Intentional Travel Boosts Mental Health, Brain Wellness – Health Tourism Expert
By: Solomon Nartey Tetteh
Managing Director of Adansi Health Tourism, Dr. Eugenia Adjei, has highlighted that travel, when done intentionally, can play a significant role in improving mental health and overall well-being.
In recent years, growing work-related stress, burnout, and mental health challenges have increased interest in wellness-focused lifestyles and alternative approaches to health care. Travel, once viewed mainly as leisure or luxury, is now being recognised as a tool for mental rejuvenation and emotional well-being.
Speaking on Business Breakfast on Zed, Dr. Adjei explained that the brain naturally responds to new environments through automatic signals that promote rejuvenation and renewal.
“The brain picks up automatic signals when you move out of your routine environment. There is a ‘wow factor’ that stimulates the brain to release certain chemicals, and the overall effect is that your body feels rejuvenated and renewed,” she said.
She noted that simply stepping away from familiar spaces, such as the office, into a different setting can have a positive psychological impact.
“When you move out of your office and find yourself in a new environment, maybe somewhere serene, that change alone can trigger these responses in the brain,” Dr. Adjei explained.
According to her, the benefits of travel depend largely on the intention behind it. She pointed out that wellness travel requires specific destinations that support activities such as spa treatments, yoga, and meditation, all aimed at restoring mental and physical balance.
“For wellness travel, you need places where you can intentionally engage in activities that help you relax and rejuvenate,” she said.
The Health Tourism Expert also stressed that corporate retreats also offer mental health benefits, especially through team bonding activities that take participants out of their usual work routines.
“Moving away from your routine environment into a different one. That shift alone works positively on your mental health,” Dr. Adjei stated.
