Travel

TRAVEL

FIND YOUR HAPPY

Vacations are supposed to be good for the soul. But often the typical formula for “getting away from it all” doesn’t work. Reseachers have found most people were actually not happier after a vacation, and felt the average vacation was not worth the trouble.

You don’t have to have a lot of money, or time, to get the most out of a planned vacation or staycation. Our brains have trouble telling the difference between visualization and actual experience. If you want to get the benefits from a vacation, even months early, starting dreaming about specifics now.

Whether you’re returning to an old stomping ground, going somewhere new or staying close to home, find a handful of things to get excited about ahead of time and visualize them. This “anticipatory savoring” can significantly increase happiness.

Find happiness in the details! Most people consider the most stressful aspect of travel to be figuring out the details: travel uncertainty, transportation and being unfamiliar with the location. To overcome these obstacles, come up with a game plan, including hotels, flights and potential activities more than one month in advance. Happiness is a choice. So is a vacation. Research indicates allocating more time for a vacation makes it easier to savor. Take your time enjoying each activity you have planned. Instead of cramming your days with multiple activities, plan one or two things to do each day. Otherwise, you’ll feel rushed to accomplish your to do list, rather than truly enjoying each moment.

When your vacation is over, you can extend and renew the positive emotions from the trip by savoring your good memories. One of the favorite parts of a vacation often happens days or weeks after it is over—especially as you organize your photos to show your friends and family. Research shows, savoring experiences in a group setting with social support, is a way to maximize the benefits of positive experiences. Your brain gets a chance to relive them.

If you don’t have any vacations planned, take some time to remember a great trip from the past. Remember, if you don’t pack your gratitude and positive mindset, no destination will make you happy. However, if you look for the positives, you’ll find them everywhere you travel.