Could frequent holidays be a prescription for better
\nall-round health? How exactly does travel help keep you young?<\/p>\n
All these things help you age better. It\u2019s not just about
\nyour physical health, although obviously that\u2019s important.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also all about having an open attitude to life. That\u2019s
\nwhat keeps you curious. And it\u2019s what makes life interesting, whatever stage
\nyou\u2019re at.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel Garcia M\u00e1rquez<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll hardly be surprised that travel improves your physical
\nhealth. Firstly, when you travel, you often find more opportunities to be
\nactive.<\/p>\n
Travel also seems to offer some protection against chronic
\ndiseases. In particular, those diseases that are more common as we age.<\/p>\n
Science shows that holiday travel could reduce heart attack
\nrisk. In one study [link
\n1] , women who holidayed infrequently (every six years or less) had a
\nsignificantly higher risk of heart attack than women who holidayed at least
\ntwice a year.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a similar story for men.<\/p>\n
In another study [link 2], men who didn\u2019t take an annual holiday
\nhad a 20% higher risk of death. They also had a 30% greater risk of death from
\nheart disease.<\/p>\n
Travel doesn’t just help your body age better.<\/p>\n
Holidays keep you on your toes cognitively too. Leisure and
\nsocial pursuits like travel have been associated with lower dementia risk.<\/p>\n
Should you put down the crossword and pick up a travel brochure instead?<\/p>\n
Good news here too. Travel offers a similar boost to brain
\nfunction as puzzles or cultural trips to museums.<\/p>\n
In fact, it might be even better for you. A study in the
\njournal of Leisure Studies found that travel had a greater positive effect for
\nolder people than arts and cultural activities.<\/p>\n
You can optimise the effect by practising a different
\nlanguage while you\u2019re away. Maybe pick up the French you learnt at school?<\/p>\n
Or try learning a new language at evening classes or with an Both physical health and brain function have an impact on A 2020 National Academy of For older people who are willing and able, travel nurtures As a traveller, you feel the social perk of meeting new Most of us feel more relaxed when we travel. But this can Never underestimate the pleasure potential of anticipating a Planning a holiday can lift your spirits. Then once you\u2019re If you keep a travel journal or create a photo album, you\u2019ll Depending on the type of trip you choose, travel can give Not only do you feel the wonder of nature or cultural You also appreciate the new people you meet.<\/p>\n Once you open up to new ideas, activities and people, you Freebird Club travellers can <\/ins>stay You can find new ideas for travel destinations here. [internal link to travel guides on Freebird Club website]<\/p>\n Different cultures broaden your horizons. You might even All of this makes you feel more engaged and alive.<\/p>\n When you leave your own country for another, you can feel Daily That experience with openness and novelty Sure it Many And why Not when travel has such positive effects on your Could frequent holidays be a prescription for better all-round health? How exactly does travel help keep you young? There\u2019s no […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freebirdclub.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freebirdclub.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freebirdclub.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freebirdclub.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freebirdclub.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/freebirdclub.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":452,"href":"https:\/\/freebirdclub.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7\/revisions\/452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freebirdclub.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freebirdclub.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freebirdclub.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nonline app like Duolingo. https:\/\/www.duolingo.com\/<\/a>]<\/p>\nTravel is good for your body (and brain). What
\nabout your spirit?<\/h2>\n
\nyour mental wellbeing too.<\/p>\n
\nSciences study [link 3] found that
\nsocial isolation or loneliness put older adults at higher risk of developing
\nserious medical conditions.<\/p>\n
\nmental wellbeing by reducing those feelings of isolation.<\/p>\n
\npeople, spending quality time with companions, or even throwing yourself into
\ngroup activities.<\/p>\nYou can also reap the benefits of lower stress
\nand anxiety.<\/h3>\n
\nstart even before you pick up your passport.<\/p>\n
\ntrip.<\/p>\n
\nhome, memories of your trip keep you smiling long afterwards too.<\/p>\n
\nalso be able to relive the joy with friends and family.<\/p>\nTravel can give your life more purpose<\/h2>\n
\nyou a sense of purpose. For example, a volunteering holiday is likely to make
\nyou feel a positive sense of belonging.<\/p>\n
\nheritage in a beautiful new place.<\/p>\nTravel opens up your mind to new perspectives<\/h2>\n
\nbecome more curious and engaged with the world outside your hometown.
\nEspecially if you make an effort to look outside typical tourist activities and
\nactively engage with local people.<\/p>\n
\nwith welcoming local hosts, meaning that both parties get a social lift from
\ninteracting.<\/p>\n
\nfeel more creative, or have more ideas. Or simply feel more connected to the
\npeople you come across.<\/p>\nA curious thing happens
\nwhen you cross geographical borders. Psychologically, your identity gets
\nrefreshed.<\/h3>\n
\nlike a different person. You get to try on new identities and fresh routines.<\/p>\n
\nobligations fade away, and you experiment with new ways of passing the time.<\/p>\n
\nwhen you travel makes you a more interesting person to spend time with, even
\nafter you arrive back home.<\/p>\nCan travel really make you a more interesting person?<\/h2>\n
\ncan. Regular travel makes you stand out as a more confident and memorable
\nperson.<\/p>\n
\nolder people agree that they\u2019re not ready to slow down. Maybe you\u2019re happy to
\nrebel against the stereotypes of ageing too?<\/p>\n
\non earth should you stop having adventures?<\/p>\n
\nbody, brain and soul.<\/p>\n[external links]<\/h3>\n
\n