For many of us, warmer weather is the siren call pulling us away from desks, luring us into the sky, and onto the road.

I hopped in a car on Easter with friends and found myself in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood, eating cheesesteak pierogies and playing shuffleboard in a near-empty bar. It wasn’t your typical, traditional “holiday” — but it was exactly what we all needed: a break.

A recent study conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Motel 6 found that, regardless of whether or not spontaneous travel is healthy or responsible, 73% of respondents are down to travel at any given moment. The same study also found that 75% of respondents felt the travel itself, not the destination, was the best part of traveling.

But when you suddenly find yourself with a free afternoon, is it actually good for you to hop in the car and go somewhere new — sans plans?

In a Productivity Slump? There’s a Cure For That

Who is the most productive person in your office? Chances are, not the person you’re thinking it is. While it’s easy to believe the person getting the most quality work done is the person putting in the most hours at their desk, studies show this isn’t exactly true.

“The productivity, creativity, and bringing new ideas forward isn’t the person who’s working crazy hours,” Katie Denis, VP and lead researcher at Project: Time Off, told CNBC. “It’s someone who’s getting outside of their day-to-day life.”

Personally, I feel better (faster, more efficient) when I’ve been able to clear my head. Over the years, I’ve made the mistake of trying to trick myself into thinking time off isn’t a necessity — or that days off are for the weak. But the longer I work without a break, I’ve found the quality of my work goes down. So does my interest in it, excitement about it, my drive, my ambition.

Travel is Good For Your Mental Health

Shockingly, what might seem (and be) a reckless and irresponsible in-the-moment decision to jump on a plane is actually good for you.

As Dr. Kristin McKitish, a physician at Evolved Science in New York City, explained to Travel + Leisure, “Traveling provides our minds with time to relax and heal, easing worries and anxiety and improving mood.” She added that traveling not only boosts your mood at the moment, but you’ll also feel the positive effects long after you return.

“Traveling provides our minds with time to relax and heal, easing worries and anxiety and improving mood.”

— Dr. Kristin McKitish

One study found that even taking a short, four-day vacation led to decreased stress for at least five weeks. The same study also found that vacations and traveling were the best way to protect middle management’s mental health.

Burnout is at an all-time high with return-to-office mandates, job insecurity, and layoffs constantly looming. According to a survey conducted by Workforce Institute at UKG, 46% of middle managers worldwide are likely to “quit their jobs within the next 12 months because of work-related stress.”

Go With No Plans

Spontaneous trips aren’t the only beneficial type of travel, either. Even if you have a trip scheduled, going in without every second spoken for can be a liberating, refreshing, and inspiring experience. You’ll stumble across places (experiences, people, etc.) you might have otherwise missed.

Plus, you’ll skip the stress of trying to research and plan leading up to the trip. If you really need some structure for your trip, look into historic or ghost tours. Even if you’re not into the supernatural or paranormal, having someone else lead you around an area can balance spontaneity and structure.

“The productivity, creativity, and bringing new ideas forward isn’t the person who’s working crazy hours — it’s someone who’s getting outside of their day-to-day life.”

— Katie Denis, VP and lead researcher at Project: Time Off

The only planned part of my recent road trip to Philadelphia was making it to Jeni’s Ice Cream (if you know, you know). From there, everything was gut feeling and intuition: cravings for cheesesteaks and halo-halo. A need to see the street with rival cheesesteak shops across the street from each other. A want to feel part of somewhere different, even for a day.

As we pulled back onto our street, and I saw Boston’s skyline glowing ahead of me, I didn’t feel dread about coming back to my regular routine. I felt excited and ready — ready to take on whatever tomorrow was going to bring, ready for my next trip.