Is travelling beneficial for your mental health? See what the study says

ANI |
Updated: June 26, 2022 3:19 PM IST

Washington [US]Jun 26 (ANI): According to a recent study, Travel and going on vacation can have a positive impact on the mental health and well-being of an individual.
A new interdisciplinary paper from Edith Cowan University (ECU) proposes that we change the way we view tourism, seeing it not just as a recreational experience but as an industry that can provide real health benefits.
The collaboration between the Center for Precision Health and the ECU School of Business and Law found that many aspects of going on vacation could have a positive impact on people with mental health problems or conditions.
Lead researcher Dr Jun Wen said the diverse team of tourism, public health and marketing experts investigated how tourism could benefit people living with dementia.
“Medical experts may recommend dementia treatments such as music therapy, exercise, cognitive stimulation, reminiscence therapy, sensory stimulation, and adaptations to the patient’s meals and environment,” said Dr. Wen. “These are also often found during the holidays.
“This research is one of the first to conceptually discuss how these tourist experiences could potentially work as interventions for dementia.”
Christmas fun… or treatment?
Dr Wen said the varied nature of tourism meant there were plenty of opportunities to incorporate treatments for conditions such as dementia.
For example, being in new environments and having new experiences could provide cognitive and sensory stimulation.
“Exercise has been linked to mental well-being and Travel involves more physical activity, such as walking more,” Dr. Wen said.

“Mealtimes are often different around the holidays – these are usually more social affairs with multiple people and family-style meals have been found to positively influence eating behavior in dementia patients.
“And then there are the basics like fresh air and sunlight that increase vitamin D and serotonin levels.
“Everything that comes together to represent a holistic tourism experience makes it easy to see how dementia patients can benefit from tourism as an intervention.”
A change in thinking
Dr. Wen said that the impact of COVID-19 on travel in recent years has raised questions about the value of tourism beyond lifestyle and economic factors.
“Tourism has been found to increase physical and psychological well-being,” he said.
“So, after COVID, it is a good time to identify the place of tourism in public health, and not only for healthy tourists, but also for vulnerable groups.”
Dr. Wen said he hoped that a new line of collaborative research could begin to examine how tourism can improve the lives of people with various conditions.
“We’re trying to do something new to bring tourism and health science together,” he said.
“There will need to be more empirical research and evidence to see if tourism can become one of the medical interventions for different diseases such as dementia or depression.
“So, tourism is not just about Travel and having fun; we need to rethink the role that tourism plays in modern society.” (ANI)