The secret to a happy vacation

It turns out that the best way to feel happy on a vacation is to… schedule a lot of activities!

Wait, don’t run away screaming!

As stressful as the word ‘schedule’ can be when thinking about vacations, a recent study at the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology in Taiwan (published in the Journal of Happiness Studies) has proven that there is a positive relationship between time management and happiness when it comes to your free time.

You already know why you should keep your hands off that laptop and ignore your work emails when you are on the beach; your vacation should be all about the fun. If you haven’t planned fun activities for your free time, you are basically wasting it (two weeks catching up on sleep is not useful and you don’t sleep 24/7).

How to actually make the most of your vacation

Pack your vacation with activities like day-trips, kayaking, water parks, self-organized ice-cream tasting and melon-cocktail preparation (it’s easy: remove the top of a melon, take out the seeds and pour a bottle of white wine inside. Let is rest in a fridge and in three hours it’s ready!). The actual activity doesn’t matter as long as you perceive it as fun and you have a few things scheduled every day.

Read more:

Dolce Far Niente: the meaning of the Italian concept explained by Italians

10 interesting facts about travel, backed by science

10 simple ways to boost your happiness on the road

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Recent studies suggest that this phenomenon is not a myth. Here’s how it works.

The experiment:

The experiment involved 50 Germans speaking in Dutch (a language they had recently started studying) with native Dutch speakers. Some of them had washed down a little alcohol, while the control group had had no alcohol in their system. Then the Dutch were asked to rate the language skills of the Germans (without knowing who had consumed alcohol) only to reveal that the booze consumers did much better, especially when it came to pronunciation.

Interestingly, the drunk participants didn’t rate their own speaking as better.

Although the study can’t prove what causes this, its authors presume the secret might be the anxiety-reducing effect of alcohol.

How much alcohol helps?

The experiment found that only a small amount of alcohol is beneficial for your language skills – a pint of beer for a grown-up man (0.5 l/17 oz).

“Higher levels of alcohol consumption might not have beneficial effects on the pronunciation of a foreign language,” comments Dr Fritz Renner, one of the study’s authors. We’ve seen enough drunk people unable to pronounce their own names to believe this speculation.

In conclusion,

a beer or two might help you untie your tongue, but you still have to indulge in some study to get your language skills going. If you want to learn foreign languages for free (who wouldn’t study Japanese for free?), here’s a list of helpful free language websites to give you a flying start without breaking the bank.

Pin this invaluable information for later:

… or share it with your drunk-speaking friends.

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A recent study cited by travel expert Peter Greenberg’s blog tried to identify the most common life-changing decisions we make on the road.

4,400 Americans were asked if they ever considered life-changing decisions while abroad, and it turned out that 77% of them actually did.

When they were asked about what those decisions involved, people gave the following answers:

31% – to get a divorce;

18% – to quit their job (although, on the other hand, it’s been proven that taking more vacations leads to a payrise);

14% – to get in shape;

12% – to have children;

6% – to have an affair;

5% – to get a pet.

So, statistically, three out of 10 people on the beach consider getting rid of their wife or husband while they sip their Pina Colada, while two others begin counting down the days until they quit their boring job. Now you have a different perspective on what goes through the heads of all those tourists!

>>> Read more: 10+ fun facts about travel, backed by science

Let us know in the comments which of these life-changers is most appealing to you.

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The Great Commission Alliance (GCA) and the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS), conducted a number of researches in 2013 and, as a result, have proven that travelling provides amazing health benefits, for both mind and body.

Here are a few highlights from the research, in case you need scientific inspiration to pack your bags:

1. Women who go on vacation less than once every six months are exposed to a higher risk of a heart attack, compared to women who travel at least twice per year.

2. Men who do not use their yearly vacation days are 20% more likely to pass away earlier and 30% more likely to suffer death caused by cardiovascular diseases.

3. Travelling has almost instantaneous benefits. Only two days into their vacation, 89% of participants report a significant decrease in their stress levels.

The research, which used the American population as subjects, also found that 59% of people dream of travelling once they are retired. Family vacations are found to be most valuable for an overwhelming number of people.

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An introvert or an extrovert?

First of all, your vacation shows how much you like being around people. The Journal of Research in Personality and scientists from the University of Virginia conducted a study in search of the connection between the place college students like to vacation and their type of character. Results show that introverts prefer the mountain, while extroverts – the seaside. The theory was further confirmed when they checked where the participants lived – it turned out that those who lived in mountain areas possess more introvert features compared to those who lived in lower areas.

Which is the exact type of vacation that makes us happy?

There are plenty of studies on vacations and the joy they bring. For example, a research conducted by Applied Research in Quality of Life magazine shows that people derive more joy from the planning phase than from the travel itself. In other words, you should devote more time to planning instead of going on holiday without a plan.

Still, moderation is important here. Another research, cited by Harvard Business Review, indicates that people do not feel happy during trips, which they perceive as stressful. Busy schedule, long queues and little time to catch the next train/plane means that you will not come back from your holiday happier than before. Only people who take a simple, calm holiday, show higher levels of happiness after the trip. In other words, you need to choose between being happy before the holiday or after.

Another research, devoted to the International Happiness Day, shows that half of the people spend about an hour a day dreaming about travelling. Mostly while at work.

Holidays and promotion

In the US there is something we can easily call workplace martyrdom – a huge number of workers do not use all days of paid annual leave in the name of their position at work. The lack of rest, however, leads to overwork, increased stress levels and in the end – to lower results. In a recent research, conducted in the US and Canada, it became clear that for every 10 days of holiday, the employee demonstrates 8% higher results.

How long is the perfect holiday?

A study, published in Psychologist magazine, reveals how long the perfect holiday is. The participants were asked to evaluate how satisfied they were with their holiday. Most satisfied were the ones, whose holiday lasted between 3 and 6 days.

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The team of Dr Peter Dodds from the University of Vermont decided to reveal which are the most positive languages in the world, using scientific methods. The study found out that Spanish can be labeled as the happiest language. But let’s see…

…How the study works

The researchers built a database of billions of words, using online resources such as Google Books, Twitter, subtitles on films and TV shows, song lyrics and the New York Times and the Daily Mail reports.

The languages taking part in the study were Spanish, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Indonesian, Korean, Russian and German. The database was used to comply a list of 10,000 most common words in each language. Afterwards each word was marked as “positive” or “negative” based on its meaning. For example, “death” or “kill” are labeled as negative, while “happiness” or “smile” – as positive.

So far so good. But let’s see…

…What the study revealed

The researchers found that each of the ten languagees studied was inherently positive, and more words fell on the bright side of the centre than on the dark one.

‘The words of natural human language possess a universal positivity bias, the estimated emotional content of words is consistent between languages under translation, and this positivity bias is strongly independent of frequency of word use,” the study says.

Here are:

Top 10 happiest languages

1. Spanish

2. Portuguese

3. English

4. Indonesian

5. French

6. German

7. Arabic

8. Russian

9. Korean

10. Chinese

The researchers found that each of the ten languages studied was inherently positive, and more words fell on the bright side of the center than on the dark one. Thankfully, several of these are some of the easier languages to learn so you can get started right away.

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Recent studies show, however, that by adding a small habit in your life, you can significantly reduce stress and decrease negative thoughts. Walking in nature is found to decrease the flow of blood to the area of the brain linked to mental illness. The three main mental health benefits from exercising in nature are:

1. It reduces stress

2. It works as an antidepressant – Walking in nature every day has been shown to be as helpful in helping manage depression as antidepressants, in those with mild cases.

3. It decreases negative thoughts – A recent study by Stanford found that participants saw an decrease in negative thoughts and an increase in their cognitive function after walking in nature.

Learn more about the recent research on the topic in this infographic:

The infographic was created by Physiomed.

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1. Jet lag feels worse if you travel from west to east. Recent research has discovered why this happens. Our internal clock has a natural cycle of sleep/wake modes that’s slightly longer than 24 hours. Traveling from west to east makes the day shorter, while traveling from east to west makes the day longer and therefore easier for the brain to adapt to.

2. The human brain is designed to remember novelty, so if you want to remember your vacation for a long time, you should make sure to include a dramatic change of scenery somewhere in the middle. Like, stop sizzling on the beach and take a boat trip way out into the water, or head up to the mountains for a day.

3. When you meet new people, abroad or at a business meeting, you often forget their name the second they introduce themselves. Science says that’s not because you are rude or stupid, but because your brain is focused on another thing: how to make a great first impression. The easiest trick to help your gray matter do its job is to use the person’s name immediately after hearing it (‘So Julie, what brought you to New York?’)

4. Happiness thrives when you spend your money on experiences instead of objects. Experiences give you a reason to wait in anticipation and memories to reminisce upon after the event. Furthermore, experiences are usually short and sharp, meaning you don’t have enough time to adapt to what’s happening and normalize it in your mind, which is what happens when you buy an object.

5. Do you know what’s the best part of your trip? It’s actually not during your trip at all, but in the planning and preparation phase! A 2010 study discovered that going on vacation doesn’t necessarily make you happier (if you consider your experience ‘stressful’ or ‘neutral’, then your happiness levels after you’ve returned from a vacation will be the same as those of a person who hasn’t been away at all). The mere anticipation of the time off, however, results in higher levels of reported happiness. So, why not start planning right now!

6. If you are a nudist, you have a higher chance of being satisfied with your body and with your life as a whole, regardless of how successful or attractive others may perceive you to be. Would you consider this new opportunity to be happier?

7. If you wish you had the guts to parachute out of a plane or go mountain biking on a cliff, there’s one simple thing you should do: hang out with your most extreme friends more often. As it turns out, risk-taking is contagious.

8. Did you know there’s research revealing which languages are the happiest, i.e. contain the largest number of positive words? According to this measure, the happiest language is Spanish, with Portuguese, English, Indonesian and French rounding out the top five.

9. Working during your vacation is worse than you’d expect. A recent study has revealed that sifting through work emails on the beach results in you remembering less from your vacation.

10. There is a correlation between the type of vacation you choose and your personality. For example, introverts are more likely to choose a mountain vacation, while extroverts would opt for a seaside getaway.

11. Frequent flying leads to weight gain. The most at risk group are business travelers who board a plane more than 21 days per month.

Read more: 8 fun facts about Mona Lisa, her smile and missing eyebrows

99 things every seasoned traveler knows

A crazy travel challenges list for the wild-spirited

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The mere thought of sifting through a massive pile of unread emails after you return from a vacation is enough to make you want to chip away at your work while you are at the beach and supposed to be relaxing. But if you knew how harmful this stolen time is for your vacation experience, you would think twice next time you thoughtlessly reach for your laptop.

One hour working = 43% fewer memories from your vacation

Even one hour of working in your hotel room (or terrace, or beach…) tricks your brain and decreases by 43% its capacity to remember the vacation, a study by Texas University and Homeaway reveals.

Your brain when working on a vacation

Why is that?

There are two conditions required for the brain to remember an experience:

1. full engagement in what you are doing (both body and soul)

and

2. difference from your everyday life.

By working on your vacation, you break both rules, letting your brain slip into its normal schedule of email-checking instead of unwinding and being genuinely disconnected.

Leave your laptop at home

Don’t event think about taking your laptop if you want to genuinely relax on your vacation. According to the same research, people who used their laptops for working found it harder to remember their vacation than those who only used their smartphones. The reason? The laptop is so much more comfortable and makes it easier to work more, while the phone – with its inconvenient keyboard and smaller screen – is easier to throw away once you finish with your most urgent deeds.

How to use your smartphone really… smartly

It’s not necessary to leave your phone behind if you don’t feel like it. Actually, if you use it for taking photos for up to two hours a day, it can increase by 40% the amount of memories you have from your vacation.

* We know that a true workaholic would never read an article like this, so it’s your job to forward it to a friend who needs a reminder that working on their vacation doesn’t do them any good.

If you don’t know which university to choose after the vacation, you can see Specialized Administration and Management Institute of La Francophonie.

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A brand new cure for bad mood, lack of concentration and social anxiety has been discovered. It’s free, available everywhere (no prescription required) and you can start it right now. It’s called… ‘One week without Facebook’.

Although it sounds like common sense, this was actually confirmed in a recent study by the Happiness Research Institute in Denmark – and it’s hard not to believe the Danish, who are always close to the top in global happiness rankings.

The experiment

More than 1,000 active daily Facebook users aged between 16 and 76 were separated into two groups. The first group continued with its normal Facebook habits, while the second group was put on a Facebook fast for a week. All participants filled out a questionnaire before and after the experiment to assess various aspects of their lives.

Live Facebook-less for a week to be happier | Adam Jang/Unsplash

The benefits of quitting Facebook for a week

Those who abstained from using the social network reported a range of positive changes in their lives:

Better social life.

Easier concentration.

Better mood.

Less wasted time.

A greater sense of overall calm.

Why is that?

One of the main reasons why ignoring Facebook seems good for our mood and overall happiness is that it gives us a break from the constant desire to compare ourselves to our peers.

“We look at a lot of data on happiness and one of the things that often comes up is that comparing ourselves to our peers can increase dissatisfaction,” explained Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen.

The next big challenge for researchers is to determine how long the positive effects last.

“I’d like to try for a year, but we’d have to see how many volunteers we get for that,” Wiking said.

So, challenge accepted?

Read more:

Fact! The surprising secret to a happy vacation!

10+ facts about travel, backed by science

How to practice aylyak in Bulgaria and be happy

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