LAS VEGAS, NV --(Marketwired - July 09, 2016) - With more free time available and more disposable income, travel after retirement is the norm for most Americans. But more than just recreational, travel for older people provides additional health benefits, with a majority of frequent travelers reporting they feel significantly more satisfied physically, emotionally, financially and in their overall ability to get things done when compared to their non-traveling counterparts. Diamond Resorts International ® timeshare resort network, which offers destinations in more than 35 countries, has examined a few of the ways that travel is particularly beneficial for retirees.
Most evident is that travel encourages seniors to be more active. Hustling through the airport, lugging bags to the hotel, walking through city streets or swimming in the ocean -- the demand for physical exertion while also feeling the exhilaration of discovery, keeps many retired travelers on the move. The extra activity is a key factor in lowering the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and cancer, as the famed Framingham Heart Study, launched in 1948, has shown conclusively. Its data indicates that women ages 45 to 64 who vacation at least twice a year enjoy a significantly lower risk of heart disease than women who hardly ever take a vacation, and separate studies have shown a similar reduction in disease for men. The cognitive and mental health benefits of travel are not to be underestimated either. No matter where one travels, they will be meeting new people, navigating through unfamiliar places and trying out different food, clothes and customs -- all activities that have been proven to stimulate and challenge the brain which in turn promotes good cognitive function. It has been found that regular participation in brain-boosting activities such as travel is associated with a lower risk of dementia later in life.
The social benefits of travel are many. Travel helps to deepen relationships with family and friends, while offering opportunities to meet new people and experience their culture. Group travel, either with friends from home or through retiree-focused travel sites like Road Scholar, help build social ties which in turn promote good mental and physical health. Try group travel as one way to lower the costs of a vacation, along with other options such as utilizing the senior discounts offered by many tour providers, hotels and car rental companies, traveling in the off-season to lower costs, and joining a volunteer vacation which incorporates positive, productive activities like working on backcountry trail maintenance or helping a foreign village install a water system.
Finally, travel is a proven mood enhancer and stress reducer. A 2013 survey sponsored by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies indicated that 86 percent of respondents reported that travel "improves their mood and outlook". While many travelers are quite conscious of the mood benefits while taking a vacation, much research indicates that the effects of stress relief and general satisfaction actually last long after they have returned home.
About Diamond Resorts International®
Diamond Resorts International ®, with its network of more than 420 vacation destinations located in 35 countries throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Central America, Europe, Asia, Australasia and Africa, provides guests with choice and flexibility to let them create their dream vacation, whether they are traveling an hour away or around the world. Our relaxing vacations have the power to give guests an increased sense of happiness and satisfaction in their lives, while feeling healthier and more fulfilled in their relationships, by enjoying memorable and meaningful experiences that let them Stay Vacationed.™
Diamond Resorts International® manages vacation ownership resorts and sells vacation ownership points that provide members and owners with Vacations for Life® at over 420 managed and affiliated properties and cruise itineraries.
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Contact Information Liz Feldman Hillman Communications Tel: 735-387-0515 lfeldman@hillmanpr.com
