At Contiki we’ve always passionately believed in the power of travel to change your life for the better. Well, it turns out we weren’t just making it up. After working with Columbia Business School psychologist, Adam Galinsky, we’ve got the data to prove it.
We posed the question: does travel make us better humans? Looking at data related to interests, passions, health and careers, we found that the answer to our question was a pretty resounding: yes.
People from the UK can get a bit of a reputation for being a bit grumpy. We love to have a good old moan about work, politics, or the weather. Especially the weather. But according to our research, travel has the power to give UK citizens a far more positive outlook on society, new experiences and our futures.
Travel gives you a sunnier disposition
According to our research, UK travellers are far more comfortable with new people than non-travellers – in fact, they’re 46% more likely to believe that most people are good, honest and kind. It seems like the more you interact with new people the more you like people in general – who would have thought it?
All of this faith in humanity seems to turn into affirmative action, too. In fact travellers are 41% more likely to seek out new friendships than non-travellers. See where this is going?
Travel makes you more open to new ideas
This sunnier outlook isn’t just limited to perceptions of people. UK travellers are 54% more likely to be comfortable with change, new environments and new ideas than non-travellers. These are the kinds of attitudes and skills that are applicable to so many areas of our lives – beyond the ability to speak to strangers on public transport. So, it’s official. Travel isn’t just a frivolous aside to the stresses and strains of everyday life. It really does have the power to make us more sociable, confident and open-minded.
