“Travelling lets you press pause on your life”

I love travelling. It’s my absolute favourite thing in the whole world: it’s when I am most “me”. I’ve struggled with my mental health, especially in the last couple of years, and the topic is particularly relevant to me right now as I am getting married in a few weeks’ time. We are then going on honeymoon to Malaysia and Borneo for three weeks. This has all coincided with an extremely tough few months for my family, as my mum has been seriously unwell.

As well as all this, my other half and I have the opportunity to move to New Zealand for three months at the end of the year. Again, when my mum was poorly this all went up in the air - although I have been talking about it for a decade, and even had a poster of Milford Sound on my wall when I was 14.

But travelling is incredible for your mental health. It lets you press pause on your life, and gives you the time and perspective you need. You have the opportunity to check in with things and think, it this what I really love doing? Is this making me happy?

It strips everything back to what’s really important. You don’t need piles of stuff, just a bag, some shoes and a notebook, so you can write it all down to show your kids when you’re old - and to remind yourself that yes, you really were there.

Travelling gives you so many new experiences. It refreshes you and opens your mind. It reminds you how enormous the world is and how varied everyone’s experiences are. This can help you put your own problems into perspective. It also shows you how, really, everyone is the same - whether you’re sat in an office in the UK, or riding an elephant in the mountains in Thailand, people are people, life is life, and the big things that really matter cross language barriers and visa requirements! Travel helps you get away from it all and also helps you feel so much less alone.

For me, it’s also what I really, really want to do in life. And there is nothing better for your mental health than feeling fulfilled and actually doing those things you say you’re going to do. So I really hope that we do get to go to New Zealand.

Sally Taylor

How travelling can impact our mental health