Why We Travel: The Benefits of Travel in Your Life

This is your brain on travel. Exploring the perks (and a few pitfalls) of a life well-traveled.

Why does travel have such a powerful impact on us? It’s more than just a good time. We can do that anywhere. Travel, or going to someplace new that makes us do something different than our norm, shakes foundations. It recharges us. And it’s not just our perceptions: science is showing off the facts.

Confession: Nerd Alert! I’m a mental health therapist, working with families and trauma for more than 15 years. I’m a brain science nerd. I geek out about the connections between our brains and bodies, between our hard wiring and the intangible essence that makes up our souls. If this isn’t for you, have no fear–I’m going to break this down without a super deep science dive.

Travel Benefits Creativity and Productivity

Our ability to be creative and problem-solve is tied into a fancy word called “neuroplasticity.” What does this mean? Our neurons, the physical little miracles that make thoughts possible, are like roads. The more roads we have, and the better they’re maintained, the more options our brain has when it’s driving thoughts around. We are able to be mentally flexible: to think of new ideas and learn better.

So what helps a brain be more flexible, to create these new roads? New experiences. We once thought that the majority of our neuron growth happens in the first five years of life (and we still do). But we also thought that after that time, we were pretty stuck.

Turns out that’s not true. Don’t get me started on all of the cool research with nuns in their 80s and 90s who learn new skills, grow new neurons, and even protect their brains from dementia. Inspiring stuff. But what this all means is that YOU can grow your brain’s neural roads at any age. And that’s what travel does. Novelty, taking in new things, improves your brain.

A boatload of research continually shows that when people come back from trips- particularly long trips, particularly trips in unfamiliar cultures and locations- they just think better. They create more unique things and have a greater range of problem-solving.

Top tip: Trips CAN make you smarter. Doing as the locals do and taking in new experiences forces you out of your routines and improves your brain. The longer the trip, the more foreign the environment, and the more you put into it, the more you get that brain jumpstart.

Travel (May) Increase Empathy and Trust

This is a controversial one, with research pointing both ways. But it’s inescapable, one reason why we travel is to be more compassionate and humble. So what makes the research difference? Why do some people come back from adventures seeing greater good in the world and others return with the same stereotypes they had when they left?

Travel can expand our tolerance and our understanding of others. It allows us to see that we have much in common and that our differences actually make our similarities even richer. But don’t we all know someone that came back from a trip full of venom about the failings of their destination? The place only has so much power. It all comes down to a person’s travel goal.

Top tip: Mind over matter. If you expect to see ugliness, you’ll find it. If you expect to see beauty, you’ll find it. Our brains are powerful and if you set your brain to see the good in the world, you’re likely to do it, even if you naturally lean more towards The Grinch.

Travel as Escapism : A Perk and a Pitfall

I’m not knocking it. I just want to be clear about that from the get-go. I think distraction is wildly underrated. Yes, yes, of course everything has to be in moderation. But there is nothing wrong with taking a trip to escape the pressures of life. Nothing wrong with lying on a beach with a daiquiri or curling up in a cabin with a book. Sometimes it’s necessary. And I’ve enjoyed both of those and many others.

Let me get just a bit techy. In psychology, escapism is when we do something to ignore or avoid reality. It’s a coping mechanism. A coping mechanism can be healthy or unhealthy, but the intention is to try to handle something. Travel as a coping mechanism can be quite healthy in moderation.

There are two ways it becomes a pitfall. One, is when it messing up things in your life. Are your finances in tatters? Is your job on the line due to time off? Are important relationships strained? (I’m not talking about the sorta friends that get passive-aggressive every time your trip comes up.) If so, you’ve likely pushed it over the limit of healthy. Look at your travel frequency and what else you might be able to add in the coping mix.

The second pitfall is when traveling is our only coping mechanism. Psychologically, many of us travelers are taking a hit during this pandemic. Think of coping skills as tools. You need a whole set of tools to address the different things that need fixed. I love a good hammer, but not everything is a nail.

Top tip: There is nothing wrong with traveling to escape. Occasionally do a life check to make sure it’s not causing other problems. And make sure you have other things that recharge you. Travel may always work best, but we all need variety!

The Special Case of Why We Travel Solo

Solo travelers are a special breed and they reap special travel benefits. And yes, this is a gendered discussion as more and more women and striking out on their own journeys. This is one I deeply relate to; I had my own solo month-long journey to Nepal not too long ago.

Female solo travelers tend to be on something more similar to a quest. When you look at why we travel solo, women continually describe the desire to test their limits, explore identity, and most importantly, be free from the constraints of obligations to others. And we consistently report all of the benefits described above as well a greater sense of confidence. Simply, you feel like a badass.

For the record, I did eventually get all of those things from my journey to Nepal. It was exhilarating, exhausting, alarming, and there were times I craved the familiar. I didn’t immediately heal or uncover a new identity. But over time, with reflection, I certainly have felt the magic.

Top tip: If you’re wanting to try a solo adventure, go for it. There are a lot of resources out there, particularly for women, to support you. You can even organize a meet up with other women on the road. Don’t wait for the right time, let yourself go.

You Can Travel Too Much — For Your Well-being at Least

Another confession: I’ve often been envious of that travel influencer life. Or at least the parts I see. Luxurious stays, beautiful landscapes, exotic food, and pretty dresses. It makes my everyday life pale in comparison. And I know others close to me have expressed similar things to me about my own travels. Comparison really is the thief of joy.

But, as I know if I stop and think about it, life is not all that it looks like on our media. And frequent travel takes a toll on the “hyper-mobile.” It is still a working lifestyle, with additional stressors and expenses as well as the science of the physical disruption of changing time zones, no matter how masterful you are with jet lag.

And here’s the real thing- remember how novelty gives us the brain gains of travel? If you are always on the move, your brain will eventually shut down the ability to take in all of the new stimuli. It’s a means of protecting your health and giving your nervous system rest. And your nervous system needs rest- it decides whether we’re chill or need to fight or flee. If it’s over-stressed, we are either always on alert or we go numb. It’s true, we even numb out good things like excitement if we’re feeling it all the time.

Top tip: You can get stuck in a rut when you’re constantly traveling just like you can staying at home. Only babies constantly consume new things and there is a reason why they have to sleep and cry a lot. No matter where you are, give yourself some grace and balance between the new and the familiar.

How Travel Helps Us Develop and Reorganize Identity

This one really deserves an entire book. Which is why Karen Stein wrote one. This sociologist studies culture and travel and wrote Getting Away From it All: Vacations and Identity. Basically, what she is saying is that we take on temporary identities when we travel, that we use our new surroundings to try out new ways of interacting. We try on subtle, or sometimes drastic, personality shifts (hello, Spring Break.)

But it’s not all about letting inhibitions down (although that is definitely part of it.) It’s also about being able to add to the story of who we are and can be, even if it’s not part of our everyday personality. I like knowing that the assertive tough girl who scolds pushy rose sellers in Rome lives within me, even if she doesn’t come out on the daily. Or that I can haggle with an air of annoyed indifference even though my Midwest-nice core is screaming, “You are so rude right now!”

Top tip: You may find that when you travel you try out new personality traits and may even let loose. That’s ok. You are not alone. Actually, almost all of us do it in one way or another, consciously or not. Some people like to act. Some travel. Potato, potatoe.

What Does this Mean For You and What Can You Do with It?

Here’s the short of it. All sorts of benefits from travel are possible if you keep those in your mind and look for opportunities. If you want to rest and escape, commit to that and put away the distractions. If you want to push yourself and explore identity, hold that in your mind. It’s all about your awareness and being an active participant in your travel goals. That’s why we explore our “travel whys.” If we know why we travel, what we are looking for, we have a much better chance of finding it.

And we will not only travel places near and far, but also take a far more meaningful journey to explore ourselves.

May the road rise to meet you, fellow travelers, and may find what you’re seeking.