The Traveller’s Guide to Happiness

THE TRAVELLER'S GUIDE TO HAPPINESS "To travel hopefully is better than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson Anticipation is everything. You experience 63% ! of the happiness from your holiday before your plane has even landed. So how do we make the most of our travels? 0000000000o00 HAPPINESS IS TRAVELLING, TRAVELLING IS HAPPINESS Over the course of our history we have repeatedly demonstrated an inherent need to travel. Need Theory suggests that we are only happy as long as this need is being met. When we stop travelling, we stop being happy. Our inherent need to travel can be recognised through history. Homer Writes Odyssey. 100,000 BC 700 BC 628 AD 1260 Human Exodus from Africa. The first Hajj. Marco Polo travels east. 1855 1726 1492 Gulliver's Travels Columbus arrives in Livingstone discovers Victoria published. America. Falls. 1857 1912 1969 Seacole publishes 'The Wonderful Scott dies trying to reach the South Armstrong walks on the moon. Adventures of Mrs Pole. Seacole in Many Lands'. MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR EXCITEMENT We experience 7% of our holiday-happiness booking our trip. In total 67% of our happiness is derived from anticipatory activities like researching our destination. The more often we get to anticipate a holiday, the happier we are. Take several short trips instead of one long trip. Rearching destination Researching prices Booking the holiday Pre-holiday Shopping CroditCard 3% 7% 4% 11% Travel to Travel to One week Arrival! destination airport countdown 37% 14% 4% STAY HAPPY LONGER Don't go back to work straightaway. And instead of thinking about work, start thinking about your next holiday. 4% of people begin to suffer from return anxiety on the first day of their holiday. By day 5 of a 7-day trip 70% of travellers begin to think about work again. DEFEAT THE POST-TRAVEL BLUES Book your next holiday as soon as you get back! 56% of people experience post-travel blues. It's natural: who wants a great holiday to end? But the solution is simple. You can begin the following holiday right away just by researching your next destination. I'm glad to be home 21% 18% I feel refreshed Post-holiday Feeling I don't have any strong feelings 10% 6% I feel exhausted I feel blue 27% 8% I feel depressed According to a survey of US travellers 56% OF PEOPLE FEEL POST TRAVEL BLUES It effects their work ... 31% said work was a contributing factor to feeling sad 14% called in sick in first month back 8% considered finding a new job 42% said stress levels ..and stress rose after holiday 13% said their stress levels were back to normal in one day HOW BRITISH PEOPLE FIGHT POST TRAVEL BLUES 34% reminisce by looking at pictures of their holiday. 19% take weekend breaks to bridge the gap until their next getaway. 23% try to cook meals they enjoyed. 74% of Brits plan their next trip as soon as they return. THE TRAVELLER'S GUIDE TO HAPPINESS The actual length of your trip has no impact on your happiness, so take several short trips throughout the year. 18 Most of your total happiness comes from the pre-travel build-up. 2 Plan holidays well in advance to capitalise on your anticipation We all get the post-travel blues. Don't go straight back to work. 3 Plan your next trip as soon as you get back. Maximise happiness by choosing trips that satisfy your deep rooted emotional needs. 4 Extend the experience: upload photos, try to recreate new dishes you have enjoyed, share your experience on social media, and feedback on your experience on travel sites. Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk http://www.maryseacole.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page http://www.springerlink.com/content/233331654742r175/ http://news.yaho0.com/travelers-struggle-post-vacation-blues-161239691.html http://www.tripadvisor.com/PressCenter-i2168-c1-Press_Releases.html91.html http://www.tripadvisor.com/PressCenter-i2168-c1-Press_Releases.html91.html http://www.thomascook.com/about-us/thomas-cook-history/ http://mkt.unwto.org/sites/all/files/docpdf/unwtohighlightsllenhr.pdf