7 Reasons Adventure Travel is Good for You

When you consider the number of health benefits associated with active travel, it's no wonder so many people are choosing adventure vacations these days. From the obvious physical benefits of hiking, biking, kayaking and other forms of active adventures to the additional mental and social advantages, active travel has a positive impact on many parts of your life. Take a look at just some of the ways that adventure travel can improve your well-being.

Adventure Travel Gets You Active

Although reclining on a lounge chair and sipping a pina colada may seem like a relaxing way to spend a vacation, the sedentary style of resort life fails to provide any physical health benefits. In fact, you're likely to return home feeling burdened by all the extra calories you consumed and fatigued by lack of movement. Embarking on adventure vacations, however, can actually improve your physical health by keeping you active. Whether you choose to go mountain biking in the Rockies or snorkeling in Bermuda, adventure travel helps you burn calories and stay fit, often without you even noticing that you're working out due to all the fun you're having! By choosing an active travel trip, you'll return home in better shape than when you left.

Active Travel Lowers Stress Levels

Thanks to the fast pace of our daily lives, many people experience high levels of stress from attempting to balance work, family, friends and other obligations. Active adventures have been found to help lower stress levels by disconnecting you from your day-to-day struggles and immersing you in a different world. You won't have time to ponder your to-do list back home while you're catapulting across the Nevis Valley in New Zealand or exploring the ruins of Machu Pichu in South America.

Active Adventures Lead to Better Sleep

If you're plagued with sleep issues, active travel may be the answer to a restful night's sleep. The physical activities associated with adventure travel, such as bicycling along Bermuda's Railway Trail or

hiking among the Redwoods of California, are great for improving the quality of sleep. Even as little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise can help you sleep better so you can imagine the benefits that a full day of adventure travel can bring.

Adventure Vacations Benefits Your Mood

Exploring new places through active travel adds a mood-boosting level of excitement to your life. Adventure vacations are filled with unexpected, awe-inspiring sights that can release endorphins that make you feel happy. From exploring the glacial lakes of Banff National Park in Canada to hiking the lush jungles of Fiji, the wonders of experiencing active adventures can have a long-lasting effect on your mood and outlook on life.

Active Travel Improves Your Memory

Obviously, you'll want to remember the adventure vacations that you've experienced for the rest of your life so it's a good thing that active travel can actually improve your memory too. Physical activity, such as hiking in the Pacific Northwest or surfing in Australia, help grow the hippocampus, which is responsible for storing memories in the brain. Although the hippocampus typically shrinks in late adulthood, increasing the chance of Alzheimer's and dementia, physical activity, like those common in active travel, can reverse the loss and even improve memory.

Adventure Vacations Make You Feel Proud

Anyone can go on a vacation but fewer people can say that they've accomplished a major travel goal, like going on an African safari or hiking to the highest summit in South Korea. Completing a bucket list item on your active travel wishlist is something to feel proud of and gives you a sense of accomplishment that can carry over into other areas of your life. Plus, you can impress your friends and family for years to come with your active travel stories.

Adventure Travel Broadens Your Horizons

Whether it's learning about a new culture or gaining a new skill, adventure vacations are the perfect way to learn something new. Bicycle through Taiwan to immerse yourself in the beauty of the country and meet new people along your journey or pick up a new hobby, like surfing or stand up paddle boarding, in Hawaii. You never know what you may discover while on an active travel trip but you'll undoubtedly return home with more knowledge than when you departed.

Active travel is good for you in so many ways. Start planning your next adventure travel trip today to start reaping the benefits!