For centuries, people have written about the restorative effects of adventure: the opportunity for enriched perspectives and life experiences, and the healing properties of rest and relaxation. 18th-century doctors used to prescribe a seaside holiday for a whole host of ailments. But what do we really know about how travel impacts our mental health?
I’m lucky to have travelled quite a bit in my life. I’ve lived abroad in Berlin and Philadelphia, backpacked my way through inter-rail trains and south-east Asian hostels, and sunned (read: burnt) myself on many a European coastline. Travel has opened my eyes to cultures, ideas and communities outside of my narrow corner of the world, and helped me zoom out of the mundane anxieties of daily life. But it has also brought unique and often intense challenges.
Travel is often disorienting, tiring and anxiety-inducing. I will never forget the sheer panic of a missed flight home from Thailand, a nerve-racking visit to a Cambodian hospital, and the countless times I have felt lost, on-edge or frightened while travelling abroad. And while I love to travel, I also love to return to solid ground: to familiar rituals and routines, and the safety of home.
The research on travel and mental health reflects this double edge. On the one hand, travel has been shown to have enormous benefits for our minds. Travelling helps us to unwind and recharge, providing respite from stressors and responsibilities and increasing life satisfaction. Exploring somewhere new can help us to think more flexibly and creatively, and in a world of echo chambers and increasingly polarised viewpoints, can make us more empathetic, tolerant and trusting.
In one randomised, controlled trial of German managers, going away for a short break resulted in significant increases in wellbeing and a reduction of perceived stress levels – effects which lasted 45 days after their return home. Last year, research published in the Journal of Tourism Analysis reported a 7 per cent increase in happiness for those who frequently travel far from home. One study even found that women who took regular holidays were more likely to feel satisfied in their marriages.
Studies suggest that much of the beneficial impact of travel lies in anticipation. It’s having a trip to look forward to, as much as the journey itself, that makes us happy. So even if you haven’t got a holiday booked anytime soon, just planning a future trip a year in advance could boost your wellbeing.
But travelling isn’t always good for our mental health. Much of what makes travel exciting – spontaneity, the journey into the unknown, escaping from what feels familiar, safe and comfortable – can also be deeply destabilising, stripping away structure and routine that helps many of us stay afloat.
For those whose mental health is already fragile, travel can bring particular challenges. Jack*, who lives with anxiety, told me how travelling abroad tends to exacerbate his symptoms. “My anxiety always gets worse when I’m going away somewhere. I think it’s the fact that everything is out of my control and I won’t have the support of my normal coping mechanisms. A lot of it is anticipatory anxiety: worrying about being anxious before I even get there. It’s the fact that I can’t predict what’s going to happen, and also the pressure of wanting to have a good time – particularly when you’ve spent a lot of money on a trip.”
Many of the factors at play in today’s world can compound to make travel a much more stressful prospect than it once might have been. In an age of social media where travel is increasingly experienced through the lens of a smartphone, pressures to capture (rather than mindfully experience) a trip abroad may counter its restorative effects. Seeing a highlight reel of other people’s travels on Instagram might also harm your mental health, giving the impression that everyone else is doing life better than you. This is likely to intensify as we enter a new era of increased financial hardship and climate anxiety, both of which will inevitably come to bear on our changing relationship with travel.
For author and counselling psychologist Jacqui Marson, a common factor contributing to travel stress is the gap between expectations and reality. “One of the most helpful tools for people going on holiday is to manage their expectations and step away from idealised images of happiness and perfection”, she tells me. “Often people expect to be the perfect holiday version of themselves, whether that’s the ever-patient parent, the perfectly loved-up couple or the fun, spontaneous party-goer. The truth is, you always take yourself with you wherever you go, and the destination won’t change that.”
How can we stop ourselves from falling into this trap? “I encourage my clients to move away from expecting perfection when travelling, and instead notice and appreciate the unexpected moments of joy”, Marson says. Taking a break from daily life can do a world of good. The difference between a holiday that helps and one that hinders could be put down to a fundamental question: are you travelling to enrich your mind, or to escape it? Here are five tips on how to look after your mind when travelling.
Five tips for looking after your mind when travelling
If you’re worried about your mental health while travelling abroad, here are some tips to help you stay grounded.
Prioritise self-care
Mental health doesn’t take a break when you’re on holiday. If routine is something that helps you to feel safe and in control, try to create your own routine while you’re away. It’s important to keep on top of the rituals that keep you grounded when you’re at home, whether that’s eating well, getting in some daily exercise, taking medication or making time to do things you enjoy.
Set boundaries
Just because travel is meant to push you outside of your comfort zone, doesn’t mean you should force yourself to engage in activities that you find upsetting or anxiety-provoking. Know your limits, and communicate these to your travel companions.
Don’t suffer in silence
It can sometimes be difficult to communicate distress when travelling abroad, for fear of bringing the mood down. This can be particularly hard if you aren’t surrounded by people you trust or know well. However difficult it might feel at first, sharing any anxious thoughts or feelings with others will help to take away some of their power, and will help you feel less alone. You may even find that you’re not the only one in your group finding things difficult.
Manage your expectations
On holiday, we can put a lot of pressure on ourselves to have the best time ever or be the best version of ourselves. Like all things in life, travel comes with ups and downs, and feeling low or anxious sometimes is totally normal.
Get support if you need it
Just as you would seek medical attention if you broke your leg or caught a stomach bug, it’s important to find support for your mental health if you find yourself struggling. This could mean reaching out to friends or family at home, opening up to someone on the trip or finding a mental health professional at your hotel or in a nearby town.
If you know that you might have difficulties while you’re away, it could be worth looking into local healthcare services before you go. FCDO travel advice is a great resource for this.