Why we are BULLISH about travel in 2021?

It’s difficult to put an exact date on the return of travel, given how many countries you’d need to examine to reach some kind of consensus. But there are signs that quite a few countries are preparing to open up again… 

In the UK, on the 2nd of March, a Global Travel Taskforce, including industry bodies, government departments and transport operators, met to discuss the safe return of travel. In the report on that meeting, it was explained that they were setting out a framework for the safe return of travel no earlier than the 17th of May. This lined up, as it was the exact date announced by Boris Johnson when an official map out of all restrictions was announced a while later. Other than that, all we know is that leisure travel restrictions will only be eased following a review by the aforementioned Global Travel Taskforce on the 12th of April (which is also the date when domestic holidays will be allowed again). 

On the 19th of March, Iceland announced that they will now be allowing in all travellers with a vaccine passport - Japan also recently announced digital vaccine passports to allow its citizens to travel, Cyprus and Portugal both stated that they will allow some tourists in from the 1st of May, while the US State Department lifted its “do not travel” global advisory back in August 2020. 

Besides the immediate need to get away (whether it’s for holidays or business experiences) that we’re all feeling right now, there are so many more benefits to travel, including: 

Immersive learning – Immersive learning, like the kind offered by Legacy Ventures, has a multitude of benefits. These include improvement in language skills, exposure to global hubs, gaining an understanding of international and/or foreign workspaces and the networking benefits that can come with working on a global level. 

Broadening your horizons and changing perspectives – It goes without saying that being exposed to other cultures and new environments allows you to broaden your horizons. Putting yourself into a new environment may also allow you to discover new sides of yourself, in terms of both the challenge of being fully immersed in a new culture and how you react to new experiences. Stepping out of your usual routine to go somewhere entirely new, both physically and mentally, is a unique experience that can really allow you to shake yourself up. Furthermore, experiencing other cultures and seeing how other people live can really help to change your perspective on your own life. 

Reducing stress – Travelling has also been shown to reduce stress significantly, which most likely explains the health benefits we’ll be discussing later. According to a 2018 Forbes article written by Jennifer Kester, surveyed women who travelled frequently were less likely to feel tense, depressed or tired. Lining up with this, the same article also states that people who go on holiday are frequently more satisfied with their health and well being overall. Getting away from the stresses of normal life for a while, with no responsibilities weighing down on you, can be one of the best things you could do to feel relaxed. 

Increasing creativity – There’s also evidence to suggest that international business trips can lead to increased levels of creativity in your workforce. A 2009 study by Indiana University showed that even the suggestion of something coming in from another place can boost this, as participants asked to solve a series of puzzles showed more creativity and were more likely to solve them when they were told that they’d been brought in from California. It’s also been proven that people who’ve lived in other countries generally have higher levels of creativity. 

Again, it all links back to going out of your comfort zone.