The Benefis Of Traveling For Every Aspect Of A Person's Life

Traveling and exploring the world is desirable because it improves physical health, broadens one's perspective of the world, but most importantly, it promotes one's mental health. Traveling improves one's physical health by boosting immunity, lowering stress levels, and decreasing risks of heart disease. When it comes to physiological health, one of the biggest merits of traveling is that it helps ones immune responses to bacteria, viruses, and other foreign bodies much stronger. However, when one visits unfamiliar continents, the body is provided with a chance to interact with contrasting particles, which leads to human bodies producing more antibodies. These antibodies cause the body to become tougher over time and shield one from similar illnesses in the future. The more one travels to new locations with unusual food, climates, and environmental flora and fauna, the more exposed the immune system is to different antigens, and the body can stock up antibodies against them.

Additionally, stress creates a huge impact on people’s physical health. When one does not take a break from the everyday stressors, the amount of the stress hormone, cortisol, becomes elevated. This speeds up the aging process and increases blood sugar levels (Nichols). This impact can later bring about many undesirable effects, such as inflammation, gastrointestinal problems, cardiovascular issues, and fertility problems. Surveys have shown that taking a vacation can help manage stress and negativity, which begin to disappear after only a day or two into a vacation. Stress can also be a huge factor in heart disease since it can lead to higher blood pressure and blood-sugar levels that gradually weaken the circulatory system. Specifically, studies indicate that men who do not take a vacation from work for several years are much more likely than others to suffer from heart attacks. A longitudinal study on heart disease also showed that women who took only one travel vacation every six years or less were more likely to suffer from myocardial infarction and coronary death, as compared to those who traveled each year.

Furthermore, traveling allows one to experience other cultures which makes one more accepting of others and are able to experience unique food, activities, and cultures. When one travels to an unfamiliar country, the beliefs and values of other people and its influence on their everyday life open up the eyes. One will discover new social norms and lifestyles. Additionally, learning a second language will give one the ability to step inside the mind of the culture and see the culture from a different and new perspective. It will also provide one with an advantage and a competitive edge in the workplace. The world is becoming more and more interconnected which causes an urgent need for global citizens competent in a second language. Overall, learning a new language will open many doors and will give one a much deeper understanding of the world.

Traveling to a different country and experiencing a new culture teaches a variety of new skills. One learns to become more social, flexible, open minded, and independent. Exposure to diversity will lead to better judgment; one will socialize with people of different religions, color, race, and educational background (Ludin). One will also learn fun skills such as cooking among others. It will greatly enhance the development of a person.

Lastly, traveling improves on mental health by boosting happiness and satisfaction, enhancing mental agility, and increasing creativity. The first benefit is enhanced emotional agility, or the ability to not react immediately to emotions, but to observe those that arise, carefully collect information to understand the possible causes, then intentionally decide how to manage them. In a study of 485 United States adults, exposure to foreign travel was linked to a greater ability to direct attention and energy, which helps us function effectively in diverse situations and display appropriate verbal and nonverbal signals of emotion (Nazish). Visiting more countries or greater immersion into the local culture enhanced these effects, and they remained after the study subjects returned home. By spending time in unfamiliar towns, cities, or countries, one becomes tolerant and even accepting of their own discomfort and more confident in their ability to navigate ambiguous situations.

The second benefit of unconventional vacations is creativity. A study of forty-six Dutch workers found that after going on an international holiday for two to three weeks, they were able to generate more and more-diverse ideas for alternative ways to use everyday objects, such as bricks, tires, spoons, and pencils. Researchers in Singapore have likewise found that greater exposure to other cultures through traveling, having international friendships, studying languages, and consuming music and food from other countries is linked to unconventional problem solving.

The third benefit is enhancing one's happiness and satisfaction in life. The opportunity to replace the daily grind with new events and experiences help rewire the brain, hence boosting one's mood and self-confidence. If one visits a dream destination and take some time to explore what these places have to offer, and build a repertoire of fond memories for the future, it will help keep ones “happy” hormones (dopamine and serotonin) flowing. According to a Cornell University study, the anticipation of a trip can increase ones happiness substantially, even more than the anticipation of acquiring something tangible, like a new car.

Everyone has their very own reasons to travel. Some people travel for work, some travel for pleasure while for others, it is just a way of life. They travel to live and to escape at the same time. Whatever might be the reason to travel, traveling improves physical health, broadens one's perspective of the world, but most importantly, it promotes one's mental health.