Despite the inconvenience of occasional flight delays, lost luggage, or overpriced rental cars, traveling is generally good for you. There are plenty of emotional, mental and physical health benefits to feeding your wanderlust.
Studies show that travel may lower your risk of heart disease, boost your immune system, reduce stress, increase physical activity and stimulate your creativity.
Travel may also help improve your sleep, lift your mood and lower your risk of depression, not to mention reduce job burnout.
Wellness travel is a growing trend, worth over $800 billion last year and estimated to reach $1.3 trillion in 2025, according to the Global Wellness Institute.
But you don’t have to go to a fancy spa resort to reap the benefits of travel. Wherever you go, you can soak up some vitamin D in the sunniest spots, boost your vitamin C with fresh local fruit, improve your mood laughing with locals in some of the happiest countries in the world or breathe in the oxygen in the cities with the lowest air pollution.
To find out the best destinations for a "vitamin vacay," vacation rental site Holidu collated a list of all of the main cities in each country in the world and then analyzed and ranked each based on:
- Vitamin D: the average number of sunshine hours in a city per year
- Vitamin C: the average amount of citrus fruits consumed per capita per year
- Serotonin: the happiness ranking of the country overall (3-year average)
- B12: the average amount of calories consumed from meat, dairy, and eggs per capita per day
- Oxygen: the average air pollution levels
- Sugar: the percentage of daily calories coming from sugar
The data comes from the World Data Bank, IQ Air, and the World Happiness Report.
According to Holidu, here are the top 25 cities for a healthy, vitamin-rich vacation.
1. (tie) Faro, Portugal
- Number of sunshine hours each year: 3,036
- Per capita kilos of citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.39 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 56
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 747 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 6.81%
Faro, Portugal, takes the top spot, along with Stockholm, for the best destination for a vitamin-rich vacation. Get your oxygen with Faro's clean air: average air pollution is an impressively low 3.8 PM2.5. Faro is Portugal's southernmost city, so you can always get your vitamin D on the sunny beaches. You can eat healthy, too: Portuguese people typically only get 6.81% of their daily calories from sugar, and the Mediterranean diet is part of the identity of the Portuguese gastronomy.
1. (tie) Stockholm, Sweden
- Hours of sunshine annually: 1,803
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.63 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 6 (of 137 countries)
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 860 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 10.42%
Tied with Faro is Stockholm, and while you won't get more than a few hours of sunshine in winter, days in Sweden can be over 18 hours long in the summer. Plus, Sweden is one of the happiest countries in the world and boasts low air pollution with a 6.8 PM2.5 concentration thanks to its coastal location and government initiatives.
3. Helsinki, Finland
- Hours of sunshine annually: 1,858
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.19 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 1
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 1,144 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 10.2%
Boost your seratonin with a visit to the No. 1 happiest country in the world. Finland also also scored high for vitamin B12 and the amount of meat, poultry, and fish eaten on average each day. Helsinki and the surrounding area is loaded with good food, great design, interesting museums, unique architecture, idyllic towns and and plenty of opportunities to take in nature and the outdoors.
4. Madrid
- Hours of sunshine annually: 2,769
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.71 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 32
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 751 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 8.65%
Spain's elegant capital is not only rich in sunshine, clean air and great food, it's a great place to enrich your mind and spirit at places like the Prado and Reina Sofia museums, the largest royal palace in Western Europe, music, theater and Flamenco dancing events, plus great shopping, nightlife and a huge open-air market.
5. Reykjavik, Iceland
- Hours of sunshine annually: 1,326
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.29 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 3
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 1,283 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 10.13%
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Visit the third happiest country in the world and get your vitamin B12 by sampling the country’s traditional lamb, fish, and dairy products. Visitors to Reykjavík can rejuvenate at one of the city's 17 geothermal swimming pools, and get charged up hiking, skiing, golfing or horseback riding. Beyond the city, you can head out to see the dramatic landscapes of Iceland, with stunning waterfalls, volcanoes, geysers, hot springs, lava fields and the Northern lights.
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6. Tel Aviv, Israel
- Hours of sunshine annually: 3,311
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.91 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 4
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 761 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 10.22%
7. Las Vegas
- Hours of sunshine annually: 3,825
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.15 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 15
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 883 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 14.93%
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8. Lisbon, Portugal
- Hours of sunshine annually: 2,806
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.39 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 56
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 747 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 6.81%
9. Malaga, Spain
- Hours of sunshine annually: 2,815
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.71 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 32
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 751 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 8.65%
10. Seville, Spain
- Hours of sunshine annually: 2,921
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.71 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 32
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 751 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 8.65%
11. Oslo, Norway
- Hours of sunshine annually: 1,668
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.15 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 7
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 881 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 8.42%
12. Perth, Australia
- Hours of sunshine annually: 3,230
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.02 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 12
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 888 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 12.3%
13. (tie) Adelaide, Australia
- Hours of sunshine annually: 2,765
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.02 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 12
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 888 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 12.3%
13. (tie) Valencia, Spain
- Hours of sunshine annually: 2,696
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.71 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 32
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 751 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 8.65%
15. (tie) Brisbane, Australia
- Hours of sunshine annually: 2,968
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.02 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 12
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 888 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 12.3%
15. (tie) Calgary, Canada
- Hours of sunshine annually: 2,396
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.43 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 13
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 632 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 11.45%
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17. (tie) Copenhagen
- Hours of sunshine annually: 1,912
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.86 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 2
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 833 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 14.31%
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17. (tie) Miami
- Hours of sunshine annually: 3,154
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.15 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 15
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 883 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 14.93%
19. San Francisco
- Hours of sunshine annually: 3,062
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.15 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 15
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 883 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 14.93%
20. Lausanne, Switzerland
- Hours of sunshine annually: 1,957
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.52 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 8
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 915 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 13.17%
20. (tie) Ottawa, Canada
- Hours of sunshine annually: 2,084
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.43 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 13
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 632 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 11.45%
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22. Sydney, Australia
- Hours of sunshine annually: 2,468
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.02 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 12
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 888 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 12.30%
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23. Dublin, Ireland
- Hours of sunshine annually: 1,453
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 3.07 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 14
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 832 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 11.07%
24. (tie) Boston
- Hours of sunshine annually: 2,633.6
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.15 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 15
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 883 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 14.93%
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24. (tie) San Diego
- Hours of sunshine annually: 3,054
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.15 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 15
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 883 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 14.93%
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26. Bern, Switzerland
- Hours of sunshine annually: 1,797
- Per capita citrus fruit consumed annually: 0.52 kg
- World happiness ranking: No. 8
- Average meat, dairy, and eggs consumed a day: 915 calories
- Average air quality: good
- Average percent daily calories from sugar: 13.17%
Check out the full "vitamin vacation" index at Holidu.co.uk.
