6 Ways to Improve Your Health and Happiness by Travelling Sustainably

Travelling experiences feed the mind and the soul. With the development of transportation services, everyone gets the chance to explore the world with all its wonders. However, we often feed our experience pool on behalf of planet Earth. As it is today, tourism poisons our Mother Planet – transportation that has enormous gas emissions, reckless tourists, and so many more things are a big issue. Sure, it’s more comfortable sometimes to travel by plane, but if we told you that sustainable travel is better for you, would you be eager to try it? Let’s go through these six ways to improve your health and happiness by travelling sustainably. 

1. You can build muscle and improve your physical health

Travelling by bicycle is one of the great sustainable means of transportation that have been gaining popularity in recent years. Of course, you can’t ride a bike across the ocean. So, for a portion of your trip to Europe, for example, you’ll need to take a plane. But, when you land, instead of going straight to a rent-a-car company, why don’t you try renting a bicycle instead? Hear us out.

By riding a bicycle, you will:

• build some muscles
• decrease the risk of atherosclerosis and hypercholesterolemia
• strengthen your heart
• reduce BMI and all the risks that come with high body mass index

2. You’ll get more hormones of happiness

Those are pretty good reasons to hop on a bike, right? But – there’s more! Every hour of riding a bicycle increases the secretion of adrenaline, dopamine, endorphins and many more hormones. Why would you want that? Dopamine is a hormone that helps you feel satisfied, and endorphins already have a pretty cute nickname that showcases their effect – people call them hormones of happiness.

So, every time you decide to put some work into sustainable transport instead of just passive gas emission – your body rewards you with a lot of happiness and joy.

3. You’ll see more things when you take it slow

Travelling sustainably often means travelling slower. Meaning instead of reaching the destination in the Maldives shortly with a speed boat, you’ll wander through the waters slowly on a traditional boat. But that has its perks. When you storm through some area with modern means of transportation, you don’t get to see it all. You don’t get to experience all the little bumps in the road and every little wave.

Meet all the little creatures you didn’t even know existed

But that’s a shame because, when you genuinely take a moment to enjoy the whole experience, you can bond with nature and it will reward you with a peace of mind you didn’t even know was possible. So, next time, try hiking at least a portion of the road instead of using a motor-powered vehicle to climb the mountain. That way, you’ll meet all the little flowers and animals you didn’t even know existed. Your experience will be way richer, and you’ll feel happier and more satisfied.

4. Meeting people and new cultures can only add to it

The thing that is truly valuable about travelling is meeting different cultures. Expanding your horizons and points of view and stretching them to the extent you didn’t even know was possible. Don’t get us wrong, chilling in nature is an awesome experience. But, the truly valuable food for your soul is talking to all the different people from different countries. And, you can’t really do it by fast, massive travelling. If you take a ride by bicycle, you’ll have to stop many times, in many villages you didn’t even know existed.

There, you’ll meet truly extraordinary and very ordinary people. They’ll probably offer their authentic food and hospitality. And, you won’t even notice your whole world changing for the better.

It can be a major difference

Slowly experiencing and sharing other people’s lifestyles can, in fact, help you appreciate everything you have right now. Struggle and suffering mixed with happiness can be truly motivating for fighting your inner demons. Sharing all of this while travelling is a powerful tool to do so successfully and regain your full mental and physical health. 

5. You’ll eat healthier

Since we touched on the subject of food, we need to mention that part of travelling sustainably. If you want to be eco-friendly while you travel, you’ll eat locally instead of in large hotels and vast chains of restaurants (so, yes, McDonald’s and KFC are off the table). This will not only allow you to experience different things. But, you’ll also avoid all these harmful chemicals that big companies put in their meals. You’ll know where your food came from and that it is made one hundred per cent with love.

6. Saving the planet will save you in the long run

All those little things you care about when travelling sustainably – not using plastic bags, avoiding gas emissions, being careful where you put your garbage – are really helping you in the future. When you do them, you’re slowing down global warming and therefore making the safer and just a bit healthier planet for you and the future generations. It’s also important to do it with your kids if you’re travelling with them. That way, you’ll educate the future generation to be more responsible towards the planet and their own health.

So, can you improve your health and happiness by travelling sustainably?

The answer is – absolutely yes! There are many ways eco-friendliness combined with new experiences can help your outer and inner being.

The travelling itself is pretty beneficial, but bringing eco-consciousness to the table is another level. So, make sure to travel and feed your body and soul while caring for nature and Mother Earth. Improve your health and happiness by travelling sustainably and having a lot of fun. 

Cover photo: Andrei Tanase via pexels.com