73% of people prefer road-tripping than taking flights when vacationing, according to a OnePoll survey conducted by Ford. It’s easy to see why, given the ease with which you can hop into a car and go off on an adventure. The simplicity of it adds to the recreational and sentimental value of such trips. Plus, like other recreational activities, road trips give you several health benefits as well.
Improves Memory and Spatial Awareness
A study on cab drivers conducted by the University College London found that driving for extended periods of time can help you store long-term memories better. This is thanks to all the familiarizing you do with paths and landmarks while driving. Hence, taking a road trip is a perfect activity to train your memory power. Not to mention, you will also navigate different roads and look for the perfect places to park your car. This works wonders for your spatial reasoning.
Passengers can also gain memory and spatial awareness benefits when they pay enough attention to the road and surroundings. Playing road trip games that involve the surrounding sights also helps towards this goal. To fully realize the mental benefits of driving around, you’d need a reliable car that won’t break down and cut your trip short. If you’re looking for a good car to take you on your next road trip, do your research and get the latest reliability reports on vehicle models.
Get Unplugged and Be One with Nature
The more tech-oriented your line of work is, the more stressed you are at the end of the day. Road trips are a great opportunity to get rid of the digital distractions and relax your psyche. For that purpose as well, exposing yourself to the tranquillity of nature is incredibly effective. More than that, being immersed in nature encourages you to move around and burn calories. This is thanks to an innate connection to the environment that comes from our ancestors, and it feels nothing short of natural.
This is also one reason road tripping has an edge over other ways of taking a vacation. Airports and hotels reinforce the use of electronic devices thanks to Wi-Fi and plenty of electric outlets. It’s true that taking a flight overseas can offer more options to pamper yourself. However, road tripping is the quickest way to get out of the city and off the grid for as long as your mental health needs.
Breaking Your Normal Routine
Lastly, taking a road trip offers a break from the monotony of following a routine. In order to re-stimulate your brain, you absolutely have to break your routine, and road trips make you do just that. Once you introduce your brain to new challenges and experiences, you’ll come back to work feeling fresh and renewed.
Think of it as a reset button for your sanity. This can involve getting behind the wheel to go somewhere you’ve never been, or hiking up a rocky slope. Any activity that’s engaging and enjoyable is enough of a departure from the monotony of the day-to-day. Go on a road trip and feel your brain come alive again.
In a world where health concerns grow increasingly bigger, we need every health benefit we can get. Luckily, some of the best health benefits can be achieved by doing some of the most enjoyable activities out there: having adventures with the people you love most.
 