10 Reasons Why Travelling Increases Our Productivity and Happiness

Travelling is the most exquisite form of exploring the world. Surrounding yourself with new places and people and getting outside your comfort zone can change you internally forever. The amazing experiences aren’t the only benefit of travelling. It can also help you be more productive and feel happier.

Immersing yourself in the world takes your mindset to a whole new level. If you are wondering how travelling can make you more productive and happier, here are the reasons why travelling has such a notable impact on our lives.

10 reasons why travelling is good for you

1. Breaking the Routine

From home to work, from work to home, Saturday night gathering, and Sunday barbeques. The life that many people lead consistently and without any changes. Routines may be comfortable but they can also hold us back.

Travelling breaks our routines and leads us into the unknown. Breaking the routine is important because we leave our usual habits aside so our brain has to forget about the autopilot. Break that feeling that you’re living the same day over and over again and start to feel more alive and mindful about your life.

2. Count Your Blessings

Living in our little bubble can make us forget about all the things we should be grateful for. Our health becomes less important than our jobs, we obsess with other people’s lives, and get frustrated with the people we love. If you start to travel, you’ll realize how lucky you are.

Travelling is a good reminder of how our problems aren’t the worst in the world. Turning your attention from yourself to other cultures can reopen your eyes and make you appreciate more what you have.

3. Boosted Creativity

Researchers Nico Bunzeck and Emrah Düzel studied the behaviour of the brain’s SN/VTA or the “major novelty center.” What they found is that that part of the brain responds less to familiarity while it has a heightened reaction when exposed to new things. That reaction pushes us to explore and be more creative.

What we can learn from this is that familiarity doesn’t challenge our brain but new situations and surroundings do. That’s how you spark creativity. Getting to know new places can give you some fresh ideas. Boosted creativity will not only make you more productive but it will also make you feel more content with yourself.

4. Getting Some Sleep

It is not unusual that your work obligations deprive you of sleep. “Our faced-paced life has made us give up something to get everything done. What’s sacrificed in most cases are the hours of sleep,” says Estelle Leotard, a writer at Classyessay and a passionate traveller.

Going on vacation to a new place will be the perfect surrounding for forgetting all the worries and getting a good night’s sleep. Sleep deprivation can actually have devastating consequences such as depression.

Lack of sleep will affect both your productivity and happiness. Several studies have shown that sleep has a primary impact on our happiness. Also, the more exhausted you are from sleep deprivation, your brain will be less productive.

5. Improved Problem Solving Skills

The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that students who had lived abroad were 20% more likely to solve a computer task than those who didn’t travel. This is a clear indication that travelling can improve your problem-solving skills and help you think more logically.

The reason why this happens is that during travels you will be able to understand that there are multiple solutions to one answer. It rewires your brain to handle challenges and explore different possibilities.

Travelling has a lot of benefits including improving your health and relationships

6. Building Connections and Relationships

Even the biggest introverts will find a friend or two when travelling. There is just something about travelling that brings people together. Partly because you meet people with different personalities and partly because sometimes you have no other choice but to rely on others.

Did you know what the longest study on happiness revealed? That relationships are what keep people happy throughout their lives. Not the money, not our jobs, but the people we surround ourselves with. What travelling can bring you is some unbreakable bonds created over incredible experiences.

7. Improved Focus and Performance

Spending time in nature makes us more attentive and therefore, it improves our focus and performance. Travelling can take you to some unbelievable beautiful nature-filled places where nothing can distract you from your surroundings.

Besides that, you’ll learn that you have to be concentrated and focused if you don’t want to face complications during your trip. Otherwise, you can lose your group, miss a train, or lose your ticket. Travels can teach you how to be attentive which will score you some productivity points.

8. Broadened Mindset

Nothing can change your mindset like the wealth of real-life experiences. Visiting different countries will show you that the world looks different than seen on TV or the internet. There is not a book in the world that can replace real-life experience. That’s why you need to travel.

Open your mind and allow travelling to change your perspective on the world. “What I like about travelling is that it consistently challenges my beliefs. Broadening your mindset will help you understand that happiness comes within,” says Marie Fincher, a writer at TrustMyPaper and GrabMyEssay, and professional adventurer.

9. Improved Physical Health

The most devastating worries emerge when health is at risk. Believe it or not, travelling can prevent your health from deteriorating. In fact, it has numerous health benefits.

The increased physical movement burns more calories and gets you more in shape. On the other hand, the time you spend outside will boost your vitamin D intake. Not to mention that the U.S. Travel Association found that people who travel at least once or twice a year have significant decreases in risk of heart disease and premature death.

10. Get to Know Yourself

Stepping outside of our comfort zone helps us learn more about who we are. Detach yourself from your usual identity that is being a mother, father, daughter, son, friend, accountant, etc. Give yourself an opportunity to learn what truly lies beneath.

Having some time to yourself will help you reflect on your life. Finding yourself in new situations can show you who you are and what your strengths are. “Our ability to differentiate our own beliefs and values is tied up in the richness of the cultural experiences that we have had,” expressed Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, an associate professor of education and psychology at the University of Southern California.

Pick a Place on the Map and Go!

A conclusion that anyone can make is that travelling is without a doubt a rewarding experience. It can make you happier, more productive, and overall, a more fulfilled person. Now, all that is left for you to do is to book a flight and start packing. It is time to experience these changes on your own.

 

Also read: Newslibre’s Top 10 Richest Neighborhoods in Kampala