Where — not just how — you live can add years to your life

Travel broadens the mind and it can also boost your health in body and mind if you know where to go and can spare the time to stay a while.

There is growing awareness of the connection between lifestyle, environment and wellbeing. Allied to it is burgeoning interest in regions scattered across the globe where people are living exceptionally healthy, active lives well into their 80s, 90s and beyond. These regions share common lifestyle, environmental factors and high numbers of centenarians. Spending time immersed in these cultures creates endless opportunities for learning the secrets of healthy longevity.

The most well-known longevity regions are the “Blue Zones”. The concept was introduced and popularised in 2005 by National Geographic explorer and author Dan Buettner. There’s nothing esoteric about the title. Buettner took the name from the blue pen he and his team of demographers and scientists used to circle villages with unusually high longevity levels on a world map.  

He built on earlier demographic work by Italian and Belgian researchers who identified Sardinia in Italy as having a high concentration of male centenarians.  

Buettner and his team identified just five Blue Zones: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and, in the US, the Seventh Day Adventist community in Loma Linda, California. New research is adding a rainbow of colours rivalling the blue of Buettner’s zones.  

He documented his work in best-selling books, including The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest. According to his theories, people in Blue Zones share lifestyle factors, including a plant-based diet, regular physical activity, strong social ties and low stress levels. 

Okinawa remains the most famous Blue Zone. That’s despite research showing a significant decline in life expectancy in recent decades, which researchers have attributed to lifestyle and dietary changes. The traditional Okinawan diet is rich in vegetables, tofu and seafood, with minimal reliance on processed foods. The concept of hara hachi bu (Japanese for “eating until you’re 80% full”) remains a cornerstone of the Okinawan traditional approach to eating.

The island’s natural beauty and tranquil way of life allow travellers to absorb the peacefulness that permeates the culture and the deep sense of community that binds Okinawans. 

In Italy, Sardinia retains its Blue Zone status. It’s a mountainous region where, unusually in longevity studies, men are shown to live as long as women. Plant-based foods feature prominently on Sardinian diets, along with whole grains, heart-healthy fats from olive oil, and moderate consumption of red wine, particularly the local Cannonau variety, which is high in antioxidants. 

Among regions of Italy muscling in on Sardinia’s longevity reputation is Campodimele, a small town in central Italy. Often called the “village of eternity”, Campodimele nestles precipitously on a steep Karstic hill, between two vast mountain ranges. It boasts a life expectancy of 95 years, which is significantly higher than the Italian average.  

In Greece, Ikaria’s reputation as “the island where people forget to die” is secure but under contention from Crete, the country’s largest island. With a population of just 8,400, about one in three Ikarians is in their 90s. Research shows them to be 10 times more likely to live to 100 than Americans. Their diet is close to the classic Mediterranean diet but with stronger emphasis on wild greens and herbal teas that are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. They indulge in regular physical activity, afternoon naps and strong social connections.  

They also enjoy low stress, courtesy of a relaxed pace of life and minimal anxiety about time. That’s a spin-off benefit of Greek time, that magical realm where “I’ll be there in five minutes” can mean anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour or more. Punctuality in Greece is often a myth up there with Zeus and his lightning bolts.

Crete follows closely on Ikaria’s longevity heels. Its cuisine includes an abundance of fresh, locally sourced foods and extra virgin olive oil as a staple, providing healthy fats that are beneficial for heart health. Like Ikarians, Cretans consume large amounts of seasonal vegetables, wild greens and herbs, including a “mountain tea”, that are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Cretans share meals regularly with family and friends, fostering a strong sense of community.

Their lifestyle — with its rich traditions, robust social connections, farming and other forms of manual labour and a mountainous terrain that encourages walking — contributes to residents staying robust well into old age. 

Among other aspiring longevity zones are: 

• Singapore: The city-state is well known for cleanliness, efficiency and high living standards. With an average life expectancy of more than 84 years, Singapore’s success is rooted in a world-class healthcare system that emphasises preventive care and a culture that values healthy living. The local diet is a diverse, nutritious fusion of Chinese, Malay and Indian cuisines, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and balanced meals. Travellers can explore the city’s many green spaces, such as the Gardens by the Bay and the Southern Ridges, which promote physical activity and wellbeing.  
• Iceland: Known as “the land of fire, ice and health”, Iceland has an impressive life expectancy rivalling that of traditional Blue Zones. The country’s clean environment, active lifestyle and diet rich in fresh seafood, dairy, omega-3-rich fish, skyr (a type of yoghurt) and locally grown vegetables support health and longevity.  Icelanders benefit from a strong sense of community and a healthcare system that prioritises access to quality care. Visitors can experience the country’s natural beauty through hiking, hot spring bathing and exploring glaciers and volcanoes.  

• South Korea: The country is experiencing significant gains in life expectancy. Researchers attribute this to its focus on education, social connectivity and a diet that includes fermented foods, such as kimchi, and plenty of vegetables and fish. Intrepid travellers to South Korea can experience the balance between modernity and tradition. From the vibrant city life in Seoul, to meditation and wellness practices at Buddhist temples. The emphasis on mental health and holistic wellness is a core part of South Korea’s approach to longevity. 

• Switzerland: The country boasts one of the world’s highest life expectancies and a healthcare system among the best in the world. Switzerland’s pristine environment, with clean air and water, contributes significantly to residents’ health. The Swiss diet includes fresh dairy products, whole grains and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Visitors can enjoy the country’s stunning natural landscapes, from the Alps to serene lakes.  

• Bama County, China: This region in Guangxi province has a high proportion of centenarians, which puts it first among the world’s top five areas for longevity. It has the usual lifestyle factors along with intriguing environmental factors: an isolated, unspoilt ecosystem with no pollution; a temperate climate with temperatures around 20°C; special intensity of sunlight with an ideal balance of infrared and ultraviolet radiation; and an increased amount of negative oxygen ions, believed to eliminate free radicals (toxic byproducts of the body’s metabolic processes) and protect against chronic diseases. It also has a unique geomagnetism causing water to form hexagonal crystals, which is thought to improve cellular absorption and metabolism, and a soil rich in trace elements beneficial to health. 

While Buettner’s Blue Zones concept was groundbreaking and retains popularity nearly two decades later, it has faced significant scientific scrutiny. Rainbow contenders for new longevity zones are likely to face similar significant scrutiny. Researchers have regularly questioned the validity of the data and methods used to establish the Blue Zones. Oxford University demographer Dr Saul Newman has suggested that the unusually high number of centenarians in these regions could be due to factors such as poor record-keeping or age exaggeration, rather than genuine longevity. 

Newman has also observed that purported longevity hotspots often correlate with “greater poverty, higher illiteracy, higher crime rates and worse population health” than average. This counterintuitive finding suggests potential data issues. 

A recent study in Demographic Research found that the Nicoya region in Costa Rica no longer showed exceptional longevity, with the effect limited to men born between 1905 and 1930.  

Bama in China is described as a relatively poor area, which raises questions about how economic conditions might influence longevity data. While some sources suggest the number of centenarians in Bama has decreased significantly in recent years, according to 2019 statistics, 83 residents were more than 100 years old in the county. That’s still a high proportion for the population size. 

The focus in research is increasingly on understanding the combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors that contribute to healthy ageing, not just identifying specific geographic areas of exceptional longevity.