What's your dream holiday destination?
Mine is India and, recently, Denmark.
As you can see, the destinations aren't near, thus, aren't cheap. Earlier this year, we decided for quality over quantity. Therefore, we will NOT be taking ANY small trips this year (and probably next year) to save up for our dream holiday. Not even Bandung trips, unless it's really necessary.
I thought it was a good decision - one big trip is better than several small ones, right? Or is it really?
I came across a New York Times article about vacation, and here's what they got to say:
RELISH THE ANTICIPATION Planning early brings many people more joy than the actual vacation. A 2010 study by Jeroen Nawijn, a tourism research lecturer at Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, examined the behavior of 1,530 Dutch adults and found that the 974 individuals who took a vacation achieved the greatest amount of happiness leading up to the trip.
His findings were in line with studies led by the psychologists Leigh Thompson of Northwestern University and Terence Mitchell of the University of Washington that examined travelers’ anticipation of, actual experiences on, and memories of vacations. The results, published in 1997 in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, found that regardless of the type of trip, vacationers were happier in the period leading up to their time off than during the vacation itself.
So booking your trip well ahead not only gives you an edge when it comes to logistics (getting the best room and often the best deal), it also helps build anticipation, which can boost happiness. Not to mention that planning early can decrease the stress of a last-minute scramble.
LONGER ISN’T NECESSARILY BETTER If a leisurely one- or two-week vacation is not possible, you might try taking multiple short trips. In fact, taking several three- or four-day trips — providing multiple opportunities to experience the pleasure of anticipation — may even be more beneficial than one long vacation.
RELISH THE ANTICIPATION Planning early brings many people more joy than the actual vacation. A 2010 study by Jeroen Nawijn, a tourism research lecturer at Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, examined the behavior of 1,530 Dutch adults and found that the 974 individuals who took a vacation achieved the greatest amount of happiness leading up to the trip.
His findings were in line with studies led by the psychologists Leigh Thompson of Northwestern University and Terence Mitchell of the University of Washington that examined travelers’ anticipation of, actual experiences on, and memories of vacations. The results, published in 1997 in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, found that regardless of the type of trip, vacationers were happier in the period leading up to their time off than during the vacation itself.
So booking your trip well ahead not only gives you an edge when it comes to logistics (getting the best room and often the best deal), it also helps build anticipation, which can boost happiness. Not to mention that planning early can decrease the stress of a last-minute scramble.
LONGER ISN’T NECESSARILY BETTER If a leisurely one- or two-week vacation is not possible, you might try taking multiple short trips. In fact, taking several three- or four-day trips — providing multiple opportunities to experience the pleasure of anticipation — may even be more beneficial than one long vacation.
“I found that the length of stay has very little influence on how people
feel during a trip or afterwards,” Professor Nawijn said.
In other words, if you take only one big vacation a year, then it’s over
and there’s nothing to look forward to until next year. That does not
mean every vacation should be a quick weekend jaunt. There should be a
balance between travel time (and the inevitable hassles that come with
it) and vacation days at your destination, Professor Nawijn said.
Made perfect sense, as a lot of time, I was happier planning than going on the trip itself. Nah lhooo... Made me rethink, deh T__T
Also, a funny conversation regarding our dream holiday:
L: ... Tapi harus perginya sebelum Raya umur 2 taun, nih. Kalo lebih, ntar apa-apanya jadi lebih mahal.
T: HAAAA?! Emang Raya diajak?!
L: HAAAA?! Emang mau kamu tinggalin?!
So that's another question - with or without the kid.
Zzzzz.
5 comments:
my everlasting question also! kalo gue, once dua anak gue bisa makan sendiri (dan bisa makan apapun), udah lulus toilet training, cabcus berangkat ber4. tapi sementara dia masih harus bawa bubur saring, diapers segabrug, botol susu dan peralatan sirkus lainnya. am sorry babies, mami papi holidei duluye berdua
Risti: Hahahahaha sama banget nget! Toilet training masih dimaapkan, tapi urusan kudu bisa table food dan gak ngedot, wajib banget deh. Ini ancaman ya, Raya! Kalo masih manja tar gak diajak!
aku baru memutuskan sama suami, kalo ternyata kita berdua lebih suka trip-trip pendek yang deket-deket dibanding trip jauh yang mekan waktu lama, soalnya kadang-kadang kalo liburannya kelamaan, suka bosen sendiri dan kangen kerja! #eh
sehati dweh perkara travel sebelum botjah 2 tahun. biar flight msh harga infant ya bwoook.
tapi ya.. gue dah 2x trip tanpa rania. hari ke4 udah rinduuuuu. untung hari ke5 pulang.
Dela: Oyaaa? Memang ada benefitnya sih, trip-trip dekat dan pendek tapi (lebih) sering, seperti yang ditulis di artikel NYT itu. Tapi kekurangannya, jadi seperti nggak mengeksplor hal baru ya. Gimanapun juga, we're already very familiar with Asia. Karena menurutku, salah satu nikmat travelling adalah ngerasain culture shock-nya :D
Iyut: Kebayaaaaangggg... T__T
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