How travel can help slow ageing by boosting mental, physical health and relieving stress

Taking part in new experiences, exercising and connecting with others can boost our immune systems and affect entropy – the ageing process

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Travel is a great way to slow ageing. Positive experiences and seeing new environments could mitigate entropy and enhance physical and mental health, according to new research. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Published: 6:15pm, 27 Sep 2024

Travel junkies probably do not need another reason to justify their wanderlust, but new research shows that being a globetrotter can be a great way to prevent premature ageing.

A study published in the Journal of Travel Research earlier this year shows that leisurely travel activities can help alleviate chronic stress, regulate the immune system and even promote the healthy functioning of the body’s self-defence system.

“Forget about retinol night creams, researchers from Edith Cowan University believe travel could be the best way to defy premature ageing,” says a press release from the Australian university that was published in Science Daily.

It notes that, for the first time, an interdisciplinary study has applied the theory of entropy – which researchers say is the general trend of the universe towards death and disorder – to tourism, “finding that travel could have positive health benefits, including slowing down the signs of ageing”.

Positive travel experiences could enhance health and mitigate entropy, according to recent research. Photo: Shutterstock

What took them so long to confirm what we all know?