According to psychologist Dr. Rich Walker, people who have diversified their experiences and had opportunities to do so feel more positive emotions than negative ones and I can tell you, as someone who has had opportunities to travel and then struggles to do so, there is just a level of happiness you feel opening yourself up to a whole new world. Although it’s important to remember that travel shouldn’t be a way to run away from all of your problems at home, it’s a form of therapy in the way you are treating the part of yourself that is itching to explore and try new things.
I do believe that you can heal a lot of parts of yourself through travel, allowing your mind to open up to new experiences, new interactions, new ways of thinking, and appreciation of what we call living.
Travel Is a Privilege
Since only a very small population of the world is able to travel, it needs to be disclosed that I am not trying to show off that I have travelled or try to encourage you to spend your money to travel and that you are guaranteed to find happiness on your travels. I have always viewed travel as a privilege. My parents never had money and it was to the point where we never used to leave the house because it was too expensive to do anything and food and bills were always the priority for good reason.
My first experience getting on a train was when I was 17 and my first experience getting on a plane was when I was 18 years old, when I had saved enough money to go on a group trip to Barcelona with my friends. I have never travelled frequently and there have been many years since that I haven’t been able to afford to travel because I chose to go to university and chose to move into a house so I have always put life experiences as low priority on my list.
Read: 7 Things To Do After Running A Marathon
I have always wanted to travel, meet interesting people and have a huge list of memories to reminisce about. I always thought travelling was a luxury and you were only a ‘cool’ and ‘interesting’ person if you did, so anyone who went away often I valued more than myself because they’ve seen and done a lot more than me and I think that’s a natural thing that we are all guilty of. Putting people and even strangers on pedestals because they’ve got more experience under their belt.
I believe that knowing that others can do something I can’t, such as travel, can affect my and everyone’s mental health and it’s not about the quality of holidays they go on; it’s more about the amount of opportunities they have just to go somewhere else for a period of time. I never cared about luxury holidays; I just wanted to go places and I still definitely do.
Understanding the privilege of it all is one of the first lessons that I learnt, and how lucky I am to be in the UK and the accessibility of it all. Even though I haven’t been to many places, there is a local airport for when I do have the means.
Benefits of Travelling
Stress Reliever
It’s a great way to detach from all of the first problems, stupidity and take the time to breathe. No stressing about getting to work on time every morning or pointless drama that people bring to your doorstep. It’s a great way to turn off all of the noise and fully immerse yourself in reality and the positives in life.
Stimulating
Learning about other cultures in real-time and in person while getting to see a vast amount of new landscapes and wildlife is mentally stimulating. It’s important to have a home but it’s also just as important to see beyond that and live these realities of the world.
Changes Opinions
Whether it’s a negative or positive opinion you might have had, seeing the world through a different lens really forms an all-rounded and unbiased view of the world. You might have opinions about a lifestyle but until you’ve truly experienced it, it really means nothing. Having the opportunity to experience different cultures and norms allows you to form morals and values based on things you have seen and done.
Life-Lasting Memories
Holidays and even little trips to different cities, villages and so forth are always lasting memories because they’re unique, and stimulating and encourage us to have really positive experiences. These are amazing in times of low points; being able to think of these experiences and remind yourself to be grateful is really important for your overall mental health.
Appreciate What You Have
Something about modern living is that we are stuck in a cycle, which can lead to us feeling bored, unstimulated and everyone ungrateful to the space around us, such as our home, family and partner, which can have negative effects on all of the above. Having healthy amounts of change in your life allows you to appreciate what you have and coming back home feels good rather than boredom.
Final Thoughts
Travelling all around the world or simply going to a different Bond Street car park and taking a look around can have significant mental health benefits that I recommend incorporating into your life as much as possible. It could be as simple as getting a train to a different village or jet-setting off to a random island; it’s all mentally stimulating and good for our souls if it’s not used as a way to avoid reality rather than embrace it.
