Can Travel Boost Your Mental Health?
Whether you are dipping your toes in the ocean for the first time or tasting some of the world’s finest gelatos in the streets of Italy, travel is known to boost your mental health. It’s your mind’s opportunity to break through any lingering mental clutter and reduce any stress or depression that may be affecting your daily life.
Traveling to another country not only opens one’s eyes to another culture, language, history, and food, it removes a person from their everyday habits and circumstances and gives them time and space to breath while they immerse themselves in a more relaxing lifestyle… even if it is temporary.
A Vacation Can Improve Your Work
We live in a highly competitive and busy country, with many employees leaving their vacation days unused year after year. There is a fear that taking time off means missing out on something important and returning to the office after a vacation means thousands of unread emails. The truth is, traveling and disconnecting from your normal routine can reduce stress and make you more productive, engaged and energized.
Travel is the perpetually busy person’s opportunity to get physical, get outside, see and experience something new, re-connect with themselves and their loved ones, and remember that there is a world outside of their 9 to 5 job.
Expect (and Plan for) the Unexpected When You Travel
Unfortunately, even the best-planned trips can encounter unexpected changes and delays, which could cause unnecessary anxiety unless there was appropriate pre-trip planning, including the purchase of travel insurance. To ensure you can breathe a sigh of relief if a problem occurs when traveling, research and invest in travel medical insurance prior to your trip departure. Longer term international citizens or nomads can purchase Global Medical Insurance Plans which are comprehensive, annually renewable plans.
Investing in the right plan will not only help support you in the event of unexpected stress-based travel, but will also support you in the event of travel due to illness or death. Travel insurance provides coverage and protection on a variety of different circumstances, including trip cancellation, lost luggage, trip delay, coverage for medical expenses while traveling overseas, and emergency evacuation assistance and transportation to a hospital in an emergency.
Even if you think you are covered by a domestic or corporate plan, it is always best to research your coverage prior to trip departure to ensure you have the appropriate coverage for the type of trip you are taking, where you are traveling to, and for the duration of your trip. Taking the time to make sure you have the right travel insurance will ensure any problems that occur while traveling are resolved more quickly.
The right travel medical insurance coverage will also give you peace of mind that should a close relative become extremely ill or pass away while you are traveling abroad, you can cut your trip short and return home without any additional financial cost to you.
It can be easy to forget how relaxed we feel when we are away from home, especially if a loved one is sick or we have a never-ending to-do list at work, but depending on the circumstances, some time away from home may be beneficial for everyone’s mental health.
Having the right insurance plan to cover you should something happen while you are away is sometimes all it takes to convince someone that time away will do them some good.
So, what are you waiting for? Start researching that much needed vacation! Just don’t forget to invest in the right insurance to cover you while you are away.
Photo by Alexemanuel (Own work (Original text: Self-made.)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
