Evelyn Garcia Medina
Travel can serve as an escape from our daily lives, and research shows it boosts our mood through chemical releases, but it’s also important to advocate for environmental care during your trip.
A man and woman on a large rock near a waterfall. Nandhu Kumar. Pexels.
Travel does more than take us to new places; it activates changes in our brains and the environment. It can boost our mental health by triggering chemicals linked to learning and emotional well-being. At the same time, it’s important to advocate for sustainable travel practices to protect the ecosystems and cultures that make each destination unique. From brain chemistry to carbon footprints, how and why we travel have scientific and environmental relevance.
When we travel, our brains produce “feel-good” chemicals like dopamine and serotonin that trigger a sense of enjoyment and happiness. According to Dr. Rupam Konar, dopamine assists the brain in forming and strengthening the connections between neurons through something called synaptic plasticity, a rewiring process that creates new pathways in our brain and enhances the ones we rely on. Serotonin regulates mood, decreases anxiety and depression and activates a positive outlook in travelers. Research supports the notion that mentally stimulating environments produce dopamine and improve synaptic plasticity. According to the scientific journal NeuroImage, cultural immersion “enhances activity in brain regions responsible for empathy, such as the anterior insula and medial prefrontal cortex.” Ultimately, it all boils down to specific activities common during travel that help dopamine and serotonin do their job.
A doctor analyzes brain scans. Anna Shvets. Pexels.
The key to dopamine and serotonin release is novelty; new experiences not only trigger hippocampal growth in our brains but also release the chemicals that help travelers enjoy trips more. In the midst of something new, like handling a language barrier, our brains begin reading body language and identifying patterns in words, thus strengthening our thinking. Exploring a new place, ordering in a different language or navigating public transportation improves memory and increases our confidence in handling challenges.
Travel can serve as self-care for some of us to take a break from our daily routine, but the countries we travel to deserve the same amount of care we offer to ourselves in visiting them. Sustainable travel focuses on the well-being of the places we visit, and making conscious changes in the way we travel further benefits those places. A common rule of thumb for sustainable travel is the three Rs system: reduce, reuse, recycle. It questions what is truly necessary to pack with you, what can be reused, and what can be recycled after use. Asking these questions makes transportation easier and reduces microplastics in the atmosphere from excess luggage.
A woman packs her suitcase. Vlada Karpovich. CC0.
Transportation is another big part of sustainable travel, as today’s usual flying and driving methods produce about 70% of the carbon emissions of each vacation. Traveling by foot, bike or train is the most efficient way to burn less fossil fuel, but not everybody can utilize these methods of transportation. Nowadays, there are online tools that offer a “low-emission” filter in flight search engines so you can still reduce your footprint.
Two trains beside each other at the station. Chait Goli. Pexels.
Lodging affects our carbon footprint too, with hotels being one of the most common and damaging culprits. A hotel’s CO2 value tends to be high because of the amount of electricity needed to run the building and the transportation methods of the food they get delivered. Alternative lodging options, such as homestays and sustainable glamping, reduce carbon emissions and landfill waste, as well as support the local economy. Like the green filter for flights, there are also filters on many accommodation booking sites to refine results for conscious lodging options.
Man and woman outside next to a tent. Yaroslav Shuraev. CC0.
As research continues to uncover the psychological and environmental effects of travel, the connection between how we move through the world and the impact we leave becomes clearer. From the chemicals released in the brain during new experiences to the emissions generated by transportation and lodging, each part of travel plays an impactful role. Understanding these factors allows us to better assess the benefits and consequences of global exploration.
Evelyn Garcia Medina
Evelyn is a recent Chicana graduate with a B.A. in English and Comparative Literature. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she draws inspiration from her passions: her cultural roots, environmentalism, and human rights. In her free time, she goes on hikes and enjoys learning about current social issues, history, and animals.