We've waxed editorially about the overuse of the marketing words "of a lifetime" a couple of times. Now Alexia Nestora, who runs a blog called Voluntourism Gal, has published a study that gets past the marketing to have a look at what people really decide to do when they take what they describe as their trip of a lifetime.
Key finding: "70% of respondents said they are most interested in visiting natural and man-made wonders on a once-in-a-lifetime trip such as Machu Picchu, the Pyramids or Victoria Falls. Beyond that, 53% said they were very interested in going on safari...."
Also: "52% of respondents organized their lifetime trip independently, 18% join a tour group, and 16% use a travel agent to organize their trip."
Have a look at her summary, or download the whole report.
And while we're on about research, in a journal called Applied Research in Quality of Life, the study "Vacationers Happier, but Most not Happier After a Holiday" claims something confirmed travelers could have told you in the first place. As the New York times quotes the lead author of the study, “The practical lesson for an individual is that you derive most of your happiness from anticipating the holiday trip.”
And, I'd add, from reliving the experience with your photos after the trip.
The study author has a tip most of us can probably agree with: “What you can do is try to increase that (your happiness) by taking more trips per year. If you have a two week holiday you can split it up and have two one week holidays. You could try to increase the anticipation effect by talking about it more and maybe discussing it online.”
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(Photo is an HDR of a tree climbing lion in the Ishasha Wilderness, Uganda, from EarthPhotos.com. See more in the Uganda Gallery and the Animals & Wildlife Gallery at EarthPhotos.com.)
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