Why Vacation Is Good for Your Health (No Passport Required)

I just got back to New York City after 12 days in Japan, my first trip to Asia. It was amazing, and it taught me something about rest that I think every busy, ambitious woman needs to hear.

What 12 days in Japan taught me about slowing down

I’m type A, a Black woman in America, and a New Yorker, so my head is usually on a swivel and my nervous system is on high alert. Japan let me relax in a way I rarely do. The low crime rate, clean streets, welcoming culture, affordable quality meals, and easy access to nature all made it possible to move slowly.

I was also intentional about not overloading our days, which left room for organic exploration. We visited temples, Disneyland, and immersive museums, shopped, and walked through forests. I won’t forget it.

What struck me most was how much thought goes into making daily life run smoothly. The trains leave on time to the minute and everyday systems are designed around ease. When your surroundings aren’t asking you to brace for the next problem, your shoulders come down from your ears. I noticed how rarely I get to feel that at home.

Why vacation is a health behavior, not a luxury

We tend to treat time off as a reward we have to earn. The science says otherwise. In the long-running Framingham Heart Study, women who vacationed once every six years or less were nearly eight times more likely to have a heart attack or develop heart disease than women who vacationed at least twice a year. The study is observational, but the pattern lines up with what we know about chronic stress.

Why rest matters even more for Black women

Researcher Dr. Arline Geronimus coined the term “weathering” to describe how chronic stress, including the stress of racism and sexism, wears the body down and speeds up aging. One analysis found that by age 45, half of Black women had high allostatic load, a measure of stress-related wear on the body. Rest is part of how we protect ourselves.

The catch: vacation benefits fade fast

Studies show that vacations reduce stress and exhaustion, but the benefits disappear within about a week of returning to work. One great trip can’t carry you through the year. The good news is that you don’t have to go far to get many of the same benefits.

No passport required: how a change of scenery helps your health

Part of what made Japan restorative was simply being somewhere new. A 2020 study tracked people in New York City and Miami by GPS for several months and found that on days they moved through more varied places, they felt more positive emotions. Your brain treats new surroundings as a reward. Time in nature helps too: people who spent at least two hours a week in green spaces, including city parks, were more likely to report good health and well-being.

What matters most is that the time off feels like a real break. A day spent on laundry and “quick” emails is not rest. I also know time off isn’t equally easy for everyone, between limited PTO, caregiving, and budgets. That’s why the local version matters.

Easy ways to get a change of scenery close to home

• Spend a Saturday in a neighborhood you’ve never explored, with no errands attached
• Take a day trip to a town, beach, or state park within a couple of hours of home
• Book one night at a hotel in your own city and leave work at home
• Walk in the park on your lunch break instead of scrolling

And use your PTO. It’s part of your compensation, and your body can put it to good use.

Try this today: Open your calendar and block one day in the next 45 days for rest. Treat it like a meeting you can’t move.

Ready to make rest part of your routine?

If you’re running on fumes and telling yourself you’ll slow down “after this quarter,” I want to help you build a routine where nutrition, strength, sleep, and stress management support you year-round, not just on vacation.

Book your free discovery call. We’ll talk about where you are, what’s draining you, and what a sustainable plan could look like.

Arigatou for reading, Nic