According to a research study commissioned by youth travel expert Contiki, young travellers who explore outside of their own country are actually better connected to their home environment than non-travellers. By leaving and discovering other parts of the world, travellers are more likely to become active members of their local communities, have an increased sense of citizenship and be more patriotic.

In order to uncover the effects of travel on young people, Contiki's The Power of Travel study polled 2,980 18-35 year olds from around the world, surveying an equal number of travellers and non-travellers.

According to the study, 40% of travellers indicate that they participate in activities in their community, compared with 31% of non-travellers. Travellers are more likely to engage with local issues and political policies, with  21% of travellers stating that they are involved in their local government, compared to just 4% of non-travellers, and 21% of travellers having written to or communicated with their national government, compared to just 5% of non-travellers. Interestingly, 52% of travellers indicated that they are patriotic, compared to 42% of non-travellers, and travellers are also 10% more likely to find great satisfaction in their close interpersonal relationships.

These results show that it's not necessarily the people who choose to stay within their country that feel most connected to their locality – indeed, picking up a passport and exploring other cultures and communities is proven to strengthen travellers' connections with home.

“You might assume that young people who travel a lot aren't particularly connected to their own communities at home,” said Donna Jeavons, Contiki Sales and Marketing Director. “However, our research has revealed that 75% of travellers agreed they're more tolerant and compassionate thanks to the awareness of other cultures that visiting different countries gives them. The impact this has at home was the most surprising data we uncovered – it seems the more young people travel, the better citizens they become at home”.

Contiki's research was informed by the work of social psychologist Adam Galinsky (PhD, Columbia Business School) whose academic studies have explored the valuable impacts of travel on individuals.