The Surprising Emotional Benefits of Travel!

A :09 second glimpse at the Medieval Village of Eze, France

What is one thing you buy that makes you richer... forever?

ANSWER: Travel

I'm not talking richer as in seat upgrades, FREE nights-with-stay, complimentary cocktails or BONUS POINTS. I'm talking about becoming richer in our lives. Mentally and physically. For real! The Docs say so.

And just like the cards we feature at Thru Glenn's Lens, I can speak to this firsthand, too – because travel was at the very heart and soul of life with Glenn in every way! 

As a client of his, travel brought magical "Hollywood-Style" photo shoots, rubbing elbows with celebrities, new places, new experiences... and also forging business friendships that would stand the test of time. But that's only part of it.

As fiancés then forever travel partners, it was something we lived for! It even defined our very journey to getting married – in the South of France. It brought laughter, grew our love and supplied memories that will last me forever! 

Our Destination Wedding Venue, Chateau de la Chèvre d'Or

 

Travel was a lifelong source of photographic inspiration for Glenn, for sure, and a forever chronicle of life's adventures. The thousands of photos and memories that feed our getting cards, our note cards and merch at Thru Glenn’s Lens are possibly my greatest treasures today!

But even that's not all of it.

So what's the missing part?...

It's that travel can also be beneficial to THE BODY & SPIRIT in a host of less obvious ways. Like making EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS. Accruing MENTAL HEALTH benefits, plus building SOCIAL CONNECTIONS!

Yeah, travel today can be a real pain sometimes. Create major headaches. But if it’s at all in you, venturing out to explore beyond your daily routine – whether a state away, a country or a continent – can bring not only mental and spiritual inspiration, but countless emotional benefits too.

How many of these do you agree with:

—       Travel stokes intellectual curiosity √

—       It broadens our frame of view on LIFE and what’s “normal.” √

—       It solidifies relationships. (Well, the good ones. The bad ones it just hastens the demise and points out why.) √

—       It builds memories that can never be taken away, shared moments that create shortcuts to a smile or all-over good feeling forever more.√

—       It opens our eyes to unique physical beauty that could never be imagined “back home.”  √

—    It doesn’t have to be grand to be wonderful. A visit to a new city or state here in the US, or a new country, a new mode of travel, or a new season of travel to an “old” place ...  each can bring so many new experiences to our “Life’s Bank of Treasures” that no one can ever take away or diminish. √

Plus, with the right people, it does all those “feel good” things that The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation talks about, like boosting OXYTOCIN (the “love and bonding hormone”) deepening relationships and even lowering blood pressure. It also is known to increase self-esteem and optimism!

—    It increases empathy, self-discovery and appreciation. For Glenn and me, travel brought out parts of our personalities and our relationship, that were sometimes dormant in the routines/stress of work and everyday living.√

—    It can create friendships, if you’re open to it. Today I have good friends all over the globe because of travel! √

—    It makes us more resilient. More able to just go-with-the-flow in those times and circumstances that may not be what we planned, but sure aren’t life-or-death things to get riled about.√

Because YES, aspects of travel can be super stressful. (Cancelations, luggage woes, language barriers, unexpected plan changes, and a billion more.) But the mental flexibility it takes to handle these situations is actually good for our cognitive health, as it builds resilience, improves self-esteem, and encourages new ways of tackling problems. For as many travel hassles as I’ve encountered, in (almost!) every case, in the end, the “adventure” was well worth it! √

But most wonderful of all, perhaps – it brings a new appreciation for home and all its warm familiarity, with every trip. 

As much as we loved GOING, we then loved COMING HOME too. Glenn had a concept he called “Vacation Glow” – the longer the “glow” lasted when we returned home, the better, the more special the trip. (And the sooner we wanted to go back!)

I felt it then and still feel it today.

It’s been really hard to get myself back into travel again without my best Travel Buddy by my side (physically). But I hope I will one day...

Little by little I’m dipping my toes back in. Won’t say it’s been easy. But the new experiences I’ve had so far and the memories I’ve made are already starting to whet my appetite again. Hopefully, to be continued... for my soul AND body.

 

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer!" 
~ Anonymous (but brilliant IMHO)

Cheers!