How Traveling Helps Your Mental Health

Traveling with a disability has a lot of physical challenges, but it also has a huge positive impact on one’s mental health. Here are the top reasons why you SHOULD travel for the sake of your mental health and tips on how to prevent the dreaded post-travel blues.

Independence

Traveling gives ANYONE with a sense of independence and freedom. If you can travel freely without being constrained by work or other responsibilities, the freedom and independence you’ll experience while traveling is going to help your brain relax and feel happier.

Change of scene = creativity boost

It is said that traveling can boost your creativity. Being in a new place with unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells can boost your creativity and help you think outside of the box.  When a human’s environment changes, the brain literally has to form new neural pathways — which, as you guessed it, enhances creativity.

New experiences and cultures

Traveling opens the mind to new experiences and cultures. This is especially important for people who have only lived in one place for their whole lives. Once you see how other people live, it’s easier to empathize with other people, to learn how to connect, and to become a more understanding and grateful person. All of which can help decrease feelings of sadness and improve well-being.

Achievement

Checking off things from one’s bucket list is always a cause for celebration. We feel a sense of euphoria and excitement. Whenever we feel down, we can look back at these moments of fun as a source of joy.

It CAN strengthen relationships

Sharing travel experiences with a friend or loved one can make your relationship with them stronger, according to a study by the US Travel Association. Working together despite the mishaps and annoyances of traveling can help strengthen your bond (or break it) with your travel partner of choice. Traveling is not just about yourself. It can teach you a lot about who you’re traveling with. This is why a lot of relationship gurus advise people who want to get married to travel together before tying the knot.

Do note that traveling isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. To prevent your mental health from taking a hit, take note of these tips:

Make sure that the reason you’re taking this trip isn’t to physically get away from problems or if you’re only taking the trip because you feel forced to do it. This is especially true for people who will only travel to attend a destination wedding they don’t want to attend — yikes.

For those with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, traveling can be a stressful time and can pose more health risks. But there are ways to prevent mishaps from happening.

Make sure that you’ll prep and do your research of the locale first. https://www.touristsecrets.com has a lot of awesome guides for a lot of different destinations. Travelers who require a prescription should be sure to bring enough of their medications. In some countries, you need proof of a prescription to carry certain medications. Check the rules for your destination.