A few months ago, over 1,000 travellers in the NomadMania community took the time to provide thoughtful answers to our mental health poll. We were pleasantly surprised with both the quantity and quality of the responses, particularly in the free response section of the poll.
We are pleased to finally present you with some of our findings, as well as some of the graphs that illustrate how travel has effected us as a community. In addition to this report, check out our short video with a few powerful quotes from the poll.
Travel Preferences: Solo vs. Companion Travel
Our community shows a balanced preference for travel modes: 59% favour travelling with companions, while a significant 39% prefer solo adventures.
This trend spans across all age groups. Interestingly, travellers who have explored over 400 NomadMania regions lean towards solo journeys, suggesting a focus on personalised travel goals and experiences.
Online Presence and Content Creation
When asked about online presence, 66% of our respondents stated that they only use social media either occasionally, rarely, or never. As far as content creation goes, age was a significant factor.
The younger members of our community (0-34), had the largest percentage of content creators. As age increased, both social media usage and content creation decreased.
Travel Interests: Places vs. People
When traveling, 83% of our community members are more interested in places, such as cultural and natural sights, while 16% focus on interacting with people and immersing in local cultures. This preference underscores the diverse interests of travelers, seeking either the beauty of destinations or the richness of human connections.
The Importance of Purpose in Travel
When asked about the importance of having a purpose while traveling, 80% of our community answered that is was either very important or somewhat important to them. We suspect that this overwhelming percentage is distinctive to our community, as opposed to the to the average traveler.
Purpose, however unique that may be to each of us, is clearly a driver as to why we’ve made travel such an integral part of our lives.
Personal Growth through Travel
Unsurprisingly, our question on personal growth yielded similar results. 96% of our community responded that travel has either impacted their personal growth significantly (73%) or somewhat (23%). Perhaps this is the single biggest differentiator between our community and the average traveler.
Our community has shown a genuine interest in learning about the places and indulging in the cultures we visit. Whether we like it or not, that authentic method of travel has exposed us to arduous obstacles and heartbreaking sights, which have taught us resilience and empathy.
Loneliness and Social Connections in Travel
Our question on loneliness also yielded interesting findings. 64% of our community felt that travel rarely or never makes them lonely. That said, there was key differential between our younger travelers (0-34) and older travelers (55+). 37% of our younger travelers felt that they are sometimes lonely, compared to only 17% of our older travelers.
There are a few potential explanations for this. It’s possible that social media, which is used more frequently by our younger members, has played a part in this data. While social media does connect us in a way, it also gives false perceptions of real life, and can be incredibly isolating when we’re alone and on the road. Maturity might also be a factor here, where our older travelers are more comfortable being alone and know how to handle extended time away from loved ones.
Stress and Travel
When asked how they feel while traveling, 53% admitted to feeling stressed during trips sometimes, which is normal with the unpredictability of logistics, but a large proportion (42%) “rarely or never” feel stressed while traveling.
What doesn’t surprise us is the commitment expressed in our travelers; only 12% said they sometimes consider “quitting travel”, while an even smaller 2% “often” think of quitting. Fortunately, 84% state they would never want to “quit” travel; this is good news to us here at NomadMania as we appreciate our community and continually look for ways to keep travel a positive experience.
Travel Goals and Pressure
Most respondents associate travel with adventure (48%) and learning (21%), with only 8% associating travel with “relaxing.” Certainly, this shows the distinction of NomadMania travelers from typical vacationers going on a beach holiday “to relax.”
With our community being known for ambitious travelers, 62% did admit to feeling pressure to meet travel goals. On the contrary, 37% responded “rarely or never” feeling pressure to do so.
Travel’s Impact on Personal Relationships
One interesting finding pertains to the impact of travel on relationships. 62% of respondents said travel has a “somewhat to extremely positive” impact on their relationships with close friends and family, with only 10% seeing a somewhat negative effect; 26% stated travel did “not have much effect” on their relationships.
This dispels a common assumption that travel gets in the way of maintaining a healthy social circle.
As we wrap up our analysis, we encourage the NomadMania community to remember the essence of their travel journeys. Amidst the goals and challenges, it’s crucial to stay present and mindful of the reasons that fuelled our passion for travel. Each journey is unique and should be treasured as such.
Special thanks to Cameron Mofid and Lucy Hsu for their insightful analysis and dedication to understanding the intricate relationship between travel and mental health within our vibrant community.
