Although the year is ending, that doesn't mean you still can't take a vacation. Better yet, as 2016 draws near, you can already start planning your travels for the year ahead!

If you think vacations aren't necessary, they actually are. Here are 5 reasons why traveling is good for your health and well-being, which is backed up by science!

1.    Planning vacations increases a sense of well-being.

According to a 2002 study by a team of professors from United Kingdom's University of Surrey, people are happiest when a trip is coming. People who have an upcoming vacation have a better sense of well-being, in addition to feeling better about their own health, family life, and economic situation - as compared to those who don't.

A Cornell University 2014 research study also says that people get more happiness from awaiting a traveling experience than getting something they're going to buy or obtain.

2.    Regular vacations reduce the chances of heart attacks.

A Framingham Heart Study discovered that men who didn't take vacations for several years have a 30 percent likelihood of getting heart attacks. On the other hand, women who take vacations one every six years are nearly eight times more likely to get a heart attack.

A National Institutes of Health-sponsored study also uncovered that men who regularly take vacation are 21 percent less likely to die of any illness and 32 percent less likely to die from heart disease.

3.    Going on vacation helps improve emotional state.

Women who go on vacations less than once within two years increase the chances of developing depression and stress, as compared to women that go on vacations at least twice a year, as suggested by a 2005 study conducted by Wisconsin's Marshfield Clinic.

Not only that, but a 2013 Stress in America survey done by the American Psychological Association discovered that vacations reduce stress because you're eradicated from environments and activities that cause stress.

4.    Vacations help you get more sleep and exercise.

A leisure-oriented trip helps you get more exercise, especially when you do a lot of walking when touring around a new city, when you surf at the beach, or do any fun activities.

In addition, vacations help people catch up on lost sleep too. If you suffer from jet lag, here are a few things to help you treat that from the National Sleep Foundation.

5.    Travel experiences are better than material purchases for long-term well-being.

As it turns out, satisfaction over material purchases have a tendency to decrease over time. Material things leave you happy only for a short period of time, as you later get used to it.

Meanwhile, experiences become grander as time passes because they're embedded in your memory. A 2010 Cornell University study backs this up: travel experiences leaves people happier than buying things - in the long-term.