5 Surprising Benefits to Travel You Didn't Know

When was the last time you traveled? There are a ton of benefits to traveling. It's more than just taking a break from your everyday life, traveling offers unique benefits, and it lets you see the world in a new whole way. When you go to new places, you derive positive physical, mental, and emotional benefits from it. If finances are a concern, there are plenty of tricks to help manage the cost of traveling if you know how to budget. You don’t have to go to the other side of the globe. Sometimes a nice drive just a few hours away works just fine. Everyone always talks about how great it is to travel, but is it for you? Here are some benefits of why it’s great to travel to get you started!

1. Enjoy Something New

It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day tediousness of our lives. Jobs and deadlines can - and do - weigh heavy on our health, both mentally and physically. Stress is not healthy, and often takes its toll on us. Traveling is an excellent way to relax, unplug, and unwind. Just imagine the freedom of being able to have some time where you don't have any worries. nice to spend time with family and friends in new places. Whether it’s a trip to another country or renting a cabin in the woods an hour away from home, a change of scenery is a great way to take a break from the everyday hustle and bustle.

2. Traveling Improves Your Well-Being

As mentioned, stress is not healthy. Prolonged periods of stress can lead to increased risk of medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and more. Traveling helps you get out of your office and home routines of being sedentary, offering you a chance to physically get you moving. Traveling can also help improve your anxiety and depression, changing your mood and giving you a mental lift. If traveling out of the country, be sure you're aware of any health requirements, required vaccines, and risks you may face.

3. Expand Your Horizons

Traveling lets you experience another culture by interacting with people, enjoying the local cuisine, and seeing the sights. Even if you're just traveling just a few hours away, you will find that the regional food and experiences can differ. You might have a favorite Indian or Cuban restaurant where you live, but it's nothing like enjoying the authentic flavors from the area with the people who call it home. Eating local cuisines in a new place is a great way to connect with others even across language barriers. Not to mention, learning a new language has great benefits such as improving your memory, helping you multitask, and can help you make new friends. Even if you just learn a few words, that little breakthrough is an amazing feeling. Sometimes challenges will arise, but challenge means adventure. It’s good to get out of your comfort zone. It’s how we grow as people and learn how to be empathetic towards those who may be different . It's easy to watch a documentary about the Sahara Desert, but it's another to actually go out and experience the sands for yourself. Take the challenge!

4. Create New Memories and Stories

Everyone loves a good story and traveling gives you hours worth of stories. Who wants to live the same life where they went to the grocery store, the dry cleaner, and the office one day, and then did the same thing week after week? Each trip, each adventure gives you stories and memories to treasure. Think about all of the travel memoirs and documentaries you've watched; they're interesting, right? Well, why can't you have those types of stories? All you have to do is go out there and find them.

5. Foster A New Appreciation for Home

When the traveling is done, there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed. Coming home has its own sort of magic, and you have to admit, there's nothing like relaxing on your couch after an adventure. You get a new appreciation for everything you have around you when you venture to new places. Traveling doesn't have to be an expensive or lavish affair. It can be whatever you make of it, that's the beauty of traveling. You may want to start small, and visit a small town an hour or two away. You could travel to another area and visit a museum to take in the local cultural heritage. Don't worry about traveling the "right" way, just do what you can and see what you can see. You'll eventually go on bigger adventures, but even the little ones will leave their mark on you with these great benefits.