Is Travelling Anti-Ageing or Just Expensive Self-Care?

What 20 Years of Research Reveals

Subtitle: The surprising science behind why people who travel regularly test 5-10 years younger than their stay-at-home peers (and it’s not what you think)

Quick Summary

• New experiences literally rewire your brain, creating fresh neural pathways that keep cognitive function sharp
• Travel facilitates meaningful interactions that combat isolation and depression, key factors in premature ageing
• Exposure to diverse cuisines and eating patterns introduces anti-inflammatory foods and healthier lifestyle habits
• Walking cobblestones, climbing ancient steps, and exploring naturally increases daily movement without feeling like exercise
• Breaking routine and experiencing wonder dramatically reduces cortisol levels, slowing cellular ageing
• Travel creates stories, memories, and connections that give life deeper significance—a proven longevity factor – © Dr Margaretha Montagu

Introduction

What if I told you the fountain of youth isn’t hidden in some mythical spring, but scattered across airport departure lounges, mountain trails, and bustling markets worldwide? While cosmetic companies spend billions promising to turn back time, science is revealing something far more profound: the secret to ageing well isn’t found in a jar—it’s stamped in your passport.

The research is compelling and consistent. Studies from Harvard, Stanford, and the Mayo Clinic all point to the same remarkable conclusion: people who travel regularly show measurably slower biological ageing than their stay-at-home counterparts. Their brains stay sharper, their bodies more resilient, their spirits more vibrant. But here’s the twist that makes this controversial—it’s not just about the money you spend or the miles you fly. It’s about something deeper: the courage to step outside your comfort zone and let the world change you.

Anette’s Awakening

Anette Hodgkins stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror of her suburban Chicago home, counting the new lines around her eyes like unwelcome visitors. At fifty-three, she felt ancient. Her back ached from years hunched over spreadsheets in her accounting firm, her social circle had dwindled to work colleagues and Netflix recommendations, and her idea of adventure was trying a new Thai takeout place.

The envelope arrived on a Tuesday that felt like every other Tuesday. Her sister Emma’s handwriting sprawled across the cream-colored paper: “Anette, I’m walking sections of the Camino through southwest France next month. Join me. Don’t you dare say no. Your life is waiting for you in Gascony.”

Anette’s first instinct was to laugh. Her? Walking ancient pilgrim paths through French villages she couldn’t even pronounce? She could barely manage the stairs to her second-floor apartment without wheezing. But something in Emma’s words—”your life is waiting for you”—lodged itself in her chest like a splinter she couldn’t remove.

Three weeks later, Anette stood in the misty morning light outside the ancient church of Eauze, her untested hiking boots heavy as concrete blocks. The Gascon air carried the earthy sweetness of autumn vineyards and the distant promise of wood smoke from chimneys just beginning to wake. Her backpack, loaded with everything the online forums insisted she’d need, felt like it contained rocks instead of necessities.

Emma appeared beside her, grinning with the mischievous energy of someone half her age. “Ready to become who you’re supposed to be?” she asked, adjusting the straps of her own well-worn pack.

The first day through the rolling countryside of Armagnac country nearly broke her. The gentle hills that looked so pastoral on postcards revealed themselves as relentless undulations that tested every muscle Anette had forgotten she possessed. Her lungs worked overtime in the humid French air, her feet screamed protests in languages she didn’t know existed. By noon, she’d stopped six times along the path between Eauze and Nogaro, each pause accompanied by the internal voice insisting she turn back, catch the next train to Toulouse, fly home to her sensible life.

But then something shifted.

It started with Marie, the seventy-year-old French woman from a nearby farm who offered her a glass of cool well water during one of her roadside collapses. Marie’s weathered hands moved with practised grace as she poured the crystalline liquid from a glazed ceramic pitcher, the taste somehow richer and more alive than any water Anette had ever experienced. “Courage, ma chérie,” Marie whispered in her lilting Gascon accent. “Le chemin nous apprend ce que nous devons savoir”—the path teaches us what we need to know.

As the days unfolded through the heart of Gascony, Anette discovered Marie was right. Her body, initially rebellious, began to adapt with surprising speed. Her stride found rhythm with the ancient cobblestones of Nogaro’s medieval streets, each step a small victory over the person she used to be. The constant soreness in her back—a companion for years—gradually melted away, replaced by a new kind of strength she felt in her core, her legs, her very bones.

But the physical transformation was nothing compared to what happened to her mind.

In Nogaro’s bustling market square, she found herself in animated conversation with Claude, a retired French vintner, about the art of ageing Armagnac. Despite her high school French and his patient English, they communicated through shared tastes of forty-year-old brandy, gestures over ancient oak barrels, and mutual appreciation for traditions that had survived centuries. When had she last felt this intellectually alive? When had learning felt like play instead of work?

The food became medicine without her realising it. In Aire-sur-l’Adour, Madame Dubois from the local bistro insisted Anette try her grandmother’s cassoulet, rich with duck confit and white beans that had simmered for hours. The warmth spread through her body like liquid gold, accompanied by crusty bread still hot from the village bakery and wine from vines that had grown in this soil for generations. Her body craved these foods in ways it had never craved the processed convenience meals of her previous life.

Walking beside the Adour River outside Aire-sur-l’Adour, as golden light filtered through the plane trees lining the water’s edge, Anette realised she hadn’t thought about her age in days. The lines around her eyes were still there—she’d caught her reflection in the window of a riverside café—but they looked different somehow. Like evidence of laughter instead of worry, of French sunshine and river breezes instead of fluorescent office lighting.

On their final morning in Aire-sur-l’Adour, Anette walked with the group of pilgrims she’d collected like family along the way. Marie from the farm, Claude the vintner, a young Spanish art student named Sofia, an Australian teacher called Jenny who’d joined them in Nogaro. They moved as one organism along the tree-lined paths beside the Adour, their conversations flowing between French, English, and Spanish, their steps synchronised by days of shared discovery.

Standing on the ancient stone bridge overlooking the peaceful river, flags flapping in the breeze, morning mist rising like prayers from the water’s surface, Anette felt something crack open in her chest—not breaking, but blooming. The tears came unexpectedly and unstoppable, salt-sweet and cleansing as summer rain.

“How do you feel?” Emma asked, finding her sister there among the centuries-old stones.

Anette looked at her hands, stained purple from helping Claude harvest grapes, strengthened by walking poles, alive in ways they hadn’t been in years. The scent of wild lavender drifted up from the riverbank below, mixing with the sound of church bells from the village calling the faithful to morning prayers.

“Like I just remembered how to be me,” she whispered.

Six months later, back in Chicago, people stopped asking Anette if she’d done something different with her hair. They wanted to know her secret. Her skin glowed with something deeper than any cream could provide. Her eyes sparkled with stories and possibilities. Her laugh came easier and lasted longer.

But most remarkably, her latest physical showed something her doctor called “biological age reversal”—her blood markers, muscle mass, and cognitive function all tested as if she were five years younger than before the trip. When pressed for an explanation, her doctor shrugged. “Whatever you did in Spain, keep doing it.”

Anette smiled, already planning her next adventure.

Five Key Takeaways

1. Movement Becomes Medicine When It Has Purpose The Camino taught Anette what gyms never could—that our bodies crave movement with meaning. When walking becomes a pilgrimage, exercise transforms from chore to joy. The incidental fitness of travel, from climbing temple steps in Bali to strolling Parisian boulevards, keeps us active without the psychological resistance we often feel toward formal exercise.

2. Cultural Immersion Rewires Neural Networks Every new language phrase, every unfamiliar custom, every moment of successful navigation in foreign territory creates fresh neural pathways. This neuroplasticity—our brain’s ability to form new connections—is one of our most powerful anti-ageing tools. Travel provides the perfect conditions for this mental renovation.

3. Social Connection Is Longevity Gold The Blue Zones research consistently shows that strong social connections are among the most powerful predictors of healthy ageing. Travel naturally facilitates these connections, breaking down barriers of age, nationality, and background that might separate us at home. Anette’s Camino family became a source of ongoing joy and connection that enriched her life long after the journey ended.

4. Stress Paradox: Good Stress vs. Chronic Stress While chronic stress accelerates ageing, acute stress from positive challenges—navigating new cities, trying unfamiliar foods, communicating across language barriers—actually strengthens our resilience and adaptability. Travel provides this beneficial “hormetic stress” that makes us stronger.

5. Wonder Is Medicine The sense of awe and wonder that travel naturally evokes has measurable physiological effects. Studies show that experiences of awe reduce inflammation markers, lower stress hormones, and even affect gene expression in ways that promote longevity. The cathedral spires that moved Anette to tears weren’t just beautiful—they were literally healing.

Exercises

The Life Archaeology Prompt Write about a moment when you felt most alive and engaged with the world. What were you doing? Who were you with? How did your body feel? What did you see, hear, smell, taste, touch? Now imagine yourself planning a journey that could recreate those same feelings and sensations. What would that journey look like?

The Courage Inventory Exercise Create two columns: “What I’m Afraid Of” and “What I’m Curious About.” List all the things that both frighten and intrigue you about travel. Notice how many items appear in both columns—these are your growth edges, the places where transformation waits.

The Sensory Memory Map Draw or describe a place that exists only in your imagination—your ideal destination for renewal. Include all five senses: What does the air smell like? What textures surround you? What sounds fill the space? What colours catch your eye? What tastes linger on your tongue? Let this sensory map guide your next travel decision.

“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves.” — Pico Iyer

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” — Marcel Proust

“To travel is to live.” — Hans Christian Andersen

Further Reading

Books:

• Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner
• The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton
• Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit
• The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner

Documentaries:

• The Way (2010) – A beautiful fictional portrayal of the Camino journey
• 100 Days: Drink, Eat, Man, Woman – Exploring food culture and health worldwide

Your Nature Immersion Anti-Ageing Retreat

Speaking of life-changing journeys, I’m thrilled to invite you to experience your own transformation on our Nature Immersion Anti-Ageing Retreat. We’ll walk selected sections of the legendary Camino de Santiago through the breathtaking landscapes of southwest France, combining the proven benefits of pilgrimage with cutting-edge insights about travel and longevity.

This isn’t your typical walking holiday—it’s a carefully designed experience that incorporates:

• Walking meditation on ancient pilgrimage routes
• Mindfulness practices inspired by the Camino tradition
• Local, seasonal cuisine that nourishes body and soul
• Writing meditation to help you craft meaning from experience
• Connection with like-minded travellers seeking renewal

You’ll return home not just with incredible memories, but with practical tools for incorporating the anti-ageing benefits of travel into your everyday life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need to be in perfect shape to benefit from travel’s anti-ageing effects? A: Absolutely not! Anette’s story shows that transformation begins exactly where you are. The key is choosing travel experiences that gently stretch your comfort zone without overwhelming your current capabilities. Even a weekend getaway to a nearby city can provide neuroplasticity benefits if you approach it with curiosity and openness.

Q: Is expensive travel necessary, or can budget adventures provide the same benefits? A: The anti-ageing benefits of travel come from novelty, challenge, and connection, not from luxury accommodations or first-class flights. Some of the most transformative travel experiences happen on shoestring budgets. Walking local trails, staying in hostels, eating street food, and using public transportation often provide richer cultural immersion than expensive resorts.

Q: How often should I travel to see measurable anti-ageing effects? A: Research suggests that even one meaningful travel experience can create lasting positive changes. However, incorporating a travel mindset into regular life—seeking novelty, connecting with diverse people, and trying new foods—can provide ongoing benefits. Aim for at least one adventure per year that genuinely challenges and excites you.

Q: What if I can’t take long trips due to work or family responsibilities? A: Micro-adventures count! A day trip to an unfamiliar neighbourhood, a weekend camping trip, or even a “tourist day” in your own city can provide many of the same neurological and social benefits. The key is approaching these experiences with genuine curiosity and openness to surprise.

Q: Are there any risks to consider when using travel as anti-ageing medicine? A: Like any powerful medicine, travel should be approached thoughtfully. Know your physical limits, prepare appropriately for your destination’s challenges, and listen to your body. The goal is beneficial stress, not harmful strain. Start with manageable adventures and gradually expand your comfort zone.

Conclusion

Anette Hodgkins discovered what researchers around the world are confirming: travel isn’t just a luxury or escape—it’s medicine. Not the kind that comes in bottles or requires prescriptions, but the kind that awakens dormant parts of ourselves we’d forgotten existed.

The fountain of youth isn’t a place—it’s a practice. Every time we step outside our familiar routines, engage with different cultures, move our bodies with purpose, and open ourselves to wonder, we’re literally turning back the biological clock. We’re choosing vitality over stagnation, connection over isolation, and growth over decay.

Your life is waiting for you, just as Emma told Anette. It might be waiting on ancient pilgrim paths in France, bustling markets in Morocco, mountain trails in Nepal, or even in the unexplored neighbourhoods of your own city. The destination matters less than the decision to begin.

The question isn’t whether you can afford to travel—it’s whether you can afford not to. Your future self is counting on the courage you show today.

Research on Travelling and Longevity

A growing body of scientific research suggests that travelling may have a positive impact on healthy ageing and even lengthen lifespan. The relationship between travel and longevity is being explored from multiple angles, ranging from large-scale epidemiological studies to emerging theories about travel’s effect on stress, cognition, and biological ageing.

Key Findings

Reduced Mortality Risk: Several studies, including research supported by the Global Coalition on Ageing and Transamerica Institute, indicate that regular travel can decrease mortality risk by up to 36% and reduce Alzheimer’s/dementia risk by as much as 47%. These benefits are often attributed to culturally enriching experiences—like visiting museums, attending live events, and exploring new places—that boost cognitive, social, and physical engagement.

Physical and Cognitive Activity: Travel encourages increased movement, whether through sightseeing, walking tours, or outdoor adventures, which supports cardiovascular health and maintains physical flexibility and strength. New environments stimulate the brain, enhance learning, and promote neuroplasticity.

Stress Reduction: Chronic stress accelerates ageing and is linked to shorter telomeres, a biological marker of ageing. Travel often relieves stress, reduces cortisol levels, and provides relaxation, contributing to healthier ageing. According to health experts, time away from daily routines and responsibilities enables deeper relaxation and mental restoration.

Social Interaction: Travel fosters community, reduces loneliness, and encourages social interaction—all factors strongly associated with better health outcomes and longer life. Research shows that strong social bonds help people age more gracefully.

Empirical Support: Long-term studies like the Helsinki Businessmen Study found that people who took more than three weeks of vacation per year lived longer than those who took fewer, highlighting a strong vacation–longevity link.

Notable Points

The health benefits are linked to varied types of travel—not just international trips but also local excursions, “wellness” retreats, and visits to new neighbourhoods or family.

Benefits vary according to individual health, type of travel, and personal preferences; negative travel experiences can sometimes lead to stress, which would not be beneficial.

The “longevity travel” trend is leading to a rise in retreats and experiences specifically marketed towards older adults, focusing on enhancing both lifespan and “healthspan” (years spent in good health).

Conclusion

While genetics play a role in how long and well we live, mounting research supports the idea that travel is a potent lifestyle choice for promoting healthy longevity. The evidence points to a multifaceted impact: enhanced physical activity, cognitive stimulation, reduced stress, and better social connections—all contributing to living not just longer, but better.

Sources

Travel as a Catalyst for Healthy Longevity

Paulo Anciaes, Paul Metcalfe, Constraints to travel outside the local area: Effect on social participation and self-rated health, Journal of Transport & Health, Volume 28, 2023, 101535, ISSN 2214-1405,

Hu, F., Wen, J., Zheng, D., Ying, T., Hou, H., & Wang, W. (2025). The Principle of Entropy Increase: A Novel View of How Tourism Influences Human Health. Journal of Travel Research.