Research reveals that travel is the secret to true happiness

25 January 2017

Research reveals that travel is the secret to true happiness

Forget your wedding day or even having a baby, travel is the secret to true happiness, according to new research.

A global survey of 17,000 travellers by Booking.com, including 1000 New Zealanders, revealed that travel gives people such a powerful emotional boost, we consider planning and going away on holiday more vital to our happiness than other big life events.

New Zealanders ranked travel as more important to their happiness than landing a new job (44%), their wedding day (39%), getting engaged (38%), and even having a baby (31%).

Just over half of Kiwis (54%) say that the most important ingredient for a happy holiday is delicious local food, closely followed by perfect weather (49%) and breath-taking scenery (47%).

The research, which questioned people from 17 countries, revealed that for more than two thirds of people, travel experiences bring more lasting happiness than material things, with 69% of Kiwis agreeing.

New York Times bestselling author, Shawn Achor is one of the world’s leading experts on happiness and is a highly sought-after speaker known for his advocacy of positive psychology.

"In a world where every dollar and hour count, travellers are looking for a higher return than ever on their investment of time and money.” Says Achor.

“Why take time off and pay money to be more stressed and less happy?

“Based on a decade of research, the greatest competitive advantage in the modern world is a positive and engaged brain. In fact, I recently found that people who take all of their vacation days are not only happier, they are 34% more likely to receive a bonus over the next three years. Happy travel pays."

David Mau, director of product, Booking.com says, “With people booking over 1.1 million room nights every 24 hours on Booking.com, we know just how important travel and enjoying that perfect stay is to people’s overall happiness.

“The research reveals the excitement people feel when they can easily research potential places to go and types of places to stay. With over one million properties worldwide that have more than 23 million bookable rooms in over 30 types of accommodation in over 94,000 destinations around the world, people can boost their happiness in a few simple clicks on Booking.com.”

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