4 Health Benefits of Taking a Road Trip

A year ago gas prices in the Denver area hovered around $3.59. Due to domestic oil production ramping up and global thirst for oil petering off, gas prices have dropped to $2.60 a gallon, give or take a few cents. If you have a few vacation days you need to use before the end of the year, may we suggest a good ol’ American road trip? We’ve rounded up the top 4 reasons that doing so may have both mental and physical rewards.

1. Easier To Go Tech Free

According to an April 2015 Gallup poll conducted on 4,475 adult U.S. workers, almost 50 percent of workers who frequently use work email outside of normal working hours reported feeling stressed “a lot of the day,” as compared with around a third of those who don’t check work email after-hours.

Most airports, and even some planes, have Wi-Fi. As much as you’d like to unplug, the outside world can still reach you on your smartphone. But when you’re cruising in your car on your way to Wall Drug in South Dakota, your only thought will be, “Why haven’t I done this before?” instead of the obligations waiting for you back in Colorado.

2. Feel Better When You Head Back to Work

We all need a break in our routine. It’s healthy and helps us press the reset button. There is a caveat though. Most of the happiness you’ll get from vacation depends upon the stress level of the vacation. Why not just get behind the wheel and avoid the ever shrinking tray tables and chatterboxes on the plane? Let’s face it, plane travel has been the opposite of glamorous for decades but the open road hasn’t lost its allure.

3. Save Money

Saving money makes us happy. Who hasn’t bragged about saving a few bucks when their friend paid full price for something. It’s easy to save money when you take the road by the wheel since  gas is cheaper and there are no extra charges for checked or carry-on bags!

4. Even Planning a Vacation Has Health Benefits

A recent study, published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, showed that the largest boost in happiness comes from the simple act of planning a vacation. In the study, the effect of vacation anticipation boosted happiness for eight weeks.

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