Forget your wedding day or a new job, travel is the real secret to happiness! Nearly half (49%) of people say a vacation brings more happiness than their wedding day (49%), dating our partner (51%) a new job (50%), an engagement (45%) and even the having a child (29%). In addition, 77% say they book a vacation when they need a boost of happiness. This is shown by a worldwide Booking.com survey of 17,000 respondents from 17 countries.
The majority made travel happier, whether it's backpacking, visiting B&Bs, family vacations or trips to remote refuges. This explains all the more why most people (56%) value holidays more than personal belongings such as clothes, jewelry and gadgets.
The emotional boost that travel gives us starts with planning and continues through the actual vacation. However, planning is the most likely to give you a feeling of happiness, with almost three quarters (72%) saying that they already get a sense of excitement when researching a holiday destination. More than half (56%) say booking their holiday makes them happiest, emphasizing the importance of booking directly and thus guaranteeing the perfect accommodation. Because we love planning and booking our trips, a third (35%) admit to researching for the holidays months in advance, 5% are so enthusiastic that they start planning a year in advance . So are you looking for happiness? Then go plan and book a trip!
