The Secret (And Science) To A Great Vacation

It's summer! Let's go somewhere fun! And hope we don't drive each other crazy! (Can you guess how I feel about an upcoming 16 hour flight?)

If you want a vacation that delivers relaxation, spend time not only planning the trip, but how you’ll come back. A 2010 study found that exhaustion decreases during a vacation, but zooms back once you get home. However, people who have a ‘return plan’ stay relaxed much longer. (So book the return flight for Saturday, rather than Sunday, and give yourself a few half-days at work.) What’s more, unplug in the literal sense: People who avoid replying to email while vacationing report feeling up to five times more relaxed. And travelers are more likely to describe phone-free trips as “life-changing” because, without GPS and instant translation, we often stumble into unexpected adventures, meet more locals, and take fascinating wrong turns.

How do you make a vacation memorable for your kids? By focusing on all five senses. One 2006 study found that smell is a uniquely powerful trigger of childhood memories. So helping your kids tune into natural smells — the salty air of the beach, their smoky jacket after a night by the fire — will help those vacation memories linger. Other studies have found that touch and sound can also help with memory formation — particularly when paired with a vacation memory jar, which contains all those sticky pinecones and spiky shells kids collect at the beach.

I took this photo at The Louvre. I have no idea who these women are. They seemed very surprised when I took their photo.

Finally, the best trips often happen with friends — or by ourselves. Who we travel with tends to have a much bigger impact than where we go. One study found that traveling with someone who is playful and optimistic can increase our vacation joy by as much as 60 percent. Another study found that traveling without your partner can make you happier — and strengthen your relationship. (Because when we travel alone, we think more about what matters to us most - which hopefully includes the other person.) And if you’re having trouble deciding where to go (and who to take with you), here’s a quiz.

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A few miscellaneous travel tips:

• Want to escape jet-lag? I use FlyKitt to figure out when to sleep and what to eat to make new time zones easier.

• Looking for the perfect neck pillow? There’s good advice here and here. (I opted for the Ostrich Pillow for an upcoming trip to Morocco. I’ll let you know how it works out.)

• Want to stay healthy while traveling? I use this nasal spray that “employs nitric oxide as a mechanical and chemical barrier against viral infection in the nose.” Does it work? Who knows! But I haven’t gotten sick since I started using it before getting on planes. (You can buy it here.)

Where are you going this summer? Tell us in the comments. Safe travels!