9 Ways a Vacation Can Alter Your Brain Chemistry, According to Science 

That warm, fuzzy feeling you have after getting back from vacation? It’s not just the memory of the sun – your brain chemistry is literally altered before, during and after a trip away. Goodbye vacation, hello brain-cation.  

There are so many reasons that travel affects our brain; it releases mood-boosting neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, challenges our brain with new experiences, and stimulates our cognitive function.

Why? Travel takes you out of your comfort zone, exposing you to new things – and your brain thrives on novelty. When you’re constantly creating new memories, whether that’s inhaling the scent of the spice market in Jaipur or seeing the Vatican for the first time, your week-long vacation is like bootcamp for your brain, which is getting a workout every day. 

Travel isn’t a silver bullet for all of your problems, but it does have a myriad of benefits including reducing stress, boosting your mood, improving memory, and improving brain neuroplasticity.

Here are 9 ways a vacation can alter your brain chemistry for the better. 

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1. Unlocks creativity

Neuroplasticity is at the heart of why travel is so formative for the brain. Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections – in layman’s terms, it’s how we learn new things and file away experiences that are novel to us. More new stimuli equals more mental activity, equals more neuroplasticity. 

Novel experiences triggers a release of dopamine, colloquially known as the ‘feel-good’ hormone. Dopamine inhibits our cognitive inhibition can be reduced, meaning we’re more likely to be creative. So when you travel, experiencing new things and flooding your brain with dopamine, you’re able to think much further outside the box. 

2. Teaches adaptability

Travel forces you to break out of your predictive patterns and think in different ways, whether it’s navigating a new city or communicating with different cultures. When you change your surroundings, your brain breaks out of autopilot because it can’t predict what’s going to happen.

You might not even realize this is happening, but every trip is full of micro-experiences that train your brain to become more flexible and resilient, staying calm in the face of change or the unknown. Psychologists call this experiential confidence: tackling something hard, succeeding, and then knowing that you can handle more than you thought. This won’t just apply to your next trip, but to all parts of your life. 

3. Slows down time 

There’s a reason that your week-long trip feels like you’ve been away from your desk for months. When each day is flooded with new experiences, your brain creates more memory ‘bookmarks’ or ‘impressions’, which slows down our perception of time by making time seem fuller. Fewer memory markers can make periods of time blur together, whereas when each day brings something new – as it does when you’ve traveling – you can easily distinguish each day from the next. 

Researchers at Stanford call this the Time Density Effect: the more new impressions you collect, the slower time feels. As Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking With Einstein summarizes: “Monotony collapses time; novelty unfolds it.” 

4. Strengthens relationships

A problem shared is a problem halved; an experience shared is an experience doubled. Psychologists discovered that when you share an experience with someone the experience itself is amplified, which is why traveling with others creates such powerful memories and bonds.

Pair that with the release of oxytocin (known as the ‘bonding’ hormone) when we encounter novel situations or experiences with others, and it explains why you feel so much closer to other people when you’re traveling – whether it’s bringing you closer with partners and family, or forming fast friends with fellow travelers you’ve just met.  

5. Improves language learning

Speaking the native language won’t just get you in the locals’ good books – it also gives your brain a much-needed workout. Just giving a new language a go has countless cognitive benefits, improving brain health and functionality. You don’t have to be fluent to feel the benefits, but the more you learn, the better your brain will react. Why not try and keep it up once you get back home? 

6. Sharpens focus 

Burnout is real, and a trip away is a well-known antidote. While new experiences are great for your mind, not every moment of a vacation needs to be filled with adventure – rest is just as important. When you allow yourself time to relax, your brain begins to rejuvenate and restore its cognitive function without the constant barrage of daily tasks. The result? Regained focus, productivity and clarity. 

8. Hones planning skills

Planning the details – like packing, getting to and from the airport or city, making reservations, and budgeting – utilizes executive functions in the frontal lobes. 

Your brain’s frontal lobe is like the control room of your brain, home to areas that manage ‘executive skills’ like thinking, emotions, personality, self-control, muscle control and movements, and memory storage. Not only does it hone your planning skills, but as you collate your itinerary dopamine runs through your neural pathways, improving your mood and keeping you motivated. 

9. Improves your mood before you even leave

You don’t even need to go on vacation to feel some of the benefits (but you do need to book one). The mere thought of an upcoming trip releases dopamine – Expedia’s 2023 Vacation Deprivation Report found that 85% of global respondents agreed having a vacation planned helped them feel more positive and optimistic. 

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