The differential associations of reminiscence and exploratory travel with late-life psychological well-being

Leisure travel has been associated with better mental health in older adults, but it is unclear whether different travel motivations (remembering the past vs seeking new experiences) are differentially associated with anxiety and feelings of meaning in life, respectively. This study aimed to explore whether there are prospective associations between nostalgia-oriented and exploration-oriented travel motivations and follow-up anxiety symptoms and the sense of meaning in life among older adults and examine the possible underlying psychological pathways. This prospective cohort study included 5482 older adults from southern China. Latent class analysis was used to classify participants into 4 types based on baseline travel motivation: nostalgia-dominant, exploration-dominant, mixed-active, and inactive. Anxiety and a sense of meaning in life were assessed in a follow-up survey. Linear regression, structural equation modeling, subgroup analysis, and predictive analysis were used. Because baseline anxiety and meaning in life were not assessed, all outcome models estimate follow-up levels rather than within-person change. Mixed-active travel was most strongly associated with lower levels of anxiety (β = -1.22, 95% CI: -1.55 to - 0.89) and higher levels of meaning in life (β = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.81). Exploration-dominant travel was significantly associated with lower levels of anxiety (β = -0.92, 95% CI: -1.24 to - 0.60), and this association was partly statistically mediated by psychological capital (33.7%). Nostalgia-dominant travel was significantly associated with higher follow-up meaning in life (β = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.49), and self-continuity partly statistically mediated this association. The association between active travel and lower anxiety was strongest among older adults with low social support. A model that combined travel type and psychosocial factors showed predictive performance for subsequent clinically significant anxiety (area under the curve = 0.78). The associations of later-life travel with mental health depended on travel motivation. Exploration-oriented travel was prospectively associated with lower anxiety, partly statistically mediated by psychological capital, whereas nostalgia-oriented travel was prospectively associated with higher meaning in life, partly statistically mediated by self-continuity. Given the observational design and lack of baseline outcome measures, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects.