How to de-stress your next getaway.
Planning a trip contributes more to your happiness than taking it. Research tells us the biggest boost in our happiness comes from planning a vacation; after a vacation, happiness quickly drops back to baseline levels. Anticipation, to quote Carly Simon, is the key.
Less, we are often told, is more. This applies to travel too.
What does all this mean for you when it comes to trip planning? Here are some suggestions as we start to think about traveling again.
1. Try to take more mini-breaks (three-day weekends, one week instead of two) rather than one big long trip every year.
2. Let your real life intrude. Stay connected to those at home. Do a little work on the road. A resulting drop in anxiety is the pay-off.
3. Remember traveling is stressful. We put pressure on ourselves to do a lot in a short amount of time. To the extent you can, try to take trips more often, especially to the places you love. Even if you’re on a once-in-a-lifetime journey, don’t worry about making the trip “perfect” by seeing all of the Top-Ten sites. It’s better to experience less more deeply and return home longing for more. (Plus the latter might just motivate you to figure out how to make a visit to that place a twice-in-a-lifetime experience.
4. Plan some unusual or intense experiences. Relaxing is nice, but you’ll get more lingering value out of the trip if you make a few indelible memories.
5. Start your vacation the minute you leave your house. Allow time to have a drink or meal at the airport. (There are some great restaurants in terminals these days!) Take photos on the plane. Bring a small gift for your traveling companion. And when you return home, take a moment to celebrate the trip before emptying the dirty laundry; I always list (and relive a bit) my three favorite moments before diving into unpacking. Consider all that dirty laundry as talismans of a vacation well-enjoyed!
Twist’s Take: A little planning and less rather than more are the keys to a happier trip.
