TRAVEL IS THE NEW STATUS SYMBOL
We live in a world where the symbols of upper-middle class status has shifted from fancy watches, German-built cars, and 3-car garages to photos on the cliffs of Santorini, access to Global Entry, and the number of stamps in one’s passport.
This is due in part to the proliferation of affordable airline tickets, and also in part due to social media’s glorification of travel and the incentives that it rewards people with for posting about their travel experiences.
But the central concept to all of this is the re-constructing of a new social reality in which extensive travel is now the rule rather than the exception.
Unfortunately, this new reality is one that, like many other aspects of modern living, is unknowingly putting the health and well-being of society on the proverbial chopping block.
But before we go any further, let’s first talk about the concept of reality and social conditioning.
SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED REALITIES
Reality is, for the most part, relative.
The world, its systems, and ways of operating are mere social constructs rather than biological facts.
Social constructs are the product of evolving human behaviors in which a critical mass of individuals collectively accept ways of living and behaving as “truth” despite such truth not occurring in the natural world.
In other words, the realities that we live in are detached from the natural world.
What is “truth” or strictly enforced social norms in one society is not the truth or norm in another society.
For example, in American society, tipping the server at a restaurant is not only expected, but if one does not do so, then the “reality” or generally accepted truth is that the non-tipper has practically committed an act of treason.
Conversely in Japan, my understanding is that leaving a tip is usually frowned upon. Doing so is a non-verbal gesture of pity towards a server or establishment. In this reality, a non-tipper is just a polite person.
The point I’m trying to make here is that most of the norms we follow in society are not written in stone in nature’s rulebook, rather they are highly subjective social constructs based on cultural interpretations.
Social constructs are not only relative across geographies or demographic groups, but they are also relative across time. Many actions that are perfectly normal today were not normal 100 years ago. Many actions that were perfectly normal 100 years ago were not normal 1000 years ago. Many actions that were perfectly normal 1000 years ago were not normal 10,000 years ago.
This means that many of the actions and behaviors that we accept as a “normal” aspect of the human experience today are merely social constructs, that have evolved with changing times rather than being absolute.
Up until about 50 years ago, jetting across time zones at 500 mph to go from one part of the world to another in a matter of hours simply was not an aspect of the human experience. To put this in perspective, the modern human is estimated to have been in the planet for about 200,000 years, and for about 99.975% of our time on this planet, rapidly transporting ourselves from one part of the world to another in a matter of hours did not represent reality.
Travel was a slow process.
THE ORIGIN OF TIME ZONES
I won’t go into the extended version of the origin of time-zones, but I’ll touch on it a bit here.
For most of human history, the concept of time was different than we think of time today. Before the invention of the modern lightbulb, and when timepieces were only enjoyed by the ultra-wealthy, the pace of human life coincided with the circadian clock and the positioning of the sun.
People largely followed the rising and setting of the sun and coordinated their lives around this natural cycle.
But with the advancement of timekeeping technology, a new social construct around punctuality was formed. Time became less of an abstract concept and more of a tool that could be measured with precision.
However, the pace of travel was still quite slow. A trek of a few hundred miles took days or even weeks.
That is, until the invention of the steam locomotive. For the first time in human history people had the ability to travel across large expanses of land in relatively short times. For reference, the completion of the Transcontinental railroad in the United States cut travel times from NY to San Francisco from 6 months via wagon and 1 month via stagecoach down to less than a week via train.
This represented yet a new social construct which changed people’s perception of reality…. And that new social construct was what we know today as “time zones.”
Prior to the invention of trains, human mobility was sufficiently slow that coordinating time across large expanses of geography was simply not an area of consideration. But with trains zipping across the landscape, it became necessary for widely dispersed geographies to develop a system for coordinating the arrival and departure of trains, thus international time zones were born.
And with the dawn of airplanes as well as internet communications (remote working, etc), time-zones are so intrinsically necessary to the modern human experience that it’s easy to forget that they are fairly recent inventions that did not previously exist at any other time in human history.
DISCONNECTED FROM NATURE
In generations prior, slow travel was the only way to travel. However, just like with so many other areas in society, technology has enabled us to speed up the pace of life. This acceleration of the human experience is not without consequence, as it brings on a new set of challenges that manifest themselves in the form of physical illnesses, mental health problems, chronic diseases, deteriorating social relations, etc…
What’s more is that without the self-awareness to deliberately make decisions that violate the socially constructed realities that we live within, we instead become victims to them.
When it comes to travel, we hop on planes and fly halfway around the world into different time zones, stay for a few days, then fly back home or to the next destination.
It is now normal to fly the family from Seattle, WA to Disney World in Florida and then turn around and head back home a few days later. It is now normal for consultants and business professionals to fly across the country across multiple time zones on a weekly basis. It is now normal to fly from one continent to another for a 7-day vacation.
These are all behaviors that never existed in virtually all of human history. We were not evolved for this, and it is not without consequence.
I’ve talked extensively on my platform about evolutionary mismatches, but I’ll quickly recap.
As humans we have a tendency to use technology to drastically alter our lifestyles in the name of “progress.” However what we view as progress, is often times misaligned with our natural biology.
For example, the “progress” of the lightbulb has altered our relationship with the sun and our sleeping habits resulting in an epidemic of insomnia.
The progress of the automobile, television, and recliner chairs has led to substantially more sedentary lifestyles and the atrophying of core muscles, thus causing back pain and a gauntlet of chronic diseases to proliferate throughout the modern populace.
And as it applies to this topic, the progress of fast and frequent travel, while beneficial in many ways, disconnects us from our natural circadian cycles leading to jet lag.
JETLAG AND FAST TRAVEL
On the surface, jetlag may seem like a minor thing. You’re misaligned with the local time, so you sleep at odd hours, and after a couple of days you’re all synched up.
However let’s call it what it really is. Jetlag is a disruption to sleeping patterns, and in case you are unaware, sleep is an incredibly forceful driver of health and wellness.
And while a one-off trip here or there may not be so damaging, if you are a frequent traveler then you should be made aware that chronic jetlag introduces a litany of detrimental effects towards one’s health and well-being.
A few, but not all, of the long-term effects of frequent jetlag include:
Suppressed immune system
Digestive and GI problems
Cognitive decline
Mood disorders
Insomnia
Etc…
This is without mentioning the secondary effects that one could experience as a result of these health conditions.
How can one go about minimizing the impacts of jetlag?
IF YOU MUST TRAVEL FREQUENTLY FOR WORK
Well firstly let’s specifically address those whose careers call for frequent travel.
I think it’s obvious that the single best thing a person can do is to simply avoid jobs that will subject you to frequent and recurring travel.
In my past I once wanted to pursue a consulting career which would have required me to frequently fly to locations all over the U.S., however those career aspirations faded as I began to prioritize my health and wellness over a paycheck.
If health is of high priority for you as well, then it is fair to consider whether your job requirements are in line with your health goals. It’s ultimately up to you to make the decision, but if a more geographically and time-zone stable job is an option for you then it may be worth considering making a switch, even if it entails “gasp” a lower paycheck.
I took the path that enabled me to be a bit more grounded (literally and figuratively), and you could possibly do the same.
Speaking of being grounded, this brings me to my next point which is for those who are unwilling or unable to avoid a career that requires frequent travel.
If you don’t know by now I’m all about natural and holistic ways to improve health, rather than turning to the allopathic methods that often times produce undesirable side effects.
Regarding frequent travel and jetlag, staying on top of your game when it comes to maintaining general health is key to protecting yourself from it's harmful effects.
One powerful natural tool for promoting general health is electrical grounding.
The intricacies of electrical grounding and earthing are a bit too nuanced for me to discuss in detail here. So at the risk of grossly oversimplifying the science, this is essentially the premise of grounding:
You, like any electrical appliance in your home, use electricity to function and must be grounded to prevent electrical build up and noise
Electrical build up causes inflammation within the body along with other imbalances that put a person out of synch with the earth’s natural rhythms leading to a host of health issues
Due to overuse of shoes and artificial flooring inside of homes you are typically disconnected from the earth, thus electrically imbalanced
Being in physical contact with the earth (skin to grass) keeps the body electrically balanced and in unison with the earth’s natural processes
I get it, this may sound like pseudoscience, but there are studies corroborating this.
“The research done to date supports the concept that grounding or earthing the human body may be an essential element in the health equation along with sunshine, clean air and water, nutritious food, and physical activity.”
~ De Flora et al.
In addition to grounding, another interesting, yet quick and inexpensive, method for naturally combating jet lag through maintaining a healthy foundation is daily light exposure. Essentially, getting exposure to morning sunlight and limiting light exposure after sun set helps to maintain a laundry list of physiological processes that are tied to health. This is especially true when in a new time zone, as the light exposure can help a person to adjust faster.
Maintaining a healthy diet, managing stress, and getting regular exercise (preferably resistance training) are also important factors for protecting the body from the effects of circadian disruption.
So the TLDR is that if you do travel often, especially as a work requirement, it is even more important that you actively maintain your health to pre-emptively mitigate the impacts that jetlag will have on your system.
IT'S TIME TO RETHINK OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH LEISURE TRAVEL
In the case of traveling for fun, I believe there is more flexibility in how we approach the matter. For leisure travel we tend to be in better position to travel on our own terms.
This represents an opportunity to shift our mindset around, and to be more intentional with how we disrupt our bodies as we transport ourselves through space and time.
I used to be one of those people who prioritized more places, more countries, etc. as if there were a trophy to be won for checking off the list of places one could visit.
As I alluded to earlier, travel has become an integral part of the fast life, a life of conspicuous consumption, a life in which we consciously or subconsciously wear our travels as a sort of status symbol.
Not having a passport is something to look down on. Being well traveled is a sign of intelligence while not travelling much is associated with lack of cultural awareness.
Whether you realize it or not, our attitudes towards travel manifests in a sort of hidden classism in which those who live the slower life by not amassing a list of travel destinations under their belt (willingly or unwillingly) are regarded poorly.
The jet setter lifestyle of frequent weekend trips to exotic destinations is not only glorified, but in the age of social media, is put on full display in a digital form of keeping up with the Joneses.
But in reality, this lifestyle contributes to the long term health effects that I mentioned earlier in the article. In addition to the health effects, that I need not repeat, there is also the idea that as we engage in fast travel, we hardly give ourselves the chance to slow down and truly appreciate the experience.
As mentioned before, the time it took to travel to foreign destinations in the past was measured in weeks, or even months, so the experience of being in a different place was a far cry from what travel has become today.
A trip to a different continent may have entailed spending weeks at sea, or months in a caravan. One did not take a weekend excursion to a distant land, rather it was common for a person to spend months or even years away having a fully immersive experience.
I realize that setting off to a destination for months at a time is not the only solution, or even remotely feasible for most. I am saying this to highlight the difference between the human travel experience that was the reality up until 50 or so years ago.
What you CAN take away from this is that there is both opportunity and value in being more intentional about how we travel. As travel to far off places becomes cheaper and more accessible, a population that carries on without being very intentional about its travel habits will increasingly fall victim to the unintended consequences of fast travel including chronic disease, mood problems, and missed opportunities for high-quality immersive experiences.
This will look different for different people. For me it means embracing the concept of “slow travel” which is a quality over quantity approach. I’ve replaced more frequent weekend trips with less frequent, but longer and more immersive travel experiences. This is not only less taxing on my body, but also gives my body more time to adjust to the artificially induced circadian misalignment due to flying.
It also has come with benefits of less reduced travel anxiety due to tight schedules and itineraries. Additionally, I’ve enjoyed a greater sense of gratitude for experiencing different places in more depth and getting to know people on a more personal level.
I cannot fully put the benefits of this type of experience into words, but I can tell you that there is something deeply healing about being able to slow down to the pace of nature, a pace that is in unison with the earth and its natural cycles, and allowing one’s self to be fully present.
As I’ve already mentioned, slowing down your travel could look very different than my version of slow travel. But if you are trying to be more conscious of living a more health and wellness-oriented lifestyle then I do encourage you to spend some time rethinking your relationship with fast travel.
I encourage you to step outside of the current social construct of fast travel, and create a new one for yourself that represents a life of greater health, more intentionality, and increased presence of mind.