If I had to recall some of the best moments of my life, most would come from this last year - when I lived abroad in Paris for nine months.

It was my first time outside of the United States, so it's safe to say I definitely took advantage of being able to country hop so easily, for so cheap. If there's one thing I would recommend to anyone, it would be to travel. I genuinely cannot express how much I have grown, both mentally and physically, in the last year due to immersing myself in unfamiliar cultures. The art of traveling is absolutely beautiful.

Don't believe me? Well, then, believe the science.

1. Travel reduces stress.

While the process of booking tickets, packing bags, making sure everyone has their passports, and getting on the airplane can be a stressful process for most - it has been found that traveling itself reduces stress. In general, vacations are meant to detox and release built-up tension.

After having the chance to reboot yourself, you will return home with a better work performance. In France, employees have nearly 40 vacation days out of the year, whereas Americans are given 14 on average. Can you take a stab at who might be more stressed out at work?

2. Travel is good for your heart.

Travel improves your heart health. Elaine Eaker, president of Eaker Epidemiology Enterprises, conducted a questionnaire that proved "women who vacationed once every six years or less were nearly eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease or have a heart attack than those who vacationed twice a year."

In addition, a second study looked at 12,000 men over nine years who were at risk for coronary heart disease, and those who did not vacation annually had a 32 percent higher risk of dying.

3. Traveling boosts creativity.

Personally, I found that being abroad enhanced my creativity - I was constantly inspired by my surroundings, making it an easier process to create... which may explain why I have had trouble thinking of what to write about for this weeks article.

Adam Galinsky, a professor at Northeastern University, found that living and adapting to foreign facilities can enhance creativity. However, one must completely immerse themselves in the culture in order for this to happen.

Galinsky says "The key, critical process is multicultural engagement, immersion, and adaptation. Someone who lives abroad and doesn’t engage with the local culture will likely get less of a creative boost than someone who travels abroad and really engages in the local environment." Learn the language, adapt, and explore!

4. Traveling makes you happier.

Now this, I can attest to. One of the best parts about traveling is getting the chance to explore new places, try new foods, and meet new people. What's not to be happy about? Research done at Cornell University shows that purchases spent on doing more often provide happiness than those purchases spent on having. "People derive more happiness from the anticipation of experiential purchases and that waiting for an experience tends to be more pleasurable and exciting than waiting to receive a material good," he found.

Even planning a trip and the anticipation of traveling can bring happiness.

5. Traveling teaches you about yourself.

Now, I don't have scientific research to prove this one, but I am living and breathing proof that traveling helps you realize who you are. Ask anyone who knows me, I used to be a very shy girl.

There were several instances where I was placed in challenging situations (such as being stranded in an Italian airport at midnight while taxis were on strike, missing my bus back from Brussels, or perhaps losing my debit card in Iceland, having no gas and only U.S. dollars as backup cash) that ultimately 1.) made for good stories to tell, and more importantly 2.) forced me into becoming a more independent and confident person. After being back for several months, I have received comments from my peers and family saying that they have noticed a change in my self-confidence.

While I understand traveling is not the most easily accessible thing to do, I highly recommend it to anyone who gets the opportunity to. And if you cannot, explore a nearby city! Take a new route home.

There is adventure in everything, and it's up to you to embark on it.

Image credits: Tatum Van Dam