At six-two and Contiki, as a team we’ve always believed in the power of travel. Seeing the world allows us to gain new perspectives, build new skills and meet amazing people. Now, we’ve conducted a study with Columbia Business School psychologist, Adam Galinsky to investigate the true power of travel and the results are in.
So, can travel make us better people? The short answer is… yes! And for New Zealanders in particular, it can make us more open to new challenges. After comparing the qualitative answers of hundreds of global travellers with non-travellers, and investigating the participants’ world views and passions across regions, here are some of the key results around travel and risk-taking…
New Zealander travellers are most likely to take the leap
Something about travel – maybe all the eye-opening experiences and incredible people you meet – makes us more willing to take risks in life. The study showed that 70% of travellers say they’re more likely to take risks and accept new challenges (compared to 52% of non-travellers). Similarly, 71% of travellers report that travel has helped them learn to adapt and be more resourceful in certain situations.
So, where do New Zealanders love to travel to? Australia, USA, UK, Japan and Fiji are the top five countries that they plan to travel to, and adventure is always top of the list of reasons to travel.
Travel is the key so many positives
The study also showed that travellers report feeling 13% happier than non-travellers and also 9% more likely to look for new opportunities and develop new skills. However, it’s interesting that New Zealanders are among some of the most open people, with travellers and non-travellers all showing tendencies to be strong, open-minded thinkers.
Travel also seems to have an effect on how politically engaged we were, with 60% of people from New Zealand who travel saying that travel has shaped their view on global politics (compared to 38% for non-travellers). So, next time you feel the wanderlust bug, just think of all the amazing benefits that trip will give you – that you’ve probably never even thought of!
