While of course, travelling and enjoying new culture should be exhilarating and invigorating, the modern professional is finding the idea of simply switching off and becoming present with the moment increasingly difficult.
In fact, recent studies show a similar picture globally. A study by Willis Towers Watson in Singapore found that 60% of employees revealed that they felt above-average or dangerously high levels of stress. Another study by Australian-based HR think tank Reventure found that almost three-quarters of the workforce felt stressed, simply because they couldn’t shut off from technology.
More is expected of the modern professional than ever before; yet we also know that we need to take ourselves away from the spotlight of the workplace and the technology that turns the wheels and cogs from time-to-time to preserve our mental and physical health.
Significant academic research suggest that world travel can actually be the very thing to reinvigorate your passion, maintain your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing to get you back on track to attack each working day.
#1: Stress-Relief
The rigours and demands of daily life often distracts our attention from the things we find both interesting and meaningful, which is why taking a break from the daily hustle and bustle is exactly what we need to unwind, revive, and regenerate our passion for success.
Could there possibly be a better way to escape the stresses of the working environment, than by packing your bags and heading off to a completely different country?
Travelling is a great way to promote feelings of joy because you are actively giving yourself something new to focus on, thereby lowering feelings of fatigue and stress. A 2013 study confirmed this, and of the participants who took park, 80% said that they felt more relaxed and noticed significant drops in stress while travelling.
It is also a fantastic opportunity to get to know ourselves again, and reconnect with those goals and interests that have been pushed to the backburner.
However, it is important to remember that for some, vacations can be inherently stressful in themselves; especially when trying to plan or getting back into a routine post-vacation. If this is you, then it’s a good idea to try to organise shorter, more structured breaks, to avoid last minute panic or drama.
#2: Joy & Pleasure
Travelling gives you the chance to step away from the daily hustle, which gives your mind and body a chance to rewire to make more room to take on new ideas, cultures, and events, which you can ultimately incorporate into your own life and career.
Human beings are migratory by nature, which means we’re not meant to be attached to a single place for too long – from time-to-time we need something different to reframe our perspectives.
It’s no secret that life is far more fulfilling when you’re able to get out into nature, live through new experiences and learn about different ways of thinking.
A recent study by Cornell University, confirms this claim, since the anticipation of a trip is capable of making us happier, than if we were to acquire something physical, such as the latest iPhone for example.
#3: Reframing Your Thinking
Experiencing the joys or travel, especially when you’re heading overseas, can really help you understand what you want and who you are. If you travel to the furthest reaches of our planet, no one knows your name, where you come from or your background. You can truly be the person you always wanted to be, and you no longer have to be the piece in the jigsaw which you can sometimes be expected to be back home.
We covered allowing yourself to soak up new cultures and thought processes in the previous point, but foreign travel can truly widen the scope of your world because it forces you to think about your own thoughts and actions that you undertake every day. Of course, that does not necessarily mean that different means either worse or better, but you can learn plenty of life lessons that you can bring home to apply to your work and personal endeavours.
#4: Solidify Mental Resilience
Packing up and jetting off into the unknown can often be an exciting and intimidating juggling act, simply because it forces you to adapt to potentially uncomfortable situations – an absolute must in the working arena.
Flexibility, patience and emotional intelligence are required to be a success in the modern work space, and travel can bring you those in abundance if you surrender yourself to it. This may be a natural reaction based on your personality, or if you’re naturally anxious person, you may have to make an active decision to let go – which in itself is something important for the workplace.
In the western world, we live in a largely structured and regimented society, which means that day-by-day we can go about our routine without restrictions. However, when you leave the comfort of your bubble while travelling, you may come across a situation that you wouldn’t usually need to interact with at home.
Managing these situations, can give you the strength and confidence you need to handle these conditions when they arise at home.
#5: Pushes Creativity
According to Adam Galinsky, a renowned professor at Columbia Business School, immersing yourself in local cultures, such as taking part in the Festival of Colour in India or visiting the Tibetan monasteries, increases your intellectual flexibility.
It’s also capable of enhancing depth and integrity of though, which allows freedom for enhanced creative capacity. Galinsky is well-known for undertaking studies to further solidify the link between creativity and international travel. Although, he stipulates that merely visiting a new country isn’t itself enough, it’s about allowing yourself to live and breathe the culture around you.