Why Your Vacation Needs Some Green Space

Being deep in the green of an endless mountain range and pure blue skies frees your mind, body and soul. Inside, most people are tied to devices. Go to a restaurant, and more people are engaged with their phones than their companions. Where the bedroom was once used to relax and get peaceful shuteye after a hard day’s work, television and tablets take your mind away instead.

For a world claiming to be so connected by technology, people are disconnected from themselves, others and nature. Reclaim true connection by taking a vacation in nature next time you need to get away from it all, soaking up all the beautiful benefits of visiting green places.

The Environment Needs You

As much as you need a vacation in a beautiful corner of the world, away from everything, nature needs you, too. Humans encroach on the habitats of animals and are slowly cutting away everything associated with the beauty of nature and what it offers humanity.

Visit national parks to show your support for the system and to keep federal funds and private donations flowing that way. Support animal preserves over zoos. Go overseas and volunteer on an organic farm in exchange for board, while you take in nature as you’ve never seen it before.

Nature volunteer vacations are a real and helpful way to give back to the environment. While visiting a state park, become a member and register as a volunteer to help with hiking trail maintenance and environmental conservation. If you’re going to spend money anyway, it might as well go to a cause you care about, and you’ll also get to learn more about climate change, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.

Strengthen Your Connection to Yourself and the World

Reconnect with your innermost self in quiet reflection away from rushing interstate traffic and the buzzing of devices. As you hike trails deep in the Appalachian Mountains or in a local park, listen to the sounds of the animals and smell the fresh air of the plants, feeling connected to nature in the present moment. Where you felt lost in a sea of people and technology, you’ll feel rooted in nature and yourself more deeply by getting away to green spaces.

Take a vacation in nature with family and friends. Go camping, or swim in seas across the world. Join a Family Nature Club, an FNC, or even create your own FNC to connect people and build stronger family and community bonds.

When you go on your next vacation, find a resort and rent a log cabin to literally surround yourself with nature, feeling nurtured within its embrace. Host your next family reunion in nature at Elk Horn Ridge RV Resort and Cabins in Spearfish, South Dakota. At Elk Horn Ridge, families can bike along its paved trails and enjoy a myriad of other outdoor activities, with the resort only minutes from historic downtown.

You won’t be too far from civilization but far enough to connect with loved ones. Share the new insights and experiences together. You’ll treasure how a loved one experienced a moment as vibrantly as you did but differently, too. Things are simpler when you’re in nature together, but that clarity enhances the details of experiences and personalities, bonding you together more deeply.

Boost Your Overall Health and Mood Level

Step into nature and away from the hustle and bustle of a busy life, and you’ll be happier spending time in green spaces. Your health and mood level will see a major boost as a result of your nature getaway.

In fact, doing something wild every day for a month is statistically shown to affect your outlook on life and your connection to the world. Within the last year, a recent study revealed that after a month of consecutively connecting with nature, participants reported their health as “excellent” 30 percent more than when they started the study. These feelings continued two months after the study.

Whether you’re stressed or seek to ease mental health symptoms, nature provides a host of health benefits. These benefits can also relieve symptoms of anxiety disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), for example.

Doing something wild every day is as simple as a quick walk at sunset or planting seeds. Pick up a “seed bomb” from a local nursery — throw the seeds, forget them and return to watch them grow.

Connecting to nature is amazing for the mind, body and soul. Give back to the environment that nurtured you because nature needs you as much as you need it.

Connect with the world in a way you had never before, sharing new insights and experiences with friends and family. Getting back to nature will literally change your life and make you happier for having had the experience.