Why Travel Builds Healthier, Stronger, and Happier Families

I sat in a Southwest plane, looking down over puffy white clouds and shadow dusted mountains. We’re probably over Colorado by now, I thought. The view was extraordinarily beautiful. I sat in the middle seat. Toddler on my lap, husband and five year old on either side. I made a point to pause and really soak in the moment. How many “my-heart-is-full” moments like this have come through travel, I wondered. 

The travel bug bit me early on. Prioritizing family vacations were the norm growing up (the kind pieced together by frequent flyer miles and stays at relatives’ homes to keep costs reasonable). This led to studying abroad in college. After college, I worked for a year at a desk job, but the itch to travel was strong. So I took my savings, got a job in Spain, and spent a year traveling through Europe and Africa. 

It was living in Spain that I first saw the benefits of a minimalist lifestyle. I was living out of a large suitcase in a tiny bedroom in a small, fourth story apartment. I learned I really didn’t need that much to be happy, and that travel enriched my life more than things. 

Now, with a family, sharing the gift of travel only seems natural. Of course it takes a lot of planning and patience to travel with kids. But the trade-offs of family togetherness and adventures are worth any stress felt packing. 

And now that my I’ve embraced a minimalist lifestyle again and introduced it to our family, travel has become so much easier. Our most recent trip to L.A., I was able to fit everything my two daughters and I needed into one carry-on suitcase, thanks to some Kon Mari folding and our capsule-ish wardrobes.

So what is it about travel that’s so beneficial for families?

Here are five reasons making travel a part of family life is worth it:

1. Lower stress

Travel allows you to disconnect from your daily routine. It allows you to build space around whatever it was that was concerning you yesterday. In a new place, you gain a new perspective. Suddenly your “to-do” list doesn’t seem as pressing and you can gain clarity on what’s most important in life. Also, relaxed parents are a great gift to children. While I’m not proposing you have to escape daily life to relax or bond as a family, vacations do lighten your load. Instead of cleaning the house or running errands, you find yourself playing at the beach with your kids. And this can help you refocus your attention on your family and feel more connected to the people God’s surrounded you with. 

2. Shared experiences

Vacations as a family provide shared experiences, which become memories. Memories of fun times spent together as a family promote a sense of belonging and self-worth in children. Kids learn that their parents truly value their relationship through quality time spent together. Investing in memories instead of fancy cars, big houses, or the newest “toys” will show children that they matter. Hopefully, children will transmit these values to their own family someday, investing in relationships instead of stuff. 

3. Better health

Recent research has shown that travel is good for your physical and mental health. Travel has been found to significantly lower the risk of heart attacks in both women and men. Studies also show travel reduces the risk of depression and is good for our brain. Our brains absolutely love novelty. New, fun experiences build new neural synapses and promote production of neurotransmitters (like serotonin and dopamine), enhancing cognitive functioning and mood. In fact, research show just planning a trip increases happiness levels. And, interestingly enough, the study found that the anticipation of taking a vacation is far greater than the anticipation of acquiring a physical possession. 

4. Time for introspection

Travel challenges you to ask yourself why you do what you do. Observing the way other people do things, facilitates introspection. Re-examining your expectations and thinking critically about why you live the way you do is healthy. Are you truly living in line with your values? Or you copying what you see in your society, thinking that will bring you happiness? What a great lesson this is to teach to our kids early on – look inward before your look outward. Don’t do things just because others are doing it. Stop and discern what’s best for the life you’re being called to live.

5. Opportunities to learn

St. Augustine said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” Travel presents a multitude of learning opportunities for children. Whether explaining “smog” to our five year old on our plane’s descent into L.A. or hearing our 21 month old say “mountain” for the first time when looking out the car window at the St. Gabriel range, learning during travel is ongoing. Travel deepens children’s knowledge base through experience and hands on learning, which can only benefit them as the venture out to school and life in general. Even more important, traveling shows kids that it’s a big world out there – and reminds them they are not the center of it. 

So if you’re considering a family vacation – whether camping near the Grand Canyon or simply staying a couple nights in a hotel across town – I encourage you to take it. Your family will be stronger for it, which in my opinion, is more than worth your investment.