Road trips, outdoor time linked to happiness: Survey  

Social distancing norms is the ''new normal" and it has the world spending more time indoors than ever, but a new survey revealed that 94 % of people report they are happier and healthier when they spend time outdoors.

As per Outdoorsy's Road to Wellness report, the open road is a welcome relief as people search for safe travel options. 71% of respondents who had to cancel their summer travel plans are now considering alternative vacation, such as a road trip.

It seems like remote workers have also caught the travel bug. For those with the flexibility to work from the road, a change of scenery doesn't have to tap into vacation days. Work-from-home (WFH) workers are 2.5 times more likely to say they would take more road trips if they had access to an RV, with 72 % of respondents reporting they are planning to take more road trips as a result of widespread work-from-home policies.

The survey shows 70 % of respondents would rather go on a road trip with family or a significant other than go alone, and that air travel could be a hassle. Three out of four people noted they would describe their last road trip as a "much needed escape" and would plan to take one again soon.

Time spent outdoors has a positive effect on an individual's wellbeing, but with this survey we learned more about the wellness benefits attributed to time spent outdoors with family, said Outdoorsy. "The survey found an overwhelmingly positive sentiment to family road travel and anecdotal reports found that family ties were strengthened in direct correlation to the amount of time a family spends together in nature," it said.

Overall, 88 per cent of survey respondents say they want to incorporate the outdoors into their daily routine more often.