We may spend every day at the office scrolling through the incredible escapist accounts of lucky jet-setting Instagrammers, but nobody travels as much as they’d like to. However, a new study has found that we should – as travel can allegedly make you both richer and happier.
A new survey – which gathered the opinions of over 17,000 people of all ages, genders and backgrounds – concluded that getting away from it all was considered the best way to boost our happiness. In fact, 77 per cent of all respondents listed travelling – be it a quick city break or a year abroad – to be the best antidote to the blues.
Travel beat out other occasions such as landing your dream job, going on a date and even getting engaged as the best pick-me-up.
They may say that ‘travel broadens the mind’, but this latest study – conducted by Harvard graduate Shawn Anchor, who now works as a self-professed ‘happiness researcher’ – seems to back up the maxim.
From trying new foods and meeting new people, to experiencing new cultures and seeing extraordinary sights, travel has before been linked to increased wellbeing – with effects including new languages stimulating brain function and travel psychologically putting things into perspective.
But we also said that travel makes you richer, did we not? And you’re probably thinking that even the cheapest package holiday to Zante would put a slight dent in the wallet. You’d be right, of course, but Anchor’s findings also turned up an interesting fact.
“I recently found that people who take all of their vacation days are not only happier, they are 34 per cent more likely to receive a bonus over the next three years,” Anchor reveals. “Happy travel pays.”
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