What Travelling Teaches Me About Wellbeing –And Can It Improve Your Mental Health?

For me, travel isn't just about going somewhere. It's about freedom, adventure, perspective and remembering what makes me feel alive.

Travel has always been an important part of my life.

Looking back, I think it has probably been more important to me than I realised at the time.

As I've got older, I've understood the connection more clearly

When I was younger, I think travel was simply something I loved doing.

I loved going somewhere new, experiencing different things and having that feeling of freedom. But as I've got older, I've started to understand myself and my values much better.

For me, freedom is a really important core value.

I don't particularly like feeling tied down. I don't like things that make me feel trapped or unable to change direction. I like having choices. I like knowing that I can change my mind, take a different path or decide that I want to try something completely new. And I think that has sometimes been misunderstood. Over the years, I've had people say things like:

"Oh, she gets bored easily."

And perhaps, from the outside, that's how it can look.

I like change. I like new experiences. I like having something to look forward to.

I can get excited about an idea and want to explore it rather than sitting with it for years.

But I've realised that I don't necessarily think I get bored easily. I think I get curious easily.

There's a difference.

I'm curious about what is around the next corner. Curious about somewhere I've never been.

Curious about what it would be like to live somewhere different. Curious about trying something new. Curious about what I might learn. And travel gives that curiosity somewhere to go. It also gives me a sense of freedom that I find incredibly difficult to replicate in everyday life.

Of course, life is different now. I have children, bills, responsibilities and a house build. I can't simply disappear whenever I fancy it. But I have also deliberately created a life that gives me some flexibility. I don't have a mortgage, my work is a mixture of contracted and zero-hours work alongside being self-employed, and that gives me a degree of freedom that I value enormously. It isn't necessarily the most conventional or predictable way of doing things.

But perhaps that's another thing I've learnt about myself:

I don't necessarily want a conventional life.

I want a life that works for me. And travel is a big part of that. I love the planning. I love researching places, looking at routes and imagining what we might do.

But I also love the spontaneity, the possibility of being able to say, "Why not?"

That feeling of possibility is important to me.

And the older I get, the more I realise that perhaps what some people have interpreted as me getting bored is actually me wanting to keep experiencing life. I don't want to stop being curious. I don't want to stop exploring. I don't want to stop dreaming about the next adventure. And I don't think I should have to.

For me, freedom has so much value.

And I've realised that some of the choices I make in life are actually about protecting that feeling of freedom. Travel is a big part of that.

Travel isn't an escape from my life — it's part of the life I want

I think there is sometimes a perception that people travel because they want to escape their everyday lives. sometimes, yes, we probably all need a break. But for me, it's more than that.

I don't travel because I hate my normal life. I travel because experiencing new places is part of the life I want to live. I want the memories. I want the adventures. I want to see different parts of the world. I want to experience different cultures. I want to be beside the ocean.

I want to try new things. I want to have stories to tell. And I want to look back and know that I actually did some of the things I dreamed about.

That feels very different from simply needing to "get away".

Now I can see the bigger picture. I understand myself better. I understand my values better.

And I understand what makes me feel good.

Freedom. Adventure. Nature. Movement. New experiences. Connection. Curiosity.

Travel brings so many of those things together. And perhaps that's why I notice such a difference in my wellbeing when I'm away. It isn't necessarily one particular thing.

It's the combination. I'm outside more. I'm walking more. I'm often around the sea.

I'm experiencing new things. I'm spending time with people I love. I'm thinking about different things. I'm not constantly looking at the same four walls. And, perhaps most importantly, I'm creating memories rather than simply completing tasks.

Travel has also taught me that I don't have to do everything "perfectly"

I'm quite disciplined in everyday life. I generally have routines around food, movement and my working life that suit me. For example, in normal life I tend to follow an eating window and have a fairly structured approach to food because I find that works well for me.

But when I'm travelling? I relax that. I might eat breakfast when I wouldn't normally.

I might eat at completely different times. I might have something because it looks amazing rather than because it fits neatly into my normal routine. And I'm okay with that.

In fact, I think that's part of the point.

Healthy living has to fit around living.

I don't want wellbeing to become another set of rules that I have to follow perfectly.

I want healthy habits that support my life, not habits that stop me enjoying it.

And travel has taught me a lot about that balance.

Travel is also my reward

This is something I've become increasingly aware of. When we talk about behaviour change and building habits, we often talk about rewards. And I realised that travel is one of mine.

I work hard. I juggle different types of work. I build my business. I have family responsibilities.

I have projects I'm working on. And then there is the never-ending list of normal life!

Travel gives me something to work towards.

Something to look forward to. Something that feels exciting. It becomes a reward for the effort. And I think that is incredibly powerful from a motivation point of view.

There is something quite motivating about thinking:

"Right, I'm working towards this because I want to be able to do that."

Whether that's a big international trip or simply a few days somewhere, having something exciting on the horizon can change how you approach the months leading up to it.

But does travel actually improve your mental health?

For me?

Absolutely. It's a definite no-brainer yes.

I'm not suggesting that booking a flight is a treatment for mental illness, or that everyone will experience travel in the same way. Travel can be stressful. Flights can be stressful.

Money can be stressful. Family holidays can be stressful! And there are plenty of things that can go wrong.

But for my own wellbeing, I know that travel makes a difference.

I come back feeling different. Sometimes it's because I've rested. Sometimes because I've had adventures. Sometimes because I've been active. Sometimes because I've spent time in nature. Sometimes because I've had a completely different perspective on my normal life.

And sometimes I simply come home thinking:

"That was brilliant. When can we do it again?"

That feeling matters.

Travel gives me perspective

One of the biggest things travel does for me is create perspective. At home, it's very easy to get caught up in the everyday. The jobs that need doing. The things that haven't been finished. The work that needs chasing. The bills. The plans. The problems. The frustrations.

Then you find yourself somewhere completely different.

Maybe you're standing on a beach thousands of miles from home. Maybe you're watching a sunset. Maybe you're driving along a coastline. Maybe you're sitting somewhere having a conversation with someone you love. And suddenly, the thing that felt absolutely enormous last Tuesday doesn't seem quite so important.

Nothing has necessarily changed. But your perspective has. And sometimes that's exactly what we need.

Travel makes me move without thinking about exercise

Another thing I love is that travel naturally gets me moving, despite being quite an active person in the everyday but life and work can actually make me more sedentary on some days than I like. I'm not necessarily thinking:

"I need to get my 10,000 steps today."

I'm thinking:

"What's around that corner?" "Can we walk down there?" "Let's go and see the beach."

"I wonder what's up there?"

Movement becomes part of the experience.

And for me, that is a much more enjoyable relationship with physical activity.

I'm a qualified personal trainer, so I know how important movement is for physical and mental wellbeing. But I also know that exercise doesn't have to mean going to the gym.

Walking, swimming, surfing, exploring, hiking, cycling, paddling or simply being active throughout the day all count. Travel reminds me of that.

The sea probably plays a bigger part than I realise

Anyone who knows me will probably not be surprised by this one.

I love being around the sea. There is something about it that instantly changes how I feel.

Maybe it's the space. Maybe it's the sound. Maybe it's being outside. Maybe it's the movement of the water. Maybe it's the memories and experiences associated with it.

Whatever the reason, I know that getting near the ocean is one of those things that consistently makes me feel good.

And when travel combines sea, adventure, movement, freedom, I am in my happy place.

You don't have to travel to the other side of the world

Having said all of this, I don't think wellbeing has to come with a passport. You don't need to fly to New Zealand. You don't need a luxury holiday. You don't need four weeks off work.

You don't even necessarily need to leave the UK. Travel can be a road trip. A weekend away.

A day somewhere you've never been. A new coastal walk. A camping trip. A spontaneous night away. Exploring somewhere on your doorstep.

The important part, for me, is sometimes breaking the pattern.

Changing the scenery. Doing something different. Having something to look forward to. Giving yourself permission to explore.

Perhaps the real question isn't "Can travel improve your mental health?"

Maybe the better question is:

"What is it about travel that makes me feel well, and how can I bring more of that into everyday life?"

That's something I'm increasingly interested in. Because I don't want to spend my life working hard just to escape it for two weeks a year. I want to create a life where some of the things I love about travelling exist at home too. More time outside. More adventure. More movement. More sea. More spontaneity. More experiences. More time with people I love.

More freedom. More saying yes. More making memories. And perhaps less waiting for the next holiday to feel like I'm really living.

What travelling has taught me about wellbeing

If I had to put everything I've learned into a few simple lessons, they would probably be these:

Freedom matters. Experiences matter. Movement matters. Nature matters. Connection matters. Rest matters. Having something to look forward to matters. And enjoying your life matters.

Travel has helped me understand that wellbeing isn't just about eating the right foods, exercising regularly or getting enough sleep, although all of those things are important.

It's also about asking:

What makes you feel alive? What makes you excited to get out of bed? What gives you a sense of freedom? What makes you curious? What makes you laugh? What makes you feel connected? What experiences do you want to have? What do you want to remember?

For me, travel ticks a lot of those boxes.

And the older I get, the more I realise that isn't something I should apologise for or put off until "someday".

Travel is part of my wellbeing

I've spent a lot of my life thinking about health and wellbeing from a professional perspective. Nutrition. Movement. Women's health. Menopause. Lifestyle. Behaviour change.

But I'm also increasingly interested in what wellbeing means in real life.

And for me, travel is a huge part of that. It gives me freedom. It gives me something to look forward to. It gives me adventure. It gives me perspective. It gets me moving. It gets me outside. It connects me with people. It challenges me. And sometimes it reminds me exactly what I want my life to look like.

So, can travelling improve your mental health?

I can only speak from my own experience.

But for me, yes. Without question. Travel isn't a cure-all. It doesn't mean life suddenly becomes perfect. But it does make me feel more alive, more present, more curious and — quite simply, more like myself.

And perhaps that's one of the most important parts of wellbeing of all.

Knowing what makes you feel like you.

For me, travel is freedom. Travel is adventure. Travel is my reward. And travel is definitely part of my wellbeing.

So perhaps the next question isn't "Where can I go?"

Perhaps it's:

"Where will I go next?"

And I already have a few ideas...

Because wellbeing isn't just about living longer. It's about creating a life you actually want to live.