When I travel, I’m happier, more revitalized, less stressed, and healthier than I am at any other time in my life. Travel is a great form of self-care for everyone – new travelers, experienced travelers, solo travelers, group travelers, and more!

Travel Tips For An Incredible Trip

Self-care has become more critical than ever, and we need to find ways to feel better and brighter. So I encourage you to get out there and travel as much as possible because traveling is one of the most enlightening, fun, and rewarding forms of self-care.

Ready to make this your year? Then here’s why travel is a great form of self-care for you!

You Meet New People

“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher Hershey

One of my favorite parts of traveling is meeting new people – listening to their stories, learning why they’re in a destination, and sharing in the camaraderie of travel.

Some of my favorite memories of traveling are conversations, or food tastings, or group tours with people I just met that I’ll never see again. It’s the fleeting nature of these interactions that make them so meaningful. We have to listen more carefully, remember more thoroughly, and share more fully than in our day-to-day lives.

Travel helps us be more open and receptive to others, which is crucial for our self-care. 

Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

Comfort zones are important – they’re where we feel most comfortable, least stressed, and most in control of our lives. But if we never step out of our comfort zones, we can form bad habits and become complacent.

Many of us automatically associate leaving our comfort zones as a bad thing, but in reality, it’s a necessary thing. Having new experiences in different places heightens our ability to focus, be creative, and respond to changing circumstances, which is crucial to our self-care.

Plus, trying something new can be one of the best ways to appreciate (and not take for granted) what we do in our day-to-day life.

You Always Learn Something New

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.”  – Lillian Smith

I’ve learned more about myself and the world by traveling than I ever did in a classroom or an office. Travel is the ultimate experiential learning!

I’ve been traveling part or full-time for more than a decade, and I’m still humbled by how much I learn on every trip – regardless of whether it’s to a new or familiar destination. Gaining knowledge and insight is critical to keeping our minds active and our inquisitive nature alive. 

Detox From Your Devices

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

One of the most satisfying parts of preparing for a trip is setting the “out of office” notification. This declares to ourselves and the world that we’re taking a much-needed break from our work.

The constant dings, buzz, and glow of our phones and computers are a necessary part of our lives, but it can be draining. So when you travel, set strict boundaries for yourself., such as:

-Only checking emails once a day and only replying if it’s absolutely essential

-Keeping your phone on silent (or airplane mode!) any time you’re on a tour or excursion

-No posting on social media until after your trip

You’ll thank yourself for this!

New Routines

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.”  – Seneca

Routines are good – they can help us manage our time, exercise consistently, eat regularly, and plan our days, weeks, months, and years. But even the best routines can become, at best, repetitive and, at worst, a bad habit.

When we travel, we have to form new routines, which can put our day-to-day routines in perspective. By temporarily breaking all of our regular routines, travel lets us identify which routines are healthy and helpful and which routines we need to change.

Travel Sparks Your Inspiration and Creativity

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” ― Marcel Proust

When we don’t travel, many of us (myself included!) run on autopilot – doing the same thing over and over every day. And while routines can help our productivity, they can be stifling to our creativity.

We need new experiences – new sights, smells, sounds, and tastes – to come up with new ideas.

I’ve had some of my best ideas while traveling!

You’ll Come Back With a New Perspective

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

It’s so easy for us to get into a rut – wake up, go to and from work, sit in front of a screen at night, go to sleep, then repeat.

But travel breaks this cycle, allowing us to return with fresh eyes and a new perspective. 

We need to be reminded how big and complex our world is to realize how small and manageable our problems are in comparison.

Wellness Travel as Self-Care

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between humans and the universe.” – Anatole France

When we travel, it can be hard to eat healthily, exercise, and take a break from the outside world, which is where wellness retreats come in. Wellness retreats are one of my favorite forms of “travel self-care!”

The Best Wellness Retreats in The U.S.

Wellness hotels and resorts are designed to promote well-being, making it easier for us to rest, rejuvenate, and re-connect with ourselves and nature.

Solo Travel as Self-Care

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver

Solo travel is the ultimate “me time!” Traveling by yourself means you get to make all the decisions, so you can completely indulge yourself.

Traveling solo also hones your problem-solving skills, resourcefulness, and self-reliance, which are all essential for our self-care.

If you’re intimidated or unsure about traveling solo, then here’s my Ultimate Guide To Solo Travel!

Group Travel as Self-Care

“Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.” – Roy M. Goodman

While I love solo travel, many of my travels are with other people – golf trips with my dad, mother-daughter getaways, sister trips, hosting a girlfriends’ getaway, or going on a group tour. 

Traveling with others requires compromise, collaboration, and constant communication – skills we all need in our self-care. 

But traveling with others is also incredibly freeing because you don’t have to make unilateral decisions, there’ll always be someone to take your photo, and you’ll enjoy a sense of comrade that can last a lifetime.

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Do you have other reasons why travel is a great form of self-care? If so, share with us in the comments!

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This is not a sponsored post, and, as always, the thoughts and opinions expressed in this post about why travel is a great form of self-care are entirely my own. Some of the links in this article about why travel is a great form of self-care are affiliate links, and, at no cost to you, I may earn a small commission.