According to a new study, people who are frequent travellers are happier with their lives than people who don’t travel at all.
Are you planning a trip to get over your COVID stress? Or just planning to start a trip? Well, there’s no secret that staying up at home and being isolated for around ten months now, is getting on everybody’s nerves. But what if I tell you that planning a trip can actually make you a happier person. According to a new study, the best way to put a smile back on your face is to get out and travel. The study suggests that people who are frequent travellers are happier with their lives than people who don’t travel at all.
So now that you have a reason and proven scientific data to support your wanderlust behaviour, you can plan your trips without being guilty about it. Thank me later! As per the researchers of the study, it is revealed that there is a noticeable increase in happiness and well-being among frequent travellers compared to those who don’t take any kind of long-distance vacation.
Chun-Chu (Bamboo) Chen, an assistant professor in the School of Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University, conducted a survey to find: Why some individuals travel more frequently than others and whether or not travel and tourism experiences have a prolonged effect on happiness and wellness.
It is also important to note that Chen’s research is quite different from past studies done on tourism and travel. Previous studies have examined the stress relief, health, and wellness benefits of tourism experiences, but they have tended to examine the effect of a single trip or vacation. But this study by Chen is one step further as it is looking at the sustained benefits of travel over the course of a year and not a single trip.
Analysis of the survey:
The study, published in the journal Tourism Analysis, clearly stated that participants who reported regularly traveling at least 120 km away from home are about 7 percent happier than other people who travel or plan their trips rarely.
During the study, the participants were asked about the importance of travel in their lives, and they actually plan it. Also, the study even focussed on how much time the participants spent looking into and planning their future vacations, and how many trips they went on over a year. The participants were also asked about their perceived life satisfaction.
The results of the study showed that individuals who pay more attention to tourism-related information and frequently discuss their travel plans with friends and families are more likely to go on regular vacations than those who aren’t constantly thinking about their next trip. Out of the 500 survey participants, a little over half reported that they usually plan to go on four pleasure trips a year.
Travel and tourism industry to benefit from the study:
As the travel restrictions are slowly and steadily relaxing in many parts of the world, it is being believed that the research could have important implications for both tourists and the tourism industry. Based on the results of the study, even Chen said that travel companies, resorts, and even airlines could launch social media campaigns, such as creating hashtags about the scientific benefits of vacation, to spark people’s interest in travel.
The study can actually prove beneficial for the tourism and travel industry as the businesses can use the results of the study to their benefit and provide travellers with exciting offers to build their interest and also directing them towards a particular location.