I grew up in an average, blue-collar family. Fancy clothes weren’t in the budget (sorry, no Girbauds here), and cable TV was something we’d heard about but never actually seen. Even when money was tight, though, we always traveled. Nothing fancy, just the four of us piling into our 20-year old motor home for a weekend of fishing or exploring. Travel was a critical part of my parents’ lives, and eventually, it became essential for me, too.
Today, I can always tell when a bout of wanderlust is creeping up on me. My daily routine of going to work, walking the dog, cleaning the house, repeat, repeat, goes from tolerable – even pleasant – to depressing. I find myself Instagram-stalking friends’ vacation pictures. Before I know it, I’ve busted out the credit card and booked a trip to some new point on the map.
I’ve made some ill-advised purchases in my life (if anyone wants a slightly-used spray tanning gun, just give me a call) but I’ve never regretted buying a plane ticket. After a vacation, I feel healthier, and most of all, happier and more at peace with the world around me. I don’t think it’s just the after-effects of a hearty dose of Vitamin D, either. There’s actual scientific proof to show that travel is good for our mind and body.
Women who travel at least twice a year have a lower risk of heart attacks than those who vacation every six years or less. (This study did take other factors, like income and preexisting health conditions, into account.) For 89 percent of people, just two days of vacation is enough to help them unwind and de-stress.
It might be a little harder to quantify, but I’m a firm believer that travel is good for our souls, too. Being forced outside of my comfort zone to experience things I never would have encountered at home has taught me a lot about my own strengths and weaknesses. I’ve been inspired by the kindness of strangers I meet, like a café owner in London who fed my husband and I breakfast for free when our credit card wouldn’t work. I return home feeling like even though the world is huge, we’re all essentially the same people, sharing the same experiences and feelings.
I could go on and on about the reasons why I feel like every penny I spend on travel is an investment in my mental and physical health, but instead I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Mark Twain.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”
