Disclaimer: I have no credentials in this field. I am not a degreed or licensed therapist or social worker. Please understand that you follow any of my advice, experiences, and thoughts at your own risk. 

I recently read that people make positive changes to their lives more often after travel than after therapy. And that intrigued me, so I looked into it.

This sounds like something AI might make up and use as click bait on social media. As it turns out, there are some studies to back up the idea that travel is therapeutic. This article outlines the major pieces of research: https://www.sacredtreks.com/transformational-travel-vs-therapy/. Here’s the Reader’s Digest version.

One study at Cornell showed that experiential purchases boosted happiness to a greater degree than material purchases. (That makes sense to me.)

In another review of the existing literature, there was a clear connection between happiness and travel before and after the trip. Travelers showed “increases in emotional resilience, openness to new experiences, and overall life satisfaction.” And these effects grew over time.

And University of Surrey researchers found that planning and anticipating a trip boosted happiness for an average of eight weeks. 

In my admittedly limited experience, it appears that the benefits of travel check off on the basic goals of therapy. Happiness, perspective, improving on one’s self-image, reducing anxiety and more. 

Now I’m not knocking traditional therapy. I love therapy. I find it valuable. And there are some things that traditional therapy does really well that travel might just make worse. Like dealing with trauma. If you have a toxic event or relationship in your present or past that is consciously or subconsciously eating you up inside and sabotaging your relationships and happiness, a trip to Indonesia is probably not going to help. At least not in the way that sitting down with a professional and uncovering the layers of mental scar tissue and creating a hard-won process of healing will. It’s painful, but necessary. 

That said, here are some observations that have lead me to be a travel therapy advocate.

Travel helps you adopt a new perspective. — We have a huge problem in society. Especially in the generations raised in the digital age. Human brains are subconscious comparison engines, and this is the source of untold pain. Who said, “Comparison is the thief of joy?” Teddy Roosevelt. A wise man who never owned a smart phone. Today, social (and other) media uses our comparing brains against us by bombarding us with lifestyles we can’t possibly attain. And as a result, we feel inadequate, envious, and unfulfilled. But travel helps you use your comparison engine brain for positive means and see the world in new ways. I’ve met people on this trip who live in a shack with no electricity or drinkable water, who are joyous about their lives. Do they need a drone, the latest iPhone, an Eames chair, or a new wardrobe to be happy? No. 

Rediscover wonder. — The world is a beautiful place. Even the places in which we live every day. Take my hometown of Nantucket as an example. It’s stunning. One of the top ten most beautiful places on earth. But after a while, we forget to see the beauty around us, and it all becomes normal. It has for me. That’s why traveling to a new place, even a place that may not be as nice as where you are from, helps one to see the wonder in new experiences. Contrast provides opportunity. 

Get comfortable with yourself — In the US, and especially if we are addicted to social media and other online sources of entertainment, we tend to be bombarded with beautiful people who have beautiful bodies and it can be very difficult if you are not one of those people. Remember: comparison. The antidote to this is not to go to the gym (although the gym has some benefits) but instead to go to a public bath in Japan or take a beach excursion with a couple of dozen other tourists from places around the world, and you will quickly notice that folks from Europe or Asia have no shyness when it comes to wearing very little clothing or nothing at all. Soon you begin to see that bodies come in all kinds of shapes, and yours is just as “beautiful” as anyone else’s. (Those beautiful people with beautiful bodies are just not freakin’ normal.) Another thing that solo travel does a good job on is helping you to understand that voice in your head (if you have one). Time alone, listening to and becoming comfortable with yourself, can be healthy.

Find your brave — solo travel is a great way to overcome one’s anxiety around new situations and places. You get to (carefully) plan things. You get to predict the outcome. You get to experience the things that you might have been anxious about. And best of all, you get to make mistakes or take small risks and see that it’s not the end of the world. Yes, there is a lot of scary danger out in the big, wide world. But it’s never as bad as your brain inflates it to be. You got this. 

Add to your support circle — I’ve met some cool folks on this trip, and I hope I have an opportunity to see them again in the future. A friend is something you can never have too many of. 

Get away from toxic news and social media — Go someplace where the wifi and cell signal is weak or non-existent. Or, use your trip as an excuse to turn media off, or down. I took a news media break for over five years once and I have to say it was the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental health. The news is designed to make you anxious. How do I know this? Because the biggest sponsors of the news are the pharmaceutical companies selling the pills that are designed to attenuate the things that are making you anxious. 

Stop worshipping stuff — Something happens when you pack a carry-on bag and set out on an extended trip. The cool things that you thought you could never live without become useless and the small, vital items that you can actually carry become your favorite things. The most valuable thing I own right now is a small rechargeable flashlight that illuminates my tent at night. It’s two inches long and cost less than $15. My $1,000 guitar is useless in this context. And I’m glad I left it at home. Travel brings out a love for the essential. 

Eliminate self sabotage, procrastination, inertia — The act of traveling is also the act of making things happen. If you spend all morning doom scrolling, you miss your flight. If you get yourself tied up in knots not knowing what to do, you never get anywhere. If you snooze, you lose. Travel allows people who have had a tough time with habits and follow-through to build small wins. And the reward is a new beach or sunset or favorite food.

Build healthy habits — I have found that most of the food in the world outside the US is not processed junk, but healthy, clean whole food. Sure there is some junk. Plus, a traveler can get sucked into the drinking culture in places like Vietnam or Thailand (not me). But most of the time you can live much healthier away from the comforts of home. And as long as you follow a few simple rules about how to choose street food wisely, you can avoid food poisoning and eat like a queen or king.

Get strong — For the past month or so, I have found myself feeling stronger and better equipped to meet the physical demands around me. Part of it is healthy eating and part of it is carrying a heavy backpack and climbing in and out of tents and bamboo huts instead of luxuriously soft beds. And part of it is I haven’t touched a TV remote in three months. 

Okay, so what are the most common goals of therapy again?