TripIt

We've got limited time only for the Western Australia trip this season. We based ourselves on Rottnest Island, and then headed south to Busselton and Nannup. 

A short trip.

But that doesn't mean we missed the fun. A shorter trip, in fact, can be even happier than we would have thought. 

I learned this from a psychology professor Jeroen Nawijn, who published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, after his tracking the happiness of over 1500 Dutch participants. As expected, those with upcoming holidays are happier than non-vacationers. What most of us do not know is that the days before the start of the trip registered the peak level of happiness - higher than when the participants were actually on holiday.

Perhaps nowhere is the joy greater than that of anticipation, which is even more powerful than the experience itself.

A deeper look at this study might lead us to think twice before striving for a long holiday. That means we should have more short trips and more frequent breaks. The more trips planned, the more there is to look forward to.