Are you planning any trips right now? I have three on my schedule right now: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Toronto. Even when I don't have anything planned for months, I'm always planning trips, because it's fun for me and it relaxes me just thinking about being on vacation.
So, why should you be planning a trip right now? Besides the obvious, that we all need to get away from normal life every once in a while, there are benefits to both planning and going on a vacation:
- Problem Solving Skills - When we plan travel, we work on our scheduling skills, making sure everything we want to do fits into an itinerary. We also figure out a plan to save the money we need. On vacation, we work on our time and money management skills, making sure we hit everything on our list and we don't go over our budget.
- It's Educational - Whether you think it is or not, we learn so much when we travel. Through museums and walking a city or even just talking to locals. We learn about new places and history and culture.
- Builds Tolerance - Leaving our bubble of home and all the things we know and how we live and people we know is good for us. We meet new people and we learn how they live and work and play. Learning about new cultures is good for us and opens our minds with new experiences. People who travel have more empathy for others and are more connected to people as a whole, becoming less selfish.
- Get More Exercise - Exercise is good for us and when we travel, we often spend more time walking around, climbing stairs for amazing views, strolling beaches, swimming, and running to catch busses or our plane. It gets your blood pumping and makes you healthier.
- Try New Food - One of my favorite parts of travel is food. I love trying new cuisine and exploring grocery stores and farmers' markets in other destinations. You can learn a lot about a place from their food.
- Makes You Happy - Going on vacation just gives us good feelings. It helps us make more of the hormones that contribute to our well-being: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. Colors, smells, tastes, and more can all raise these hormone levels, giving you joy, and there's no better way to assure this than to go somewhere new and take in new colors, smells, and all those other good things.
- Become Well-Rounded - Did you know that when you travel, you look better to prospective employers? It shows you're more open-minded, are open to new ideas and perspectives. Having a little bit of an edge over other candidates is only ever a good thing.
- Learn About Yourself - Whether you travel alone or with others, being in a new place can teach you about yourself and how well you deal with certain situations. These can help you deal with different situations once you get home, too.
- Create Bonds - When you travel with others, it can make or break your relationship, because you'll be spending a lot more time with each other than normal. Traveling well with others demands good communication, and when you learn that you can create stronger bonds with your travel companions.
- Lower Stress/Blood Pressure - Not having to go to work or answer to anyone is great for lowering stress and just generally making you feel better about life in general. The break gives you time to recharge and refresh and gives you a new start to work and home life when you return.
So, if you aren't currently planning a trip right now, you should start. And if you plan on going on a trip in the summer, the earlier you plan and book it, the better. If you need some help, check out my summer vacation post.
What's your favorite part of going on vacation?
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