Life in France

Travel for health

Who knew that traveling would be good for your health? That’s exactly the conclusion of a study conducted by Australia’s Edith Cowan University that I read in the online magazine Science Daily reported as, “Travel could be the best defense against aging”. Acknowledging that although aging is irreversible, researcher Fangli Hu feels that it can be slowed down. Without getting technical and boring, we live in a world where, in general, positive experiences have been shown to help us feel more organized and less stressed which leads to a healthier body. And what better way to have an uplifting getaway than to travel?

We were sailing the Rhine in Germany

The study mentions that tourism directed at yoga enthusiasts or cyclists, for example, has already been shown to enhance our well-being, both physical and mental. Now it seems that all types of vacations, targeted or just for fun, put us in new environments, get us physically active, and help us to engage socially, all of which can apparently slow down aging. 

Porto, Portugal

Lower stress, higher metabolic rate, and enhancement of the body’s self-organizing capabilities are cited as benefits of getting out to see the world. It’s believed that the immune system is improved as well, also lowering the impact of growing older.

London

When we moved to France, we knew nothing about this study nor any possible health benefits of travel, but we did realize that we wanted to see much of western Europe and do so by train. While during the research for today’s blog post, I discovered a website that could be useful to anyone considering a move to Europe who anticipates getting around by rail. Although the site’s homepage boldly states, “Where can you go by train in 8h?” it actually starts at 1 hour and continues in hourly increments up to 8. For example, if you lived in Paris, in 2 hours you could be in Brussels or Strasbourg, 3 hours to London, 4 hours to Amsterdam, all the way up to 8 hours for Berlin or Glasgow. That’s from one downtown station to another and you can typically board a train up to 2 minutes before it leaves. Here’s the site: https://www.chronotrains.com/en 

Venice

So, if going on vacation gives you lower stress, a higher metabolic rate, and keeps you physically active, all of which lead to a slowing down of the aging process, that means there’s more time to travel. That’s a good thing since there’s so much more to see—Bon voyage!

Photo notes: The featured photo across the top is in Corsica and in the first paragraph is Beynac, France.

18 thoughts on “Travel for health”

  1. That’s what I’m hoping for. Who could ask for more. More years, better health and seeing the world. Just what the doctor ordered. Thank you again for another learning experience.

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      1. hi Bob it’s Chris. Not sure what’s happening here but I don’t recognize the email that’s popped up twice when I’ve left a comment for you. Is it possible to check this further on your end.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Chris, you asked us to give you our email address for further questions and we replied again from that address. That is what you are seeing and it is a gmail account with the beginning of my legal name? Hope this helps.

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  2. I lost an old friend to a heart attack this week and his premature death was a reminder, as is this encouraging post, to seize the moment and enjoy the opportunities that moving to France has given us. Combining that with a respect for your health and making a few changes to your lifestyle – however modest – seems an intelligent approach. Wishing the very best of health to you and all your readers!

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    1. Sorry to hear about your friend, Gary. You’re right about seizing the moment which is something we have to remind ourselves of every day. Good health to you too!

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  4. This is good to know! We have a Dordogne walking holiday planned for April, during which we will be walking 8-13 miles each day for a week. We need all the motivation and courage we can get!!!

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  5. We just got our SNCF Carte Avantage yesterday, so that we could book some upcoming rail trips at a discount. Because, not unlike you, we’re here for the travel opportunities! 🚄 🛫🚗

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  6. Today’s post is a nice reminder to keep moving, and try new adventures, no matter what your age. Nice photos, too!

    My deepest sympathies to Gary on the loss of his friend.

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  7. This bolsters the claim I’ve made to my son that moving to France (and traveling by train) is all part of my evil plan to live longer – and spend his inheritance. Fingers crossed, hoping for the best!

    (He has an invitation to visit anytime.) If he squawks, I’ll blame you guys. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

    Just taking a break from shoveling snow for the past 2 hours. I’ll go back out in a few minutes, but there’s hardly anywhere to put the snow now since the piles are over my head. I’ve been dreaming of Carcassonne in the Winter. I’m getting spoiled with what have lately been regular Sunday morning posts – another gem! Thank you!

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