Travel for Health

Why do you travel? Thousands of people travel to other countries to get medical treatments. But, a little less literally, many, many more people travel to feel good in some way - that is, to be healthier.

Some of us travel to get away from a part of our lives, and many times that part is our job. I remember when there was nothing better than to get a week off of work and fly to Mexico, or even better drive to the Okanagan. I remember how it would be all I could do to concentrate at work the week before the vacation, and as the vacation was ending I would feel sad and unhappy about coming home.

As a parent, travel is a little more stressful than it used to be for me. Some parents leave their children behind to travel (and that has it's own stress), but I only travel where and when my daughter can come with me. When packing, I have to consider all the things she may want while we're gone. While we are away from home she may not sleep as well and I always have to consider when to head back to "home" base for nap time. On the positive side, the travel gets my out of my routine, broadens my daughter's experience, and creates memories for my whole family.

Travel always seems to involve some stress and some rewards. I guess the trick is to make sure whatever trip you are taking involves more rewards than stress. There is all the usual advice... Plan the trip a little bit ahead of time - it's no fun not having a place to sleep. Don't sweat the small stuff - it won't necessarily all go as planned. Try not to overbook yourself - doing too much will just leave you more exhausted than when you started the vacation. Do your best to eat well and exercise while you are away from home. And so on, and so on...

I think there's another aspect of travel to consider. When you plan a trip, consider carefully why you are taking the trip. Constantly taking trips to get away from your life won't usually be really helpful. That sort of pattern might indicate that you would be better off making changes in your life at home than spending your time travelling. Also, keeping in mind your reason for taking the trip will help you prioritize what you are going to do.

Take a little time to think about travel and what it means to you. This simple practice may help you use travel as just another fun way to take care of yourself and stay healthy!