I<\/span>t\u2019s an icy cold day off the coast of Qaqortoq, Greenland. Three tourists, a woman from Japan and a couple from the USA, are on a small motorboat, with a boatman who speaks only Kalaallisut. The boat rushes toward a blue-streaked iceberg and stops abruptly in front of its mass. The tourists hold on tightly, then wriggle to the front of the boat one by one to avoid falling into the icy water. Each in turn touches the iceberg.<\/em><\/p>\n All three adventurers are over the age of 75, but at that moment, they feel like giggly teenagers. Indeed, they are doing more than traveling; they are getting healthier and perhaps increasing their lifespan.<\/p>\n A 2025 report from the Global Coalition on Aging<\/a> asserts that regular travel reduces the risk of mortality by 36.6% and the risk of Alzheimer’s by 47%. The report described midlife and beyond as an \u201cage of adventure,\u201d emphasizing the biological and psychological benefits of continued exploration.<\/p>\n Geroscientists<\/a> who study the effects of travel on aging agree that travel intervenes in the elements, both cognitive and biological, that are the hallmarks of chronic diseases, such as inflammation, cellular weakness, a diminished immune system, and cognitive decline.<\/p>\n Travel that challenges both brain and body acts as a foil to poor genetics. Based on findings from the Nordic Twin Study<\/a> on cancer and the heritability of lifespan, it\u2019s now known that genes account for a smaller proportion of longevity than once assumed\u2014often cited at around 20 percent, with the remaining 80 percent influenced by behavior and environment.\nAnd that ratio is changing in favor of lifestyle as a factor in longevity. Just last year, data from the UK Biobank found that genetics accounted for only 2 percent<\/a> of the risk of disease-related mortality, a significantly smaller share than lifestyle and environment.<\/p>\n It is epigenetics<\/a>\u2014how our behaviors and environments influence gene expression \u2014 that makes travel a powerful health tool. While genes provide a blueprint, lifestyle factors, including travel, especially trips that offer novel experiences, are like a light switch that can turn genes on and off.<\/p>\n Neuroscientists<\/a> agree that the brain remains plastic throughout life. We can build new neural pathways at 75, 85, 95+. But to stay fit, the brain requires stimulation.\nWhen you land in an unfamiliar place and cope with a language foreign to you, convert currency, navigate transportation systems, or interpret cultural cues, your hippocampus<\/a> \u2014 the region associated with memory and spatial reasoning becomes stimulated. You are solving problems in real time.<\/p>\n Novelty strengthens neural networks.<\/a> Travel delivers novelty in concentrated form. The English Longitudinal Study on Ageing found that exposure to novel experiences, including theatre, art, and museum visits, increases cognitive reserve,<\/a> or brain maintenance, adding resilience against age-related decline, slowed thinking, and memory loss.<\/p>\n Several studies say yes. The Framingham Heart Study<\/a> found that men who vacationed regularly were more than 32% less likely to die from a heart attack. For women who vacation regularly, that figure jumps to 50%. A longitudinal study<\/a> that followed health outcomes of men at risk of heart failure concluded that vacations lowered all mortality risk, and especially heart failure.<\/p>\n A study published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal<\/a> found that women who vacationed at least twice a year were less likely to experience depression and chronic stress and had stronger immune function to ward off environmental and infectious diseases, such as COVID.<\/p>\n Of course, this does not mean that vacations are a direct cause of a longer life, but insofar as they reduce stress, vacations also reduce inflammation, also known as inflammaging.<\/a> Persistent low-grade inflammation is associated with cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, and cognitive decline-the top causes of death and poor health.<\/p>\n One of the most fascinating studies on movement and muscle strength was conducted by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden<\/a>. In its famous bicycling study, subjects pedaled a bicycle with only one leg for 45 minutes, four times a week, over three months. Muscles strengthened, as did the cell health of the muscles, but only in the active leg, which developed new methylation<\/a> patterns for greater energy.<\/p>\n Travel naturally requires active movement, increases daily step count, and functional movements. Walking through historic districts, climbing museum stairs, swimming, or carrying luggage engages muscles differently than habitual routines at home. Running the length of a ship, getting lost trying to find your cabin, and snorkeling all strengthen the mitochondria<\/a> within our cells. But it doesn\u2019t feel like exercise. It feels like fun.<\/p>\n According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services<\/a>, chronic loneliness carries health risks comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Among the social benefits of travel are putting yourself out there at shared tables, attending solo-traveler events on cruises, and joining solo-travel groups, which foster new companionships.<\/p>\n By traveling, you not only meet new people but also learn how to build relationships at home. Travel, coupled with online communication, is a conduit to building a fabric of lifelong friendships, after retirement, moving, or losing a companion. Travel is an antidote to the decline caused by isolation as we age.<\/p>\n Memorable travel moments, like spotting a rare bird, seeing the Mona Lisa, or exploring an ancient ruin, engender feelings of awe and accomplishment. The little triumphs or travels give us a feeling of overall well-being and reinforce feelings of competence.<\/p>\n This counters what researchers sometimes call \u201cself-imposed helplessness,<\/a>\u201d the internalization of ageist beliefs about decline. The more we push the boundaries of what we believe we can do, the more we build the capability to do more.<\/p>\n Mature travelers are demanding novel, challenging experiences that science suggests can extend life and health span: adventure, learning, and voluntourism.<\/p>\n On a recent trip to Africa, I visited the Bigodi Community in Uganda<\/a> to meet the coffee and banana-beer makers. In Soweto, South Africa, I took a Lebos tuk-tuk tour<\/a> to share barbecue with locals. Through Hero Holidays,<\/a> I met voluntourists from all over the world using their skills in child education, entrepreneurship, and conservation.<\/p>\n Whether I am spending a \u201cneuro building\u201d day with the Batwa people, learning their traditions, or taking a physically challenging expedition to Antarctica, the Gal\u00e1pagos, or Machu Picchu (all on many bucket lists), I am building my health span. While few travelers see these trips as a catalyst to longevity, science says they are.<\/p>\n So, bon voyage… here’s to your health.<\/p>\n Why travel belongs in your health plan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17455,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[216,218],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spring-summer-2026","category-spring-summer-2026-columns"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17155"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17477,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17155\/revisions\/17477"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Genetics is NOT destiny<\/h3>\n
Travel Is Gym Training for Your Brain<\/h3>\n
But\u2026Does Travel Actually Extend Lifespan?<\/h3>\n
Travel Requires Physical Movement: A Cornerstone of Healthy Lifestyles<\/h3>\n
Travel Can Be a Conduit to New Friendships, and That Means Better Health<\/h3>\n
The Self-Confidence and Awe That Travel Brings Are \u201cBiological Assets.\u201d<\/h3>\n
Today\u2019s Most Exciting Travel Trends Increase Longevity.<\/h3>\n
Adriane Berg is the host of The Ageless Traveler Podcast<\/a>, LISTEN ON Apple, Spotify, iHeart, and all podcast disseminators. Subscribe free to her weekly Travel Tuesday<\/em> newsletter<\/a> for curious, seasoned explorers.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"