7 Ways That Virtual Travel Can Benefit Your Mental Health

As the pandemic forced travelers to stay home, virtual travel provided an outlet for seeing places through videos or Zoom demos right from our screens. Even as places are reopening, virtual travel can still provide viewers with not only a portal to the world but also a boost to your mental health. Here are seven ways it can do so. 
 
1 - Learn something new 
Travel is its own classroom, providing a multi-layered education beyond a textbook. According to a Florida International University study, travel-related experiences can foster personal enrichment and self-driven learning for students of all ages. Also, the study noted that people who pursue their interest in travel throughout their lives can consider themselves to be lifelong learners. Take note: virtual travel can continue to offer many rewarding lessons.
 
2- Gain perspective and gratitude 
Travel also gives us the opportunity to be introduced to residents of other countries and to learn more about their cultures. Through a virtual tour, we can watch and experience everything from their cuisine to their languages and overall way of life. We can gain a better understanding and perspective of other traditions and practices. Even if we can’t be there in person, we can be taught virtually how to make a certain dish or the history behind a city and other incredible subjects.
 
3- Socialize and meet new people 
While traveling gives us the experience of seeing different places, it’s also the people we meet along the way that can create memories. Virtual travel can provide a sense of connection when in-person travel might be challenging. It can also help with the feeling of isolation.Virtual experiences give us the opportunity to become acquainted and interact with people within their country that we’re interested in learning more about. Through our video tours, connect live with guides as they introduce you to their locations and cities and other areas of expertise. They will show and tell you more about their destinations, from popular attractions and foods and drinks to fun things to do and more about their culture and heritage.
 
4 - Get a boost in creativity
Another plus for virtual travel is that it can stimulate your creative side. An article in The Atlantic noted that our creativity is linked to what’s known as neuroplasticity, which enables the brain to rewire itself and be revitalized to changes in your environment or stimulation. Think of it as a confidence boost. Travel is often touted for its benefit of getting us out of our comfort zones in trying something new that might seem scary to us at first. Watching a travel-related video of an activity that we’re curious to learn more about or always wanted to try is a good step in that direction.
 
5 - It can help relieve your stress
Our lives get busy and packed with responsibilities, so a break from our daily schedules can be rejuvenating. And we need it too. According to findings from the U.S. Travel Association, more than half of Americans didn’t take all of their vacation time, accumulating 768 million days in 2018. Along with a respite from your routine, taking one of our virtual tours can give you time to recharge your batteries. Being instantly transported to a faraway place can provide the mental break needed to face the rest of your day. 
 
6 - It can be a source of self-care
Self-care has become a buzzword but this act of taking care of your mental, physical and emotional needs is important to carry out. Virtual travel provides videos on topics that can help us unwind or deliver us to a calm, soothing place. Virtual experience topics can incorporate a class in meditation or perhaps a seminar about faith. Or decompress virtually by following a tour that takes you along a beach, within a park or garden, or another relaxing scenic spot.
 
7 - It can help to inspire you to plan a future trip
While the pandemic ceased travel plans, planning an upcoming trip can still be a thing to do -- and give us something to look forward to. A National Geographic article highlighted that anticipating an upcoming trip instills in us everything from a sense of optimism to recognizing the value of purchasing experiences over things. Virtual tours can provide inspiration and information for planning a potential visit. For more information, see our pre-trip planning experiences.