7 Reasons Why Travel is Good for Your Mental Health

You know how we have remedies for ailments and allergies? There are pills and prescriptions for almost anything these days, and truthfully, we’re all better off for it; over the years, we have collectively made progress in every area.

However one of the current problems we collectively face is the issue of  Mental Health. Unlike other illnesses or health related problems, it rarely has any visible side effects. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines Mental Health as “a state of well-being in which an individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

We all have memories and sometimes hilarious stories of work stress and exhaustion. While we cannot deny the impact of rest and compulsory breaks from tedious, back-breaking work, there is the need to pay attention to how that time is spent. 

Life definitely gets monotonous over time, especially when you rarely do anything spontaneous. Over time, the hangouts start feeling the same, even when it’s at different locations, or with different people. Before long, your life starts to look like an archetype of what “standard living” should be. At this point (ideally, we’d prefer if you do this way before) you may want to start planning your next trip. 

You don’t have to go overboard, especially if you rarely take trips. The whole process, from planning to stepping out for the trip will have major benefits for your mental and physical health.

From exploring new places, cultures and of course, the food, you get to live a myriad of experiences, all at once. With every new place or language you encounter, your mind expands to accommodate the possibilities this new experience and knowledge will birth. It’s both mentally and emotionally stimulating to live other people’s experiences different from what you’re used to.

7 Ways Travel Improves Mental Health

Taking a trip will do wonders for your mind, and ultimately your mental health. You’d be surprised when you find out how quickly you can get back up to speed with one short trip.

Read on to learn how travel affects mental health:

1. Improving Observation and Mental Power

Today, we live in a world where we’re constantly bombarded with a lot of information. There’s been a shift from finding information, to finding the RIGHT information. Our minds constantly process millions of ads and sometimes irrelevant information. Sifting through the chaff to get something reasonable is a lot of work. Doing this over-time leads to mental stress, and this, coupled with the deliverables and deadlines can sometimes all-round chronic stress due to pressure to achieve set goals. Taking a short trip helps your mind recalibrate and clear up all the irrelevant information clogging your mind. Your brain needs idle time to reset. You’ll feel more focused and productive when you get back to work.

2. Calm 

What comes to mind when you think of the word “peace”? If waterfalls, nature,  a small island away from the big city hustle are what you imagined, then you’re definitely on the right track. Our minds need occasional detachment from intense work and the resulting stress from exertion. Traveling helps you relieve the stress and tension from work and helps your mind relax and heal. Away from all the intensive, yet tiring routines traveling settles your mind and helps you destress. There’s a certain calm you feel, far away from all the noise and entrapment of daily deliverables.

3. Resilience And Stronger Mental Health

Everything in life teaches us something. With traveling, one of the lessons you’ll learn is the mindfulness and practice of keeping a focused mind. When you’re in a new environment, your brain picks up ew signals, heightened because they’re different from what you’re used to.In a short time, you develop the ability to adjust to new realities and paradigms, making you better prepared for the changes that frequently occur in a fast paced work life.

4. Happiness and Positivity

Traveling is a big deal, whether you’re a globe-trotter or a first timer. The realisation that you could plan and actually go on a trip provides a blueprint and valid reinforcement for future tasks, however daunting. You’ll rarely doubt yourself; I mean, not too long ago, you were half way around the world taking pictures beside hieroglyphs. By taking the initiative to go on a trip, especially if it’s one you really enjoyed (chances are this will always be the case) you are literally performing a necessary self-care activity, creating memories you can easily draw on, on not so eventful days. You literally get to contribute to your own happiness.

5. Creativity and New Ways of Thinking

One of the joys of traveling is the excitement of discovery. When you immerse yourself in a new environment, the scenery, food, people and culture, you increase, drastically, your mind’s ability to quickly move between, and process new ideas, think deeply and easly integrate other possibilities only available because of the new experiences you now have.

Foreign experiences literally increase both mental acuity and cognitive flexibility. There’s a certain depth that comes with a travel experience, however short.

6. Energy & Productivity

It is normal to lose interest or drive at some point during work tenures. Energy levels tend to droop over time, and our minds naturally seek other engagements. The problem here is that the quality of work will ultimately be affected. Overtime, productivity levels drop and the overall outputs are affected. There are several studies on how traveling positively affects energy levels. Short detachments from work helps our bodies and ultimately our minds, recoup and regain lost energy. It is literally the ice bath for our brains. And you get to create timeless memories too!

7. New Opportunities and Experiences

One of the surest ways to break monotony and routines is to make frequent, occasional changes. Traveling presents a 2-in-1 opportunity to do that, with the additional perks of possible opportunities and experiences. AHowever short your trip may be, the chances that you will find life changing opportunities is high. Sometimes, all we need is a different set of eyes to see old things anew. Our minds easily spot changes in routines, and the sharp change in the “normal” presents the opportunity to re-imagine old concepts, helping us see new possibilities. You might just find the solution to an irksome problem while lounging in each, thousands of miles away from your work desk.

Finally, it is worthy of note that while traveling is not a prophylaxis for mental health, it goes a long way to help with stress reduction and stimulating the mind. One of the major components of a healthy mind is the ability to effectively manage situations and change as they come. But over time even the most disciplined of minds falter. Like machines, we also need down time. and our’s is even more important, seeing as our brains literally never shut down. Even in sleep, our mind stil processes information, albeit on a lower level.

What traveling does for us, is create more exciting memories, with new positive reinforcements and experiences, while simultaneously purging the frivolous information we pick up from the constant flurry and bombardment from different channels.

Whatever the case is, Urban Nomads goes to an array of destinations which vary in duration. Check out to see the travel packages available which could be of interest to you and how you could also benefit from the services provided.