Gadling

It's a no-brainer that travel is good for you. But just in case you doubt this generally held belief, there are numerous studies which prove that this is indeed the case.

A great article in last week's Los Angeles Times Health section by Karen Ravn dissects the medical literature and research on the topic and has good news to share with us--at least those of us who vacation regularly.

In short, she reports that those who vacation are "less likely to have heart attacks...report lower levels of stress and depression and... may even be happier in their marriages."

Not too bad!

Ravn quotes from a variety of sources. Much of the research focuses on the stress of daily life and how a respite from that stress--i.e. a vacation--has quantifiable health benefits for those who take advantage of this.

By "periodically winding down and recuperating from stress," she writes, "people may be able to escape its bad consequences." In other words, those who vacationed more often, experienced lower blood pressure and less risk of heart attacks than the stick-in-the-mud control groups who stayed at home.

It's not all good news, however. Studies have indicated that heart attacks are quite common the first two days of vacation--there's nothing like trying to catch your flight, find your hotel, and navigate through foreign customs to really get the old stress ticker pumping. But once you get past that first shock to your system, it's all good.

For a more detailed look into the healthy benefits of travel, click here to read the whole article.