Health and Wellness Benefits of Travel Experiences

It was found that there is a lack of research demonstrating the positive effect of travel experiences on physical health, and a comprehensive review of the literature on the health and wellness benefits of travel revealed that positive effects of travel experience on perceived health and wellbeing have been demonstrated.

Abstract

Tourism has been widely regarded as a mentally and physically healthy pursuit. Thus, recent studies in tourism have paid more attention to the benefits of travel experiences. However, most studies pertaining to the topic have been conducted in the fields of organizational behavior and health science. Therefore, this research attempts to provide a comprehensive review of the literature on the health and wellness benefits of travel. The results revealed that positive effects of travel experiences on perceived health and wellness have been demonstrated by multiple studies. These benefits have been found to gradually diminish after a vacation. It was also found that there is a lack of research demonstrating the positive effect of travel experiences on physical health. Based on these findings, directions for future research are addressed.