Booking holidays makes you happy – fact!
I can guess what you’re thinking: ‘tell me something I don’t already know’. The thought of booking holidays and experiencing new places is something that sets off the butterflies in my tummy and makes me talk a tiny bit too fast. I know I’m not alone. But new research by Booking.com has found that it isn’t just being on holiday that tops up our happiness levels. It’s the whole process of planning, arriving at your destination and having experiences with your family that makes you happy.
Three quarters of people (77 per cent) book a holiday just to cheer themselves up. I can certainly relate to this having made most of our 2017 travel plans in the weeks after the buzz of Christmas had subsided.
We’ve already spent a weekend in Surrey and our next destination is Bath – the UK’s number one feel good city. In the spring we’re off to Cornwall and Stratford-upon-Avon, followed by the Peak District and Norfolk in the summer. Here comes happiness!
I love adding new holiday plans to our diary and counting down the days to departure. For me that sense of anticipation makes me happier than material things, especially during the winter months. Seventy percent of people taking part in Booking.com’s survey felt the same and nearly half went as far to say a holiday brings them more happiness than their wedding day. Ouch!
Once we have booked our holidays I have a habit of stalking our destination online. I click through the accommodation and location pictures, imagining us there, topping up my happiness levels before we’ve even departed. Nearly eight out of 10 people who Booking.com spoke to did the same.
Who you travel with also has an impact on that warm fuzzy feeling you get about your break. Seventy-five percent said travelling with family makes them happier than travelling on their own. I think shared experiences and memories are a wonderful thing. And, if you’re travelling with grandparents it can make the odd date night possible too!
The only part of travel that I don’t like is those last few hours before we leave home when I’m checking our passports for the 100th time and trying to stop the girls rummaging through their bags. This is when my stress levels peak. However, it’s very easy to gloss over those tense few minutes when we arrive at our destination. The first day of a holiday is always the most exciting as you find your bearings and know you have a wonderful holiday stretching out ahead of you.
What’s the happiest part of booking a holiday for you? If you’re looking for inspiration for your next family getaway why not take a look at Booking.com?
If you’re in education it’s also worth looking out for a booking.com student discount code to get the best price.
Disclosure: this post has been written in collaboration with Booking.com.
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Great post Claire, we think the planning is as enjoyable as the actual doing… especially with kids involved in that planning stage. Love the ideas of wider family participation too… if you’re feeling ambitious, why not match our efforts as we took our children’s grandparent on a 30 day tour across France with us…. now that needed some planning in advance 😉
I think we could do that. We have talked about this type of trip in the past. These days though I think the grandparents would prefer to park up their motorhome for a little longer than us. We’d get to France and that might be where we’d part 🙂
I spend so long researching and planning holidays that I love that moment when it is all finally booked and I can just relax and look forward to it!
Marianne recently posted…Hotel Review: Pulau Joyo, Indonesia
I know that feeling of relief 🙂
I love the planning, researching and of course getting in the car or on the plane when the holiday really starts. I am like you, the final few hours whirl by, barking orders at husband (sorry love) and stressing that I have packed everything. But yes, holidays 100% make you happy and I love having lots to look forward to x
Tracey Williams recently posted…Our Family Break at Bath Mill Lodge Retreat
If only we could exchange those last few hours for a pre-holiday cocktail…come to think of it, maybe that would help 🙂
It’s funny, the planning and the anticipation really is so much of the fun of the experience – what you might do, imagining how it will be. I actually find the day before and the first part of the trip (whether hours or the first day) a bit nerve-racking, wondering about the practicalities and whether I have done everything, whether I should have done something differently. Then I relax and enjoy it 🙂
Cathy (MummyTravels) recently posted…How reading sparked my love of travel
Yes, that feeling of ‘what have I forgotten?!’. I’m getting better at handling that as I get older. I didn’t have very many spare pennies going on holiday when I was younger so the thought of having to buy something I had at home but had forgotten really ate me.
The best bit about booking a holiday is having something to look forward to!
Yes, totally agree. I love the count down to holidays 🙂
I’m a bit different – I always feel a bit nervous on the first day of a holiday until I’ve found my bearings and know where everything is and how it works. I think I’m happiest half way through. I love looking at reviews of where we’re going and choosing accommodation that’s the best value for money.
I don’t think you’re along with the nerves. I remember feeling like that a lot in my teens and early twenties when I’d started to travel further afield. That planning stage where you’re finding the best deals can be so satisfying, can’t it?!
I’ve booked 11 short breaks/holidays this year already can you believe! HAHA! I agree, it definitely makes me happy and it means that I always have something to look forward to.
Sam | North East Family Fun Travel Blog recently posted…How I’m Keeping my Digital Assets Safe with Tilly Bailey & Irvine
I think we’ve got a problem Sam 🙂
I better not show the wife this or she’ll be booking another holiday!
Ha! I don’t think she needs to read this to know that holidays are always a good idea 🙂
I love planning holidays, unfortunately we don’t have the money for on eat the moment x
We’re staycationing this year for similar reasons. Holidays are great but the pennies do stack up.
Totally agree. Planning it all and booking is all part of the excitement and anticipation. Knowing I have a holiday booked gives me a buzz ( until the next one! )
Yes, travel is addictive! 🙂
It sounds like you have lots of fun coming up in the next few months. I love booking trips too nd I try and space it out so I have something to look forward to. Mich x
Michelle Twin Mum recently posted…Review: Babe the Sheep Pig Live – Touring the UK NOW!
Spacing out trips is such a good idea. I love having things to look forward to all year round. I think I’d explode if I had to wait 12 months for a big holiday 🙂
Great post! I really love the planning stage, the dreaming about the unexpected, learning about the new destination and the excitement that comes along with it! Most of all, it’s the being there and gaining new experiences and memories – especially with family!
Absolutely, those are such special moments!