One sure fire way to lift sagging spirits or general malaise is a holiday. It works every time for me. Wide smiles. Happy hormones. Great anticipation of what can only be good things to come. Hopefully, sleeping more as I’m an insomniac. Hopefully, relaxing and worrying less as I’m a certified worry wart. The sooner the holiday, the better but a little later is also acceptable as I enjoy the planning, the looking forward and the expectation.

Holidays are instant pick-me or perk-me-ups. Almost on par with chocolate, cake, and ice-cream. There is a thrill in my voice, and a lightness in my head and heart. I feel good. So good that it makes me smile, think of and without fail, break into that very famous James Brown song, ‘I feel good.’

Clearly, it’s not just me. ‘The mere idea of getting away can bring a sense of immediate happiness. In essence, the simple act of imagining a future positive event can induce a sense of joy and well-being,’ says Carla Marie Manly, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of Joy from Fear [1]. She’s right.

Especially if there’s constant stress-related work and/or day-to-day responsibilities that you want a break from. A sojourn from routine. Hence, it makes sense that just the process of planning (infers hope) and going away for a holiday (potential to visit new and different places away from home where there’s always something that needs to be done), help ignite positive emotions and create a lingering sense of excitement and joy.

‘Travel helps you to really forget about your daily routine, your work or job. It’s like how you’re more likely to enjoy a movie when you see it in a movie theatre instead of watching it on Netflix at home where there are so many distractions, and you might not even finish it,’ says Chun-Chu Chen, PhD, assistant professor at the School of Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University, Vancouver[2].’ He’s right

Particularly if there is no access to the internet via data roaming or Wi-Fi to conduct remote work and/or check non-social related emails and WhatsApp. The real unwired and uninterrupted holiday. My husband and I have had a few of those when we gave up work completely, a few times, during the course of our lives. We stayed in isolated nature reserves/parks where there was no one else but us, and travelled to remote places that were off the grid – without electricity, running water and even fixed-line telephones. Being unreachable did feel a little liberating.

However, when I was working and went on holidays, I always made sure there was access simply because clients expected me to be contactable. Jump in if there was a crisis. Work if something needed to be edited, written and/or released. These days, my husband works while we are away on holiday, when its urgent/required. It’s not always easy or doable to be totally uncontactable. More so when you run your own business, and the nature of your job. The upside is whether it’s a short or long holiday, near or far, local or foreign, it’s still a getaway that involves planning, travelling, staying, and enjoying different places and experiences.  

The ‘happy holiday’ emotion was reinforced in the ‘2014 Cornell University study that delved into how the anticipation of an experience (like a trip) can increase a person’s happiness substantially – much more so than the anticipation of buying material goods. While an earlier study, published by the University of Surrey in 2002, found that people are at their happiest when they have a vacation planned[3].’

One of the co-authors of the Cornell study, Amit Kumar explained that the benefits are less about obsessing over the finer points of an itinerary than they are about connecting with other people. One reason? Travelers ‘end up talking to people more about their experiences than they talk about material purchases,’ he says. ‘Compared to possessions, experiences make for better story material[4].’ He’s right.

However, there are some who prefer to invest their money on designer watches and bags that are durable, wearable, and visible. For them, holidays are less tangible, time-definite, and just ‘memories in-your-head.’ That said, holiday photos posted on Instagram etc., are permanent, like-encouraging and can be monetized. Admittedly, I don’t know much about the clicks and likes on various social media platforms. I also don’t know much about the value placed on over-the-top, expensive designer products. Ah well, to each his/her own.

There are several other studies that confirm that going on a holiday gave people the highest level of happiness in the weeks and months before the trip. After the trip, it dropped to a level somewhat similar to those who don’t do holidays. Ouch. For me, holidays offer pre-happiness, actual happiness, and post-happiness. Talk. Remember. Look at photos. Relive. Relive it again. Happy me.