Vacation Planning Better Than A Vacation? Not For Me
According to a recent study vacation planning makes us happier than taking a vacation. I found this little titbit through a post on by Christine Garvin on the Matador network, titled The Truth About Happiness and Travel. In it, the author examines this study and finds that there might be some truth in those results but I began to think about how this applies to my own situation, and concluded that I didn’t entirely agree.
Planning A Trip
For me, while there is some anticipation in the planning stage of a trip (mainly because I’ll be thinking about a really great place) this part of the process can also be stressful. That could be because I’m a control freak — or to be a little kinder to myself, like to get every detail right. When making decisions about how to travel and where to stay, I have no idea how it will turn out. Depending on how good my research is, that might be a cause of stress.
Where’s The Fun?
I agree with Christine Garvin that some parts of travel aren’t as much fun as they could be. As I said before, when ranting about the things that annoyed me about travel, spending hours in queues even when you are using the fast bag drop, the interminable security process, cramped seats and poor airplane food (when you get any) make the journey to your destination not that much fun. Some people relax the minute they decide to go on holiday; I only relax when I’ve reached to where I’m staying. (I’m not saying that’s the way to do it; that’s just the way I am.)
Vacation Travel — Still A Thrill
Where I disagree, however, is in finding that the actual vacation experience is less thrilling than I anticipated. Generally speaking I really enjoy vacations. They represent a good chance to see, do and eat something different. They are a change of scene. It doesn’t much matter whether I am traveling for a short while longer period — I still enjoy the experience of being in a new place. Keeping some perspective also helps make vacation travel an enjoyable experience. If you don’t expect everything to be the same as it is at home then you will find difference exciting rather than exasperating.
For me, this was the best point Christine made in her post:
The point of travel is not only to achieve a high return on happiness – it’s also to learn about ourselves, other cultures, and even to be challenged to grow via those pesky annoyances.
I definitely agree with that.
Tags: holiday, holiday planning, holiday travel, vacation, vacation planning, vacation travel
March 6th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
I’m with you – I read about this with mixed feelings. I suppose when you’re “in the industry” like were are, it’s a bit different.
You’ve prompted me to re-read the article, and I’m STILL not sure how I feel about it.
Still percolating…
March 7th, 2010 at 8:24 am
I suppose it is, Andy. I try to travel with an open mind which means I usually find things to enjoy even if they don’t go according to plan. In fact, leaving the plan behind is often better. It’s a good article because it makes you think, but I still don’t quite agree.
April 6th, 2010 at 10:11 am
[...] as much fun as they used to be I still love it. As I mentioned before it is not so much the planning as the being there. Wherever I go and however short a trip I still try to have an experience that [...]