7 scientific facts that prove travel is good for your health

Photo: Jacopo Romei

Matador Team

 

1. Travel exposes you to different environments, which create stronger antibodies and boost your immune system significantly.

Antibodies are the little proteins that protect your immune system from harmful pathogens. In fact, research shows exposure to some dirt and minor illnesses actually keeps your body and gut stronger. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t practice basic hygiene on the road — you should still wash your hands or use a little hand sanitizer here and there — but having some new bacteria in your life isn’t a bad thing. One blogger even suggests that after 17 years on the road, travel has been his best probiotic. When you travel from place to place, your body adapts to thousands of new bacteria, which it turn makes it much stronger.

2. Travel lowers stress levels.

Like a lot, a lot. This one might not come as a big surprise to you, but it’s been scientifically proven that travel will increase your happiness, decrease your depression, and chill you the F out. A study found that three days after vacation, travelers felt well-rested, less anxious, and in a better mood. And these improvements didn’t disappear when they returned home, they lasted for weeks afterward.

3. Travel improves your brain health.

Travel expands your mind. You meet new people. You adapt to new situations. You become more globally and culturally aware. This is all good for your health because new experiences increase cognitive flexibility, keeping your mind sharp. Studies have shown a connection between travel and an increase in creativity, a deeper sense of cultural awareness and personal growth. And according to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, those who travel and study abroad tend to be more open and emotionally stable.

4. Travel will decrease your risk of heart disease.

That’s because people who wander away from their homes for a little vacation are generally less stressed and anxious — or at least they’re willing to take a break from their stressors. Because of this, the long-running Framingham Heart Study found that men and women who traveled annually were less likely to suffer a heart attack or develop heart disease.

5. Travel keeps you fit.

Okay so travel often means sitting for hours on end in a series of moving vehicles, but it also means lots of opportunities to force yourself to be active. When we travel, we want to try new things and see all there is to see — we spent money to get there, after all — so we’re more likely to attempt an extreme sport, walk the city streets much more than we would back home, or hike to get the best views of our surroundings. Even if you plan to stay all day at the beach, walking on sand will force your muscles to work twice as hard.

6. There are a lot of places on Earth that have healing properties.

And they may not be in your own backyard. When you travel, you get to visit healing sites that others don’t — like the natural hot springs of Turkey, Iceland or Costa Rica that draw on the earth’s healing properties. Soaking in these mineral-rich waters can improve your skin, relieve pain and stress, and increase longevity. Energy vortexes — do exist, first of all — and are also sacred places made up of ‘anything that flows,’ whether it be wind, water or electricity. They are the places where the earth’s powers converge to heal, uplift, and rejuvenate. Some famous energy points include Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt, but there also vortexes in the United Stares in places like Sedona, AZ and Mount Desert Island, Maine.

7. Travel will let you live longer.

It’s true; those who travel tend to have a longer life expectancy. Whether local or global, all forms of travel enhance our lives and can actually increase our life expectancy. Research shows that travel reduces stress, keeps your body healthy inside and out, and boosts brain health. This adds up to an increased chance of living longer and to having more fun doing it.