Vowing to live healthier lives is one of the top New Year’s resolutions year after year, and it’s also one of the hardest to keep. However, newly released results from the American Travel Behavior Survey conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, in July 2011, suggest that achieving better health may be as easy as treating yourself to more trips. According to the Hotwire® survey, 81 percent of travelers feel energized and productive after returning from a leisure trip.

So, kick off 2012 by adding “take more trips” to your New Year’s resolution list, and take advantage of the long New Year’s Eve weekend by booking an affordable getaway on Hotwire to one of this year’s most popular New Year’s destinations.
“Travel is one of the more popular New Year’s resolutions, but like many resolutions it tends to get forgotten about. These new survey findings reveal that travel isn’t just about the fun; it can also greatly benefit your wellbeing,” said Clem Bason, president of the Hotwire Group. “So why not deliver on two resolutions at the same time?”

Traditionally, exercise, weight loss and quitting smoking are some of the New Year’s resolutions associated with creating a healthier lifestyle, but adding frequent travel to the mix offers much more than a few days off from work or away from home; science has shown that it can also provide substantial health benefits. 

“Travel stimulates the brain and promotes the growth of new synapses, heightens creativity and may even resist Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Matthew Edlund, director of the Center for Circadian Medicine and author of The Power of Rest. “Your brain, like the rest of your body, rebuilds itself constantly, but it needs to be given the regular opportunity to do so. Taking frequent leisure trips at regular intervals continually rests and rejuvenates you, increasing your productivity and sense of satisfaction.”

“Fortunately, taking more trips doesn’t have to be a huge time or money commitment,” adds Clem Bason. “Weekend getaways and shorter vacations are very accessible, particularly when you take advantage of the deals on big discount travel sites like Hotwire. So let us help you keep your resolutions this year and start off 2012 on the right foot.”

Information on the most popular resolutions comes from a recent survey conducted by Princess Cruises which shows that 73 percent of people making New Year’s resolutions want to increase their physical health, and more than a third will make travel related resolutions.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive via its QuickQuery omnibus product on behalf of Hotwire from July 27-29, 2011 among 2,127 adults ages 18 and older among which 1,801 ever travel. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.