Why Adventure Travel Is Good For You
Adventure travel –traveling around the world specifically to explore, try new things, and have adventures – is something that is growing in popularity. More and more people are choosing to ditch their day jobs (or at least start working remotely) and follow their dreams and passions around the world. Some will do this for weeks, some months, some years, and some will never stop.
What’s really interesting about adventure travel is that it has a number of benefits, and has been shown to be good for you. So not only is it fun, and it will take you away from the humdrum routine of everyday life, but it’s a healthy option too. Here’s why.
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You’ll Get Dirty
Promising that you will get dirty and mucky and that you may not be able to wash yourself down for a little while might not be something that spurs everyone on to try adventure travel, but in reality, although you might not like the idea, it is actually not a bad thing at all.
Studies have shown that we are perhaps too clean these days. Because of our constant grooming and hand washing, the alcohol gels, and the use of antibacterial sprays all around our homes, our immune systems barely get a chance to work as they should; they are compromised from the start.
By getting dirty and allowing ourselves not to be concerned about this fact, our immune systems will start to work as they should, and become much healthier and stronger as a result. So, you should definitely go out and try new things even if they mean you’ll come away covered in mud and grime.
The Outdoors Is Healthy
Adventure travel is often about being outside and attempting new activities and trying new ideas. That’s a great thing when it comes to your health because being outdoors is the healthiest place to be, in almost every kind of weather. Again, your immune system will build, and by breathing in fresh air, your oxygen levels will increase, making you feel fit and healthy and more active and alert.
As well as this, being outdoors is good for your mental health. If you are feeling low, perhaps suffering from the symptoms of depression or anxiety, or if you are feeling stressed, spending just a little time outside in nature can work wonders, reducing those feelings and replacing them with peace and calmness.
Increase Your Brain
Walking or, even better, hiking in a beautiful spot, has been studied for many years by scientists who were keen to discover just what these activities did to the body. Their research has uncovered a startling fact; regular walking, jogging, or hiking actually increases the size of the brain or, more specifically, one part of the brain – the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the area of the brain that is responsible for memories, and over time it shrinks. This is why the elderly have trouble remembering things.
By walking and getting out into nature, you can increase the size of your hippocampus, improving your memory well into old age.
You’ll Have A Greater Tolerance For Uncertainty
One of the main points of having an adventure vacation and traveling to try new things is that you won’t always know what’s going to happen next; that’s part of the point and part of the fun. Over time, when you are always open to trying new things, you will gain a much greater tolerance for uncertainty. Although that might not seem like something that is very important, when you relate it back to your home or work life, or life in general, you will see that it can help you hugely. It will stop you from becoming anxious or stressed about changes – big or small – that you might not have seen coming, or plans that don’t work out the way you thought they would.
Life is unpredictable, but we can lull ourselves into the idea that it isn’t, which makes it much more shocking when things don’t go according to plan. The better tolerance for uncertainty you have, the more capable you will be at coping when this happens.
Don’t Be Limited By Responsibility
In ‘real life’, you won’t be able to try everything that comes your way; you have responsibilities like work and family, you have appointments to keep and a home to look after. That means that some adventures and opportunities will necessarily have to pass you by, even if you really felt you wanted to take part.
When you are enjoying adventure travel, it’s a different story altogether. You are there to specifically try new things, so you can say yes to everything that appeals to you.
Realize this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so if you are struggling with finances, this shouldn’t put you off. You can take out installment loans to ensure that you have the funds to do it, as long as you know you can pay the money back afterwards. Doing as many new things as possible is crucial on a vacation such as this, and missing out is not something you want to think about.
Build Your Confidence
The more things you try, the more things you’ll be able to do, and that’s an exciting feeling – building up skills, whether they will be useful at home or not, is something that will increase your brain, strengthen your body, and build your confidence. Once you start to say yes to trying new things, even if you’re initially worried that you won’t be able to do them, and then conquer them and become a success, your confidence will certainly improve.
Having a high confidence level will be hugely useful when you go home and start work, whether you choose to work for someone else or to start your own business. Knowing that you can achieve whatever you put your mind to, no matter how daunting that might be to begin with, will push you on to make decisions and take calculated risks which will see you become a success.
Plus, being confident in yourself isn’t something that is solely reserved for being at work – being confident in other aspects of life, sure of your abilities and happy to try things out, will serve you well in relationships with partners, family, and children too.
