One reason for this is that our surroundings are different than what our brains are used to. You get out of your routine. It’s easier to notice newness. You consider the mundane as if it were special, because to you in that moment, it is special. This novelty makes us use a little extra brain power to notice things that normally don’t get much attention.

Take yourself off auto pilot by infusing new sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and ideas by traveling. To borrow a line from my daughter’s favorite PBS show Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, “Enjoy the wow that’s happening now.”

Some people wonder if mindfulness helps you make more healthy travel decisions, and while it can be related, there are many factors that affect our travel decisions when it comes to your health. The benefits of mindfulness in travel include increased cognitive flexibility, creativity, problem-solving skills, and practice effects that you can carry with you in future travels. Even though aspects of travel itself can be stressful, it is also a break from your usual daily stressors (long traffic-filled commute, I’m talking to you!).

So, be mindful of the reduction in your day-to-day stressors. Use helpful technology like the Oak Meditation app or Insight Timer app which you can take with you while traveling. Stay in the now (so easy to let this one slip when going through your busy travel itinerary!). Maintain a mindset that travel isn’t about having zero challenges. If you can do this, you will not only have more reasonable and healthy expectations, but you will place yourself in a prime position to practice mindfulness.

Travel Benefit #3: Personal Growth

Third, travel leads to personal growth. Travel is good for the soul, and personal growth is one of the main reasons why many of us travel. For ease of reading, we can break down personal growth into three main areas: developing perspective, fostering mental strengths, and improving our people skills.

Developing Perspective through Travel

We expand our horizons by taking in different cultures. You might think of “culture” as being plunged in some exotic location with strange customs, but this can occur in much more subtle ways too.

Just within one state, for example, there are wildly differently cultures between the hard-working rural western mountains, exciting big city life, small-town country living, and the relaxed natural beauty of the winding coastline. Even traveling one town over you could notice some different ways of doing things or help you appreciate having more or less access to the things you enjoy. “They don’t have a McDonald’s here? I thought everybody had one!”

I love that you get to learn when you travel. It may be learning about local history through a guided tour, facts about local foods at a restaurant, new languages or modes of travel, developing cultural awareness in your chats with the locals, or learning the physical geography of a new place. Here’s a related guide on How to Become the Best Traveler in the World!

When you see new things and interact with people during travel, you have to think in new ways. Travel forces your mind to consider perspectives and boosts how much uncertainty you can tolerate.

“Travel forces your mind to consider perspectives and boosts how much uncertainty you can tolerate.”

-Psychology of Travel

Travel-based perspective can come to you in many forms. For example, learning about the hardships or successes of other people or cultures can lead you to new insight about how you’re dealing with your own situation. Spiritual growth can occur through faith-based perspectives. You may find unique strategies for problem-solving that you otherwise would never have been exposed to.

Personally, I’ve also learned that I’m not the only one who considers themselves a pro at relaxation! Here are lots of great tips from some of the top travel experts.

However, one of the best forms of perspective is gratitude. Intentional practice of gratitude has become a steady movement these days, with many people writing down things they are thankful for on a daily basis (check out this travel-sized and lighthearted gratitude journal).

From a psychological standpoint, this actually helps re-wire our thinking to start scanning for the positive elements in our daily interactions more and more naturally. There’s lots to be grateful for when you’re able to travel, so its a convenient time to get started with this healthy habit.

Improving your Strengths

Additionally, travel is good for your personal growth because it boosts your mental and personality strengths. Which of the following describes you:

• Are you a good problem-solver?
• Strong at handling adversity (a very useful skill during these uncertain times; see this post on if travel will ever be the same after Covid-19)?
• Is connecting with others a natural part of your character?
• Maybe you’re the one with a memory like an elephant?
• Perhaps the term “planner” describes you?

You learn about yourself when faced with new kinds of situations, so travel is an ideal way to exercise your strengths. Why exercise something you’re already good at? Ask Michael Jordan, top business executives, doctors, that over-achieving neighbor kid, and anyone else who has ever achieved high levels of success. None of these people could have achieved their success without building upon their natural strengths.

Pick a strength that you possess (maybe others have commented on this to you before like your persistence, patience, or humor), and think directly about how you will apply this strength for an upcoming trip.

Building People Skills

Still need more personal growth benefits? How about people skills. You make friends when you travel. By learning about new individuals and cultural perspectives, we develop our ability to connect with people. This topic is so broad it could serve as a whole series of posts, but the key point is that traveling boosts our awareness of how others think and do things.

Why is that important? Well, for example, it may help you see an existing friendship in a new light. Or, it could spark your plans for future travel, inspire you to live more boldly, or change how you approach your work. Maybe though, it is those shared moments with others when we connect despite (or because of) our differences that leave the most lasting impressions. You don’t need psychological jargon to know what that positive feeling is like.

“It is those shared moments with others when we connect despite (or because of) our differences that leave the most lasting impressions.”

-Psychology of Travel

In a related sense, people tend to enjoy more satisfying emotional benefits when purchasing experiences rather than objects. This may sound a bit counter-intuitive, as the objects we buy last longer than a concert, movie, or vacation. However, you actually gain some “social currency” from experiences that helps you engage socially with others.

“Remember that scrumptious sushi we had at that little restaurant on the eastern coast? Best. Sushi. Ever.” It even bridges gaps with strangers, such that you might share a common connection over places you have both visited. “When you were there, which resort did you stay at?” People tend to rate more emotional satisfaction with the things they do rather than the things they have.

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The Bottom Line

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Travel is good for your mental health because it promotes physical health, improves mindfulness, and contributes to personal growth. You can boost these benefits on your next vacation with stress reduction, trying to stay in the moment, and really engaging with local culture.

Truthfully, I haven’t always stopped to focus on these when I’m traveling…the benefits just kind of “happen”. I would suggest though that the benefits become all the more apparent and lasting when you recognize them. So, if you’re looking for an excuse to travel, look no further. Travel is good for you, and now you can prove it!

Can you think of any other ways that travel is good for your mental health? Feel free to comment and share below to help fellow travelers.

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