People are hoping for the COVID-19 pandemic to end so that they can travel freely again and now there is scientific reasoning to their ‘urge’ of traveling. A recent study published in the journal named “Tourism Analysis” reveals that frequent travelers tend to live happier as compared to people who don’t travel or don’t like traveling.
A researcher from the School of Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University conducted a survey to know if traveling makes people happier or not. It was to determine the tourism experiences and their effects on mental health, and wellness.
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Based on the results from this survey, it is now clear that people who like traveling often and pay attention to tips and vacations such as discussing their plans with friends, exploring new places, or thinking about the next trip live happier.
In addition to this, these participants in this survey also confirmed that traveling more than 75km away from their house increases their happiness level by 7%. This happiness was rare or un-reported in people who travel less or don’t travel at all.
Not just traveling but other things such as family life, friendships, and love relations also impact the overall wellbeing of a person. And if they are combined with traveling, these effects could be even more enhanced. These results depict that simple things in life add a lot to mental health. simply leaving the house to explore new things is not only good for physical health but also has cognitive benefits.
The previous studies on stress and wellness related to the tourism industry were limited. This new study is one step ahead of understanding how traveling can save a person from multiple diseases, risks, and ailments.
The participants in this study were asked to share the importance of traveling according to them; time spent on planning trips and yearly trips information. Then they were asked questions relating to their personal satisfaction.
The 500 participants of this survey reported that 4+ trips per year make them happier and only 7% of them didn’t go on any trip for the whole year.
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There are chances of travel restrictions in the coming years, mainly because of the on-going pandemic. But it doesn’t mean that the importance of tours and trips would fade. The results of this study show that all traveling companies, hotels, resorts, and trip advisors should take out time and start the campaign promoting mental health and wellness explaining how trips would make these travelers happier.
This study also reveals that talking to your friends about your trip, discussing ideas, and exploring new places has more benefits than your thoughts. Not only you will explore a new place every time but this trip will also improve your cognitive abilities, work performance, and plays a motivational role for your next trip.
