Many people turn to travel once they have reached the age of retirement. They have waited and saved all their lives for this and for that moment where they can make the most out of what life has to offer. For the first time, they can go on vacation without worrying about anything but where to go next.
As people age, traveling can help improve their mental, physical, and emotional health. Even if the budget does not allow for travel across the globe, local travel also has a significant boon to a retired person's health. Once the age of retirement is reached, it is recommended to add some traveling to the bucket list. With a bit of foresight and planning, travel can be a wondrous experience for all seniors.
Mental Health Benefits of Traveling
Travel has been proven to be good for our minds. Discovering new cities, conversing with people just met, seeing new places, learning a different language, and visiting museums can keep a senior's brain engaged, active and can flex the mental muscles. All these activities and interactions can stimulate and challenge their brains. It can also build new neural pathways that may be able to aid in preventing the decline of their cognition. There is even research which has found that leisure and social activities can decrease the risk of Alzheimer's and other kinds of dementia.
Physical Health Benefits of Traveling
Traveling also includes different types of physical activities that can be very beneficial to seniors. According to US News, tourists often walk up to 10 miles a day while they are traveling. Whether it is taking public transport, jaunting around a new city to take in the sites or walking around a museum, there are plenty of physical pursuits that comes with travel. As long as seniors do not push themselves too much, these challenging activities can help them keep in shape and stay healthy.
Other Senior Travel Benefits
As they say, travel makes us richer through experiences and memories. Numerous studies have revealed the mental, emotional, physical, and even spiritual benefits of traveling. Here are some of the other benefits of traveling found in these studies:
- Senior citizen women who take vacations at least two times a year are less likely to feel depressed and stressed out in life.
- Middle-aged men who go on vacations every year have a 32% lesser chance to die of a heart disease, which is the leading cause of their deaths.
- Traveling outside of the country can make people more stable emotionally and open-minded.
- Taking a three-day vacation can lower a person's stress significantly.
- Seniors are more active when traveling, thus giving the opportunity to move around instead of staying at home.
- Traveling is an opportunity for seniors to get out of their comfort zones, overcome some of their fears and increase their level of confidence.
