Exploring the Role of Travel in Healing from Grief, Trauma, and Anxiety

In February 2022, Adam Sawyer experienced an unimaginable loss when a devastating fire took his home near Mount Rainier and his partner’s life. Over the past year, he has often ventured into nature, retracing the paths he once shared with his late partner.

"I intentionally visited places that held memories of us together. While it may seem like self-inflicted pain, it also became a profound way to engage with my grief," reflects Sawyer, a writer focused on travel and the outdoors. "I would hike as far as I could, allowing myself to cry for as long as necessary. These journeys served as a means to confront my sorrow, bridging the gap to eventually find those cherished memories filled with hope and joy."

For Sawyer, visiting significant locations with his late partner, along with spontaneous road trips or nature hikes—such as his frequent drives along the picturesque Oregon coast—has been crucial to his healing journey, offering solace in the beauty of the surroundings.

"Traveling to these meaningful places helps me process my memories. Those moments of crying and confronting my guilt feel like a necessary release, akin to purging. I’ve cried, I’ve processed, and I’ve come to understand the significance of those memories and my reasons for visiting, which ultimately leaves me feeling lighter," shares Sawyer.

Sawyer isn't the only one who has discovered hope or relief through travel after experiencing trauma or tragedy. In July 2022, Hara Maderich found herself widowed after 40 years of marriage to "the love of my life," as she describes it.

"Facing a lonely Christmas and a sorrowful New Year, I chose to return to my refuge, the ocean," recalls Maderich, a Dinogo reader residing in Costa Rica. She arranged a southern Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Equinox for herself and her best friend over the holiday season.

"New Year's Eve was both breathtaking and deeply emotional," Maderich reflects. However, she notes, "being on a ship in the middle of the ocean, enjoying live music, sipping champagne, and witnessing lasers and fireworks with tears flowing was far better than staying home and crying alone."

Maderich welcomed 2023 with a literal new perspective—a breakfast view of a rainbow over Martinique, filled with a renewed sense of hope that her journey forward alone could become an adventure with uncharted destinations ahead.

For many, including Sawyer and Maderich, travel—whether to new destinations or familiar spots—plays a vital role in coping with grief, loss, tragedy, trauma, mental health struggles, or physical health challenges.

We've all endured so much—travel can be a remedy

Throughout the pandemic, as many faced the shared trauma and isolation of navigating a deadly global health crisis, travel—a traditional coping mechanism—was momentarily out of reach.

"Studies indicate a connection between social isolation and loneliness, leading to poor mental and physical health, a situation worsened by the pandemic," explains Terry Randolph, a licensed professional counselor and chief program officer at Pyx Health, a telehealth service led by women and the LGBTQ+ community focused on combating loneliness and isolation. "The pandemic stripped away the chance for people to physically break free from their daily routines and obligations, resulting in feelings of entrapment and isolation, ultimately affecting their mental well-being."

For many, simply imagining future getaways provided an emotional lift. A survey conducted in August 2020 among 263 U.S. adults, commissioned by a coalition of travel companies, found that 97 percent of respondents felt happier just by planning their future travels.

Additionally, emerging research highlights the genuine mental and physical health advantages of travel, which we can now embrace fully once again. A 2018 study by a team of Austrian researchers observed 40 'middle managers' and found that stress levels decreased while overall well-being improved for 15 to 45 days following a vacation. A year later, a study in the journal Psychology & Health revealed that more frequent vacations lowered the likelihood of metabolic syndrome, a collection of conditions that can elevate risks for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

"Travel enhances happiness and fulfillment, offering more for our minds than just a break," notes Randolph.

The health advantages of travel

Randolph states that travel offers "numerous enduring benefits for your mental well-being." These include:

• Reduced stress and anxiety: Traveling offers a mental refresh, helping to lower overall stress and anxiety levels.
• Enhanced relationships and connections: If you feel lonely, traveling is an excellent way to build closer ties with both your travel companions and new acquaintances you meet along the way.
• Increased creativity: Engaging with diverse cultures, cuisines, and arts can expand your perspective and inspire new ideas, benefiting both your work and personal life.
• Better physical health: Travelers often spend more time outdoors and explore new areas on foot, which can boost overall physical well-being.

The benefits are so significant that in January 2022, Canada’s national parks service Parks Canada launched a program called PaRx, enabling doctors to prescribe travel through a complimentary annual pass to Canada’s national parks for patients who could gain from time spent in nature.

According to Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Environment and Climate Change Minister overseeing Parks Canada, the program "represents a breakthrough in addressing mental and physical health challenges." He added in a press release about the nature prescription initiative, "Medical research has clearly demonstrated the positive health effects of engaging with nature."

Gaining insights from new people and environments

As Randolph pointed out, it’s not solely the stunning destinations we explore that soothe and inspire us, but also the meaningful relationships we forge during our travels that enhance our overall well-being. Michael Brein, a social psychologist focused on travel, has interviewed countless individuals about their journeys and the impact travel has had on them. He has identified several key insights regarding the social connections we establish while traveling.

Brein explains that when you travel, "you remove yourself from a pathological environment or one where you’re completely engulfed in your issues." He adds, "Let’s be honest, our daily lives at home often lack fulfillment and fail to provide fresh ideas."

One of the primary advantages of travel, according to Brein, is its potential for valuable learning experiences. When you travel, "you become more curious and open to new experiences... you learn to relate to others more effectively because you’re compelled to engage with new individuals. This leads to a flood of new perspectives."

A January 2023 study published in the Journal of Transport & Health highlighted the crucial role that travel plays in facilitating social participation and the connections between social engagement and our overall health. The research revealed that individuals who lacked access to travel opportunities beyond 15 miles from their homes were more likely to report poorer personal health compared to those who did have such access.

For Sawyer in Oregon, he recognizes that while he frequently embarks on solo adventures, travel serves as a vital avenue for connecting with new people, offering him a distraction from his grief and a fresh perspective on life.

There are moments when "I genuinely need the company of others. I’ll find a local dive bar wherever I am, chat with the locals, and immerse myself in their stories and lives. It provides a delightful escape," shares Sawyer. He adds, "Initially, I felt some guilt about this, but it’s perfectly fine to compartmentalize a bit to have a normal day filled with laughter and enjoying a meal with others. Traveling for pleasure has been incredibly relieving. It's okay for me to take a break and truly savor a place with new friends."

A mindset for escape

Last fall, when a close friend faced the stress and trauma of losing her mother to rapidly progressing dementia, we decided to escape to southern Utah for a few days. Our hiking adventure through the canyons provided her a small but meaningful respite from the daily concerns that had overwhelmed her. Although we found joy, awe, relief, and laughter amidst the breathtaking desert scenery, we were acutely aware that this retreat was temporary and that her challenges awaited her back home.

While some may see travel as merely a way to flee from problems, experts argue there’s a significant distinction between escapism and adopting a healthy approach to escape.

"Escapism refers to a desire or behavior aimed at ignoring or avoiding reality. In the face of trauma, many individuals will mentally 'escape' to evade further stress," explains Randolph from Pyx Health.

Travel alone isn't a solution to our issues, and for many, it can introduce new stresses, fears, and anxieties. However, how we utilize the insights and experiences gained during travel in our healing journeys can lead to more enduring benefits. We can also incorporate an escapist mindset into our everyday lives—such as planning staycations to nearby parks and cultural sites or taking mental breaks from work by exploring new activities, like learning to play tennis or joining a local hiking club—to replicate those travel benefits even when we’re unable or unwilling to travel.

"To shift travel from being a temporary escape to a more profound experience, one must be open to making lifestyle changes that reduce stress and anxiety," states Randolph. "Regularly engaging in activities that mimic the escapism of travel can foster lasting improvements in mental and physical well-being."