The best medicine…

When it comes to health benefits, it’s not surprising to learn that holidays tend to have a positive impact on emotional wellbeing, however it is interesting to find out that cruise holidays in particular, have been proven to offer the most longstanding benefits…

A study by the University of China has reported that cruise holidays are good for your health: in fact, the study also reveals that cruise holidays have a measurable impact on long-term happiness and can even boost your IQ!

The findings were made using a post-cruise questionnaire, targeting travelers returning from their cruise holiday. Cruisers came from a range of backgrounds and were assessed across a number of different cruise lines and locations.

A survey was also conducted based upon people who had been on a cruise holiday six months prior to the study, and it was found that the benefits can last up to six months…

… so if you tend to return from your holiday feeling refreshed, only for the feeling to quickly fade, you would almost certainly benefit from switching to a cruise-based holiday!

According to Jiaying Lyu, from the Department of Tourism Management at Zhejiang University, “cruise experience has three dimensions, namely, emotional experience, relational experience and thinking experience”.

In terms of the emotional experience; cruising has been found to have a positive effect on the brain by inspiring joy, happiness and excitement, whilst negating feelings such as stress and worry in the short-term.

Cruise holidays were also found to benefit the relationship experience, as you tend to find yourself constantly meeting new people and interacting with family & friends on board.

As for the thinking experience; the research suggests that going on a cruise is better for your wellbeing than a typical holiday, as the brain is better-stimulated by visiting a number of different places and experiencing a variety of cultures.

“In the short term, happiness from cruise travel is created mainly through emotional and relational experiences. Conversely, the long-term perceived happiness of cruising is largely derived from the thinking experience.” Jiaying Lyu, Zhejiang University

So essentially, our immediate feelings of joy associated with cruising come from the emotional and relationship experiences of cruise holidays, whilst the longer-term benefits are derived from the thinking part of the brain and the opportunity to experience a number of new destinations and cultures on our travels.

Essentially this study, published in the International Journal of Tourism Research, has somewhat demystified the positive feelings we associate with our cruise holiday experiences, perhaps going a little way to explaining why people choose to return to cruising time and time again, proving just how beneficial a little Vitamin Sea can be, and giving us a few more valid reasons to book that next cruise holiday…

…as always,for your next cruise holiday reservation, be sure to make me your first port of call.  

Katrina And The Waves ?