Travel is True Fun and has actually been proven to be good for you!
“Girls just want to have fun.”
I saw Cyndi Lauper in concert in Toronto in 1985 - it was her FUN tour. She was spunky, irreverent, colourful, and loud. We danced, we shrieked until we lost our voices, we dyed our hair, and we stayed out late. It was fun!
This kind of experience shaped my definition of fun in my teenage-Cyndi Lauper-crazy-years. As I got older, I must have got sucked into the common perspective that fun is frivolous…and in a world with real responsibilities and problems, fun is less important than other sources of well-being like purpose or compassion. My career led me down a path that re-introduced me to fun through the emerging research on happiness, play, learning, and well-being.
But I think I removed the actual term “fun” from my professional well-being jargon. I covered it up with important and non-frivolous activities like altruism, social connection and gratitude. I think this because I was recently surprised when a reader told me she looks forward to reading my blogs and newsletters because they spark an important reminder about having fun in a world that is pretty dark and hard these days. I was tickled to hear that I made a difference…and then stumbled on and reacted to the word fun.
I am passionate about travel and well-being as important, healthy, and meaningful and my messages are often about personal development, growth, and stepping out of your comfort zone. “Fun” sounded less important. But then it dawned on me…oh yeah, of course! Travel is also fun! And fun is really good for us too.
How do you define fun?
Fun’s dictionary definition describes it as enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure.
What comes to your mind when you read this? I bet it’s different than what pops into my head. I think that fun is more than simple lightheartedness and amusement and is actually a lot more complex and interestingly diverse! We often describe activities as fun (going to the Cyndi Lauper concert was fun) but fun is also a feeling we experience.
Fun doesn’t have to be crazy, loud, hedonistic, silly and certainly not frivolous. It doesn’t have to include a big party, excessive money or losing control. It doesn’t have to even look or feel the same as your partner, friend, or neighbour.
Science journalist Catherine Price (author and TEDTalk speaker) says: “People often use the word “fun” to describe anything they do with leisure time, even when those things, upon reflection, aren’t actually enjoyable. My research has shown me that true fun, as I call it, materializes when we experience the confluence of three psychological states: playfulness, connection and flow.” Separately, Price writes, playfulness, connection and flow each improve people’s moods and mental health but when they experience these three states at once, the effects are almost “magical.” True fun is full of focus, presence, and connection, and is free from anxiety and self-criticism.
True Fun:
Playfulness is when you do things with a touch of whimsy, positivity, optimism and lightness.
Connection happens when people get together.
Flow is a state of mind where you are “in the zone” and you become fully immersed in an activity.
Have Fun in 4 Ways
Have you heard of type 1 and 2 fun? I was first introduced to this concept by micro-adventurer Alastair Humphreys. He walked across India, cycled around the world, and rowed across the Atlantic Ocean - fun for him but not my cup of tea! He prefers Type 2 fun which involves overcoming personal challenges. It’s the kind of activity that is actually NOT fun while you are doing it but feels great after. Type 1 fun, on the other hand, is when we simply enjoy doing something.
An expanded definition
Nicole Lazzaro, a game designer from Stanford University, expands the description of fun based on gaming research. She describes 4 fun types - each of which we probably enjoy in various doses.
Hard Fun
… is joy that comes from achieving a goal and overcoming frustration. It provides the opportunity for challenge, mastery, and feelings of accomplishment.
Hard travel fun: the Camino de Santiago; hiking to Everest basecamp, going solo for the first time
Easy Fun
… is the fun of doing interesting, easy activities in which you can simply enjoy a relaxing and playful experience. Easy fun inspires exploration and imagination.
Easy travel fun: food tours, wandering the streets of a foreign city, playing at the beach, people-watching
Serious Fun
… is engaging because it makes a difference. Personal development, volunteering, or creating an impact in the environment are examples of “purposeful play” that changes how people think, feel, behave, or make a difference in the real world.
Serious travel fun: voluntourism, language classes, writing retreats
People Fun
… comes from connection, such as hanging out with friends or meeting new ones building social bonds through shared experiences and/or teamwork.
People travel fun: travel with friends, group tours, connecting with locals, concerts and events
Travel and True Fun
One thing I know for certain is that travel is one way I experience true fun. I can focus on different types of fun through a variety of different travel options and activities. I can even get a little bit of all 4 types of fun in one trip with some intention setting and good planning!
Travel and true fun are connected as novel experiences away from home that includes a sense of playfulness, connection, and flow. The excitement of discovering unfamiliar places, meeting new people, and indulging in new activities creates a sense of exhilaration and joy. The fun of travelling allows us to escape our comfort zones, immerse ourselves in vibrant environments, and create lasting memories. Plus, when we plan to do things that are fun, we open ourselves up to more moments of awe and wonder.
Travel, then, isn’t only highly beneficial for your well-being: it’s also FUN! And fun is actually quite serious, in that it also contributes to physical and mental health benefits.
Physically, fun helps to relieve stress and can trigger the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals.
Fun can improve brain function and help prevent memory problems.
Research has shown that fun boosts creativity and problem-solving. We often learn best when we are playing.
Sharing laughter and fun can foster empathy, compassion, trust, and intimacy with others. This builds and strengthens relationships.
Fun can boost your energy, vitality, and even resistance to disease.
It almost feels like travel offers the WHOLE FUN PACKAGE! Travel can be challenging as well as relaxing, it can be overwhelming but also achievable, you can learn more about yourself, you will meet new people…and, I don’t know about you, but I usually have a big smile on my face! 😃
