You’re looking a bit peaky there, are you sure you’re okay? Oh, you’re feeling a little weird? Hmmm, perhaps you have the dreaded travel bug! Yep, it happens to the best of us. You hallucinate of far-off beaches and pina coladas in your hand. You can feel the heat on your forehead even though you’re actually just sitting in your office building, and you start swimming in the bath, even though there really isn’t enough space to do so. Don’t worry; it’s not the end of the world. The travel bug will pass if you give in to temptation because science has now told us that traveling is good for our health. mean, if that’s not the best thing you’ve heard in a while, we don’t know what will be.
It’s a stress-reliever
Let’s be honest; life is the biggest stressor you can get. There are bills to pay, there’s work to be done, there’s food to be cooked, and that’s just the start. So, getting away from it all can be the best stress-reliever of them all. Sure, you could have a relaxing bath, or you could get your other half to cook dinner for once (pfft, chance will be a fine thing), or you could simply play hooky from your boss, but these are all things that will take you away from the stress for a day or. What if you could get away from it for a week, two weeks, or even a month? There is, silly! Just book your flights.
It’s good for your heart
No, we don’t mean this in a cheesy, lovey-dovey way (eugh) – because this has actually been proven by science! The famous Framingham Heart Study studied women aged 45 – 64 and asked them how often they went on vacation while taking a general health check, which involved a check-up of their ticker. The scientist caught up with those ladies 20 years later and found that the women who had traveled at least once every six years were at a much lower risk when it came to heart problems. Well, we’re sold.
It makes you more creative
If you’re the kind of person that paints for a living, gets paid to act, or even writes articles full-time, you probably struggle to be creative all day, every day. After all, how creative can you be if you’re stuck in the same studio, same office or same bedroom for hours on end? Answer: not creative at all! As you feel your creativity start to slip and feel like you’re forcing something out of you that just isn’t there, it could be a sign that you desperately need to experience new things, see new cultures and get involved with a different community.
It makes you a better person
A few of the ways that traveling makes you a better person is because taking a trip somewhere else in the world allows you to be more open-minded. You can experience empathy as you see those less fortunate than you are, you learn how to be tolerant with those who run for the sun loungers by the pool, and you learn to embrace the cultures around you. You should leave your vacation with a whole new perspective on life. If not, you’re doing it wrong!
It makes us happier
Well, duh. We leave even more tan than before. We leave with our bellies full of yummy food. We leave with a whole new culture under our belts…how could we NOT be happier? Although science agrees with us, they have a much more eloquent way of putting it (not hard). In fact, Dr. Thomas Gilovich from Cornell University has used his 20 years’ experience in the field to come to the conclusion that spending money on experiences – such as vacations – makes us much happier than spending our money on useless items, as they make us feel more connected to other people in the world. Who’s going to argue with that?
While we don’t need much of an excuse to book another vacation, it’s safe to say that knowing science is on our side is a good way to help us click the ‘book’ button on the flight comparison site much quicker…
