What Is Dopamine Travel + 10 Mood-Boosting Travel Destinations

Vacation should make us happy. That seems obvious. But just as the Ancient Greeks had six different words and concepts for love, there are also different kinds of happiness.

One person may go to see The Mouse at the “Happiest Place on Earth,” while someone else feels most content with a good book under a beach cabana. What we see emerging for even more vacationers is the desire for dopamine travel.

Key Takeaways:

• Dopamine is the chemical that triggers the reward center of your brain. Travel can provide a dopamine boost, improving your mood and mindset.
• Dopamine travel involves intentionally planning a vacation around the destinations and activities that trigger a rush of dopamine.
• Dopamine destinations are often cities that are exceptionally colorful, giving our moods a lift through their vibrancy, but they’re also places that offer joy and excitement in a number of other ways as well.

What Is Dopamine?

Quick (but easy) science lesson: dopamine is a natural chemical or neurotransmitter that helps us feel pleasure. When we sense something pleasurable, dopamine is part of the brain signal that says, “Yes! I want more of this!”

While dopamine is produced in the brain, it can be boosted or depleted by external influences. Cake boosts my dopamine, which is why I can't eat just one bite and then simply walk away. Conversely, things like stress deplete dopamine, which is part of why most of us don’t crave situations that leave us fraught with worry.

Does Traveling Increase Dopamine?

The act of traveling can create environmental factors that trigger a dopamine release. When you’re excited by trying an exotic food, you might feel a dopamine rush. When you’re confronted with incredible or serene views, you might experience a tangible sensation. It could be a sense of awe you actually feel in your chest or a lightening in your shoulders. Your mental outlook could shift, giving you the sense that a burden has been lifted.

Travel can lead to dopamine-fueled joy through:

• Providing an opportunity for pure relaxation or release
• Putting us in uplifting situations
• Introducing us to energizing destinations
• Trying new things
• Allowing us to meet and connect with other people

These pleasurable moments can be found anywhere, but we often recognize them more easily when we travel.

We can also get a dopamine rush just by planning a vacation. There’s the misconception that we have to take extended trips of two or more weeks to have the ultimate experience. In reality, we reach peak rejuvenation after about eight days; on average, longer trips don’t make us feel better. Planning a trip and the anticipation of an experience, however, can increase happiness and have a longer-lasting effect.

While planning and taking any vacation can scratch that pleasure itch, you could also be more intentional about where you go and what you do. It’s a practice called dopamine travel, taking an ordinary vacation to the next level of joy fulfillment.

What Is Dopamine Travel?

Before there was dopamine travel, there was “dopamine dressing” and “dopamine decor.” In both these cases, you choose the clothes or the room accessories that make you feel joyful and confident. You often see it done with vibrant colors, like a bright yellow shirt paired with blue-and-white polka dot pants. Or a purple wall with neon green accent art.

Now translate that idea to travel. We choose destinations and activities based on how they can boost our mood and give us a dopamine rush.

Lean into the senses and explore how certain destinations trigger joyful responses based on what you see, smell, taste, or hear. What cities are exceptionally colorful? What regions set your tastebuds off like fireworks (in a good way)? Where can you go where the sounds — or lack thereof — bring you peace and pleasure?

Colorful Dopamine Destinations

Color is exceptionally powerful for dopamine travel because of the emotions we associate with certain hues and the way color can affect our moods. Think of the way we say we’re “green with envy” or “so mad I’m seeing red.” Cool colors (blues, greens) can be calming, while warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows) can have the opposite effect.

Boost your mood with these vibrantly colorful destinations around the world.

1. Jaipur, India

The Blue City of Chefchaouen, Morocco, tops almost every list of colorful destinations, but we’re starting with Jaipur, India. Jaipur is known as the Pink City. Because pink is considered the color of hospitality, Jaipur’s building were doused in pink when the Prince of Wales visited India in 1876.

The buildings in the historic core of the city are still pink and continue to inspire art and culture. Jaipur was one of the filming locations for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is home to the Jaipur Literature Festival (known as the “greatest literary show on earth”), and, not surprisingly, is packed with incredible architecture.

2. Willemstad, Curaçao

Willemstad is the capital city of this Dutch Caribbean island. Its vibrantly colorful architecture is part of its colonial history. You can see the multicolored buildings along the seafront either by wandering the city on foot or from the cruise ports. It’s worth disembarking for an up-close look.

3. Valparaíso, Chile

Another seaport, Valparaíso’s hillsides are packed with homes and businesses seemingly stacked higgledy-piggledy. No two buildings side-by-side are the same color, giving it a delightfully eclectic appearance. Valparaíso also has a reputation for its street art with ever-changing murals.

4. Santorini, Greece

I used to have a wall calendar where every month I got a new view of the Greek Isles. Did I have a particular hankering to visit Greece as a kid? Not really, but I loved the sight of those clean, white buildings capped with blue roofs.

Climb into the meandering streets of a Santorini hillside and let yourself get lost in that blue-and-white architecture. Just make sure you poke your head up in time to see an epic sunset over the Aegean Sea.

5. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA

Of all the parks I’ve visited in the Western U.S., Bryce Canyon was perhaps the most unexpected. The red-rock hoodoos tower over you, making it feel like you’ve been dropped into an otherworldly land despite maybe only being a few hundred meters from a parking lot. It’s well worth a hike down into the canyon or even just finding a bench to watch how the changing light transforms the views throughout the day.

More Dopamine Destinations for More Joy

Color isn’t the only way to get an extra hit of dopamine when you travel. More than one person trying to pick the best places for a dopamine rush has employed semi-scientific criteria like the amount of sunshine, air quality, walkability or options for physical activity, healthy food, or how well you can sleep there. 

The trouble with this, though, is that not everyone experiences joy and excitement for the same reasons. Music festivals, for example, provide immense joy to loads of people. But as someone who is easily overstimulated by sound, it would be my worst nightmare.

Rather than searching for a site that’s Insta-worthy or where everyone else thinks you should go, do a little self-reflection and choose the dopamine destinations that spark happiness in your heart (and brain).

These next dopamine destinations are just a few ideas to get you thinking about where you could go on your next vacation to find a profound sense of joy.

1. Kuching, Malaysia

The reason “comfort food” exists is because so many of us take great pleasure in eating. You don’t have to be a foodie to get a dopamine rush from a meal on vacation, though. It’s simply about finding new and exciting cuisine that lights up your tastebuds and has you going back for seconds.

UNESCO has designated more than 50 cities around the world as Cities of Gastronomy, including Kuching, Malaysia. Wet markets, plant-based ingredients from the nearby rainforest, and river fish are part of what make this city a culinary capital.

2. Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland, with a population of just 400,000 people, has three Michelin Star restaurants. It’s not just “fancy food,” though. These restaurants are focused on local ingredients and telling Iceland’s story through cuisine.

Typical food in Iceland includes a lot of seafood, such as Arctic char, saltfiskur (salted cod), and harðfiskur (dried fish) as well as lamb prepared in multiple ways, goose, and a variety of wild herbs.

3. Kruger National Park, South Africa

Scott and Collette Stohler of Roamaroo.com put a South African safari at the top of their travel bucket list trips. Because most of us will never encounter the Big Five — lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinos — in our daily lives, this is the kind of extraordinary excitement sure to get your dopamine neurotransmitters working overtime.

4. Routeburn Track, South Island, New Zealand

If getting out of doors and testing your physical abilities is what brings you pleasure, check out New Zealand's Routeburn Track. This 20-mile out-and-back hike can be demanding but awe-inspiring. You’ll meander through alpine trails in Fiordland and Mount Aspiring national parks. Incredible scenery and native wildlife abound. When connecting with other people is needed for a kick of dopamine, join a guided group hike.

5. Mt. Aeneas/Jewel Basin, Montana, USA

It doesn’t sound very joyful, but you can start this hike at Camp Misery Trailhead. From there, it’s a four- to six-mile hike (depending on your exact route) through lakes, wildflower meadows, and mountains. As you progress along the trail and gain elevation, the views get increasingly expansive. It’s the perfect example of the grandness of the Western U.S.

Staying Joyful with Travel Insurance (Yes, That’s a Thing)

Can you guess what depletes dopamine the most? For many of us, it’s stress.

There are lots of ways to make travel less stressful: using a travel agent to help you plan, booking non-stop flights to reduce the chance of missed connections, saving copies of important travel documents in the cloud in case the hard copy gets misplaced.

And of course, there’s travel insurance. If you’re worried about money, travel insurance can protect the money you spent for your trip by reimbursing you for prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses if you have to cancel your trip or end it early for a covered reason. It can also help you replace lost or damaged belongings, and cover medical bills if you get sick or hurt during your trip.

Plus, something that’s overlooked too often, every plan from Seven Corners comes with 24/7 emergency travel assistance. Stop stressing about what could go wrong and start teaming up with travel experts who will help you weather the worst storms.

Visit SevenCorners.com or talk to an agent to find the support and coverage that’s right for you.