83% of U.S. workers currently experience business stress, with 25% saying their job is the number one stressor in their lives, the American Institute of Stress reveals.
Moreover, stress causes one million Americans to miss work every day, while 76% of workers say business stress impacts their personal relationships. All too common, workplace stress can decrease engagement, productivity, and creativity, and result in poor mental and physical health.
Whenever you feel the pressure of work mounting up, road tripping can be the perfect solution. A flexible and spontaneous mode of travel, road trips are an effective way of relieving business stress, recentering the mind, and stimulating creative thinking.
So, when you do return to work, you’ll be refreshed, productive, and ready to solve problems and innovate.
Relieve stress
“The stress of work and daily demands can distract us from what we find to be actually meaningful and interesting,” Dr. Tamara McClintock Greenberg, a San Francisco-based clinical psychologist, told Forbes.
Taking a break from your everyday responsibilities every now and then is important for helping your body and mind let go of stress and recenter.
And, travel is often the perfect way to do this. In fact, 89% of Americans surveyed reported experiencing significant drops in business stress just after a day or two of traveling, a study by the Global Commission on Aging and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies found.
And, a road trip is one of the most business stress-busting modes of travel you can take. Once you hit the road, you’re no longer bound by a rigid schedule and have total freedom to choose your own departure times, itinerary, and where to stop along the way.
Worries about hurrying to catch flights, trains, or buses are completely eliminated (63% of travelers worry about missing their flight after getting stuck in traffic en-route to the airport).
Road trips are all about living in the present moment without the pressure of having to rush to your next stop. In turn, you’ll experience a much-needed drop in cortisol levels – your body’s main stress hormone – which makes you feel calm and at peace. “It also helps us reflect on our personal goals and interests,” Greenberg added.
Boost creative thinking
Creative thinking is a key skill for professional success. In fact, 94% of hiring managers say creativity is an important skill consideration when hiring a job candidate, while CEOs also say creativity is the prime factor that determines future entrepreneurial success, Psychology Today reveals.
So, although you may value your creative thinking as a way to solve problems and generate new ideas, it’s important to care for and maintain your creative reserves – otherwise your creative well risks running dry. Fortunately, a road trip is a great way to refresh your mind and spark creativity.
A study published in the European Journal of Sociology, for example, found travel strengthens creativity as it essentially requires you to adopt a fresh, new mindset.
By giving you the opportunity to see a different part of the country, meet new people, and open you up to exciting new experiences, you gain a valuable broader perspective and a new way of looking at things. The more you’re able to let go of stress and relax, your mind will be in a better position to naturally spark new ideas.
Moreover, it’s also easy to become bored at work, whether you’re working long hours, or merely tired of the same tasks, sights, tastes, and smells everyday. In fact, chronic boredom has been linked to depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia – leaving you body and mind yearning for escape.
A road trip, in contrast, can awaken your five senses to new stimuli and sensations, instantly eradicating boredom, and boosting creative thought.
Enjoy a safe and comfortable road trip
Although a road trip is the perfect opportunity to let go of your daily worries and responsibilities, it’s still important to prioritize safety, and road safety, in particular. So, before you leave on your road trip, ensure your vehicle is road-worthy and your stress isn't impacting your driving ability.
Take it for a maintenance checkup at your local garage, or do it yourself if you can. Oil levels, fluid levels, tire pressure, tread levels, and wiper blades should all be looked over and in good condition. If anything doesn’t seem quite right, it’s important to get it fixed before you hit the road.
It’s also important to take regular breaks while driving, and don’t drive if you’re tired. Drowsy driving is a huge safety risk – around 6,400 people die in crashes involving drowsy driving every year.
Since your eyelids start dropping when you’re tired, your body loses its ability to respond quickly to stimuli, which can lead to fatal mistakes. Ideally, you should schedule a fifteen-minute rest break at least every two hours. If you’re traveling with other adults, take turns behind the wheel as needed.
And, remember: sleep is the best solution for drowsy driving, so if you need a nap, take one before hitting the road again.
Yet, no matter how careful your driving may be, road accidents can still occur. It’s therefore important to be prepared to handle an emergency of this kind.
So, if you do get into an accident, it’s important to first check if you or anyone else is injured. If so, you’ll need to seek medical attention immediately. You’ll also need to record details of the accident – take photos of your entire car, as well as close-ups of any damage.
Do the same for the other car involved. It’s also important to get in touch with an experienced lawyer as soon as you can. Reputable motor vehicle accident lawyers will be able to help you file a strong claim and fully-recover any damages.
Immerse yourself in nature
Road trips also provide the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, and appreciate the awe-inspiring beauty of the natural world. Spending time in nature can instantly make you feel happier, calmer, and more at peace – so it shouldn’t be surprising that research has directly proven nature to positively impact mental and physical health.
For example, people who spend just two hours a week in green spaces – whether they be local parks or other natural environments – are significantly more likely to report being in good mental and physical health than those who don’t, Yale Environment 360 reveals.
Breathing fresh air and feeling the sun on your face during a road trip will also be a welcome change after months cooped up in your office. Getting your daily dose of vitamin D is also essential for your body to stay in optimal health.
Moreover, the spontaneous nature of road trips also opens you up to adventure, and you’ll have the opportunity to discover hidden gems off the beaten path – whether that’s a beautiful beach, hidden lake or waterfall, or historic fort.
California’s Pacific Coast Highway, for example (one of the country’s most famous scenic drives) is brimming with gorgeous “secret” spots waiting for you to discover. Take the short walk up the Black Swift Trail at Ragged Point, and check out the tiny, hidden black sand beach, complete with its own stunning, secret waterfall.
Avoid financial stress and save money
77% of Americans report feeling anxious about their financial situation. And, although vacations are a great way to rejuvenate and restore, they’re clearly expensive, costing around $4,580 for a family of four, and $1,145 per person on average – which means financial worries may still be on your mind when you’re trying to relax and enjoy yourself on vacation.
Road trips, on the other hand, are notably affordable; this mode of travel can be as cheap as you make it, meaning you can have fun and let go without being plagued with financial worries. How much a road trip costs depends on your own specific plans.
For shorter road trips, it’s recommended to budget around $150 per day – which breaks down to $20 for snacks, $30 for gas, and $100 for a hotel room. Gas costs will be the most expensive part of your trip, so it’s important to budget for this expense accordingly (at the moment, gas costs $3.70 per gallon on average).
And, since road trips are inherently flexible, you can also look out for cheap places to eat or buy food in line with your budget. With road trips, you ultimately can enjoy fun, new experiences for far less money than you would spend on a regular vacation.
If the pressure of work is building up, a road trip is the perfect way to break from routine, relax, and recharge. In addition to relieving stress and boredom, road trips can also boost creativity, making them just what you need to improve your mental and physical health. So, when you do return to the office, you’ll be refreshed and ready to jump back into work without the business stress.
