How travel can improve your mental health: poll

The secret to better mental health might be just one flight away, according to a new poll.

A survey of 2,000 Americans found that the average American feels 67% better mentally after going on a trip.

Not only that, but those who travel more consistently and frequently were far more likely to have better mental health than those who don’t.

The results emerged in the study by Talker Research to mark the launch of its travel trend report, which unveiled key findings and future indicators into how and why Americans are traveling.

The survey sorted respondents by how they self-identified the current state of their mental health, from excellent to very poor, and found an interesting link between mental state and their attitude towards traveling.

Respondents with excellent and good mental health were more likely to describe themselves as very passionate about travel.

Forty percent of those with excellent mental health described themselves as “extremely passionate about travel: I love to travel as often as I can, more than a few times per year, and I am always looking into my next trip. I view travel as a lifestyle.”

Meanwhile, only 12% of those with poor mental health, and 19% of those with very poor mental health, said the same.

In fact, 32% of those with very poor mental health described themselves as “not passionate at all about travel: I’m more of a homebody, I view travel as stressful/inconvenient.” Only 15% of those with excellent mental health described themselves the same way

Respondents with excellent mental health travel the most for non-work reasons, racking up 3.3 trips annually on average.

For comparison, the average respondent with poor mental health doesn’t even crack half that, with just 1.5 trips per year on average.

The results showed that those with excellent mental health have also traveled internationally more, with the average respondent having done so 5.3 times in their lives.

And those with fair, poor, and very poor mental health have all traveled internationally less than three times on average (2.8, 2.3, 2.5, respectively).

“Travel can often provide a much-needed reset and perspective shift regarding our stresses and life challenges, in particular those related to family and career,” said Benjy Sherer, an anxiety and trauma coach. ”In our home environment, we often get really lost in the narratives and tiny details of our lives. We run into the same triggers and challenges on a daily basis, and because we’re so involved and trapped in the narrative of our own lives, we overestimate the importance of the little things that don’t go our way.”

Continued Sherer, “But even a brief sojourn from our home environment can remind us how insignificant many of our stressors are. Simply removing ourselves from the patterns, the environment, and the narratives for a short period can change everything.”

Methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 Americans (500 Gen Z, 500 millennials, 500 Gen X, 500 baby boomers) was conducted between May 5 and May 8, 2025 by market research company Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).