Dreaming of your next destination? Make it a reality with September's top personal loans

Spring has sprung, and as the flowers begin to bloom and the weariness of winter wears off, it’s only natural that our thoughts turn to sunshine, serenity and summer holidays.

The latest overseas arrivals and departures data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) noted a significant jump in the number of Australian travellers taking a short-term trip in June, up 50% month-on-month to 621,150.

Although this figure is still a far cry from pre-covid numbers of more than one million travellers who jetted abroad in June 2019, it’s a positive sign that travel intention is ramping up once again.

A cross-disciplinary paper from Edith Cowan University (ECU) released in June revealed that travelling isn’t only a fun, recreational activity. The experience may have a litany of health benefits for a variety of vacationists.

Lead researcher Dr Jun Wen said the varied nature of tourism meant there were many opportunities to incorporate treatments for conditions such as dementia and depression.

“Exercise has been linked to mental wellbeing and travelling often involves enhanced physical activity, such as more walking,” Dr Wen said.

“Mealtimes are often different on holiday: they’re usually more social affairs with multiple people and family-style meals have been found to positively influence dementia patients’ eating behaviour.”

The paper also outlined how simple things that we take for granted on holiday, like breathing fresh air and soaking up sunshine, can increase vitamin D and serotonin levels.

“Everything that comes together to represent a holistic tourism experience, makes it easy to see how patients with dementia or depression may benefit from tourism as an intervention,” Dr Wen added.

Three of the most popular options for Australian travellers to facilitate their spending needs are travel money cards, credit cards and debit cards. So, with a plethora of options available to you, which is the best choice when travelling?

A significant proportion of Australians possess one or more credit cards. But is the travel insurance that’s often included with this popular payment method sufficient for your next overseas trip?

Travellers and points chasers can find a range of credit cards offering bulk Qantas frequent flyer points on sign up that may take eligible customers across Australia, or across the oceans to America and Europe, return.

While many airline members can debate the benefits of their frequent flyer program over others, the best frequent flyer program will come down to your personal preferences. Compare your options using our guide.

If you’re keen on booking travel RateCity has listed some of the top-rated personal loans for September 2022.

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