If a better understanding of foreign culture, good food, the opportunity to see amazing sights aren’t enough reasons to entice you to get a passport and travel the world, a new study has illuminated another upside of going abroad: it could increase your chances of finding love.
Hilton recently surveyed American travelers on their thoughts on international travel, and found that those who do jet-set are viewed more favorably.
Several also cited ways that going abroad enhanced their love lives — and enriched their lives as a whole.
Travel joy: A new study has found that people with passports might be happier than people who don’t
Ooh-la-la! Those surveyed said people with passports were more fun, more creative, and sexier
Just 36 per cent of Americans hold a valid US passport, but those who do think quite highly of their peers.
Of the international travelers surveyed, 29 per cent think those who travel are more fun, 26 per cent think they’re more creative, and 7 per cent think they’re sexier.
They also seem to think international travelers smarter and have farther-reaching life experience: 66 per cent said they think that international travel can be as valuable as a college education.
All of these things speak highly of those who like to head off to different countries for vacation, which might make them more appealing. But the study also found that traveling is, in an of itself, a recipe for love.
Perspective: They were also more likely to report being content with their lives than those without passports
Love abroad: Many married travelers said taking an international trip deepened their bond with their spouses
Thirty-four per cent of married travelers said that international travel helped them deepen their relationship with their spouses, while 20 per cent of those polled said they made a romantic connection on a trip.
It’s not just that traveling can lead to love, though — not having a passport might actually hinder someone from getting a date or getting hitched.
Forty-four per cent of the passport-holders polled said they’d think twice before dating or marrying someone who didn’t have a passport.
The study found quite a few other benefits to international travel, too — most interestingly being that Americans who go abroad are actually happier than those who don’t.
Smarties: 66 per cent said they think that international travel can be as valuable as a college education
More than half (53 per cent) of Americans with passports said they are content with their lives, while just 34 per cent of those without passports said the same.
International travelers also said visiting other countries gives them opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise (57 per cent), a deeper understanding of the world (52 per cent), and the chance to make new friends (37 per cent).
It’s little surprise, then, that 85 percent of people without a passport said they feel like they’re missing out by not traveling abroad — something Hilton hopes to remedy with its Passport Project, which encourages more Americans to get passports.
The chain will also set up ‘passport concierge’ booths in some hotel lobbies this year, and offers resources online.
Get one fast! Forty-four per cent of the passport-holders polled said they’d think twice before dating or marrying someone who didn’t have a passport
The survey also asked why people travel, finding they were inspired to do so by the prospect of sightseeing (67 per cent), an interest in other cultures (52 per cent), a yearning to try authentic food (39 per cent), better weather (29 per cent), and a desire to spend time with family and friends (32 per cent).
Nineteen per cent said they were celebrating a milestone, like an engagement or promotion, while a whopping 17 per cent said they wanted to visit a place they saw on a TV show or in a movie.
Those who only travel domestically cited having ‘no reason to go abroad’ (26 per cent), preferring US travel (21 per cent), and being ‘too busy’ (18 per cent) as the top reasons for staying local.
Life experience: The survey looked at the reasons people go abroad and what they think they gain from it