5 Reasons Holidays are a Mental Health Booster

Written by Ella Cawthorne Last updated December 3rd 202403/12/24

Working on your mental health and maintaining self-care is super important to help keep your mind and body healthy. There are so many activities to take part in and things you can do to help boost your mental health and we strongly believe that holidays should be on the list!

We have all experienced that sense of relief when you put your out of office on, finish packing and get ready to head to the airport, knowing you’ve got a week (or two!) of relaxation and sunshine waiting for you.

Here’s our favourite reasons why we believe holidays are great mental health boosters.

Here Comes the Sun

Waking up on a morning and seeing the sun is out is a great mood booster, especially in the UK since warm, sunny days are few and far between! Luckily, on holiday, you’re likely to wake up to bright sunny days, pretty much every morning.

The experts say that exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is associated with boosting mood and helping you to feel calm and focused. The sun also helps us to soak up lots of vitamin D which is essential for improving your mental health.

Vitamin D is also essential for your physical health and there is a correlation with having good physical health and an improved mental wellbeing. Looking after your body is super important and will help you have a much more positive outlook on life.

As always, when you are enjoying the sunshine, it’s very important to use sun protection such as sun cream, sunglasses and a sun hat or cap. You only get one body, so take care of it!

Find Your Inner Peace

Holidays are a treat, and we all work so hard to book ourselves a super special break – but the ‘from me to me’ gifts shouldn’t stop there. Did you know that certain hotels specialise in world-class wellness activities and facilities?

Our website helps you to filter hotels by the facilities they offer, including fitness classes and spas. There’s nothing quite like the utter relaxation you can find in a spa on holiday – and some of the treatments transport you to a whole new world.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself relaxing on a beach front spa bed receiving a full body massage to the sound of waves lapping at the shore – amazing, right?! Countries like Turkey have particularly special facilities thanks to their cultural traditions around Turkish baths. After your trip to one of these, you will come out feeling like a completely new person!

Premium hotels also have a particular focus on providing wellness activities including yoga classes and state of the art gym facilities to help guests truly relax and unwind. TUI BLUE For Families hotels have a particular focus on wellbeing and they even run a healthy eating challenge to encourage youngsters to try new foods! Happy tummies = healthy minds.

Take a Moment To Breathe

One of the best things about going on holiday is being able to take a step back from your everyday routine. Things like your 9-5, washing the pots and hoovering up after the kids are a thing of the past…for now!

We can all get overwhelmed every now and then, it just makes us human. It’s so important to take a break and after all, there’s so much more to life than cleaning – just don’t tell your other half that, you’ll regret it!

Our website showcases some of the best hotels in fabulous destinations around the world, all with amazing staff that will look after you like you’re royalty! No matter what star rated hotel you stay at, staff will be super professional and very helpful. However, there’s a reason some hotels are awarded 5* and their level of care and services are second to none.

Our A La Carte range offers the best collection of hotels that are home to an incredible list of restaurants to liven up your taste buds. There will be no lining up with a plate in hand, just take your seat and browse the menu at your own pace.

If swim-up suites and butler service sound like heaven to you, then we can bring you a little slice of paradise. Browse our luxury holidays to find the perfect spot for you, with the ultimate deluxe add-ons. And, thanks to our exclusive online discounts you can grab a bargain.

Make Those Memories

No matter how old you are when you’ve been to a certain hotel or country, you always come home with precious memories that last a lifetime. It’s so exciting to be embracing new cultures and experiences on your holiday that will provide you with plenty of dinner party stories.

Whether you choose to holiday with your family, have a special break alone with your partner or be truly at peace with a solo holiday, we cater for a wide range of holiday types and know we will have something you will love.

To make sure you capture those priceless memories accurately, we all know how dads like to embellish the truth for a good tale, why not take a holiday journal with you on your travels, so you can jot down all the things you don’t want to forget. Journals are great things to look back at in years to come and relive the happy times.

Just like journals, photo albums and scrapbooks are another great way to record the special times. In this day and age, printing photos isn’t as common thanks to modern technology, however, sometimes there’s nothing better than gathering round with a cuppa and flicking through old snaps of your family. After all, how would your mum embarrass you when your new boyfriend or girlfriend visits if there’s no evidence of that time you fell asleep in the sun with your hand on your chest, leaving a questionable looking tan line?!

More ‘Me’ Time

One of the most enticing things about going on holiday is getting the time to switch off and really take a moment for yourself. This presents the opportunity to get stuck into your favourite hobbies which get forgotten about back at home.

If you’re a bookworm, we’re sure your suitcase will be packed to the brim with enticing reads to pass the time during your break. You can spend your holiday relaxing by the pool, on the beach or even on your balcony, with your feet up and your head buried in a book. Often it can be hard to decide which books to take, as you want to be really engrossed in them, so if you find a winner, why not leave it behind with the hotel so someone else can enjoy it too?!

Another great hobby to enjoy on holiday is, of course, swimming. Thanks to fabulous hotel amenities, pools often come as standard, depending on where you’re staying, so you can enjoy plenty of paddling right on your doorstep. If your hotel doesn’t have a pool, then don’t fret! Swimming in the sea is just as exciting, and lifeguards on popular beaches help to make it super safe.

When searching for your dream holiday, you can also shortlist your favourite hotels by looking at what they can offer you while you’re there. If you’re interested in working on your serve, then look for hotels with great tennis facilities for you and your family. If taking to the waves is more your style, then looking for a beachfront hotel with plenty of watersports on offer is your best bet!