The surprising benefits of adventure holidays

For some holidaymakers, a holiday is a chance to recline on a sunlounger and do not very much of anything. For others, it’s a chance to lace up a pair of boots, and explore the world. If you’re in the former camp, then you might not have considered switching to the latter. But there are a number of appreciable benefits attached to a more active, exploratory kind of overseas adventure. So, what are they?

Enhancing physical health
To begin with, adventure holidays tend to be fantastic for your physical health. Whether you’re spending the days kayaking, mountain biking, climbing, or skiing, you can expect to bolster your cardiovascular fitness along the way. Depending on your preferred choice of activity, you might also improve your core strength and overall stability, which might reduce your risk of an injury in the long term. Generally speaking, outdoor activities like hiking tend to be preferable to the indoor equivalent – since uneven terrain will provide a more varied workout for your legs than any treadmill.

Boosting mental well-being
Of course, anything that benefits your physical health, almost by definition, will improve your mental health as well. But there are a few particular reasons to suppose that an adventure holiday may improve your mental health. For one thing, you might be encouraged to step beyond your comfort zone, and to expose yourself to new challenges. This, in the long term, will bolster your resilience, and equip you to deal with the stress elsewhere in your life.

You’ll also be able to enjoy the fresh air and natural sights, sounds, and smells that come with an outdoor break. Hiking holidays in Italy, for example, tend to offer a great mixture of hill-climbing and inspiring mountain scenery.

Cultivating personal growth and self-discovery
It might be that you’re unsure of where your boundaries lie, and exactly what you can achieve when you set your mind to it. An adventure holiday will allow you to test those limits, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the country you’re traveling through. You might gain new problem-solving skills, as well as the confidence to tackle the challenges life might throw at you.

Exploring new destinations and cultures
Finally, we should mention the benefits of exposing yourself to new cultures and traditions. It might be that you come away from an adventure through an unfamiliar country with a new perspective on the attitudes and conventions of your homeland. You might have cause to revise a few of the assumptions you’ve been unwittingly carrying with you, and develop a deeper appreciation – and understanding – of the world. In most cases, this is the kind of understanding that you might not glean from watching a documentary or reading a book. There’s no substitute for in-person travel!

The article The surprising benefits of adventure holidays first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.