Anticipation is Half the Fun of Travel

Edinburgh - my pinterest board

My husband and I are leaving soon for a two-week trip to the United Kingdom - half in London and the other half in Scotland. Every other year, we travel for a week with four other couples to some European destination and rent a cottage, house, chateau, villa, castle - you name it! We have been adding an additional week since we're already spending a fortune on airfare. The location for the extra week is often based on airport used or other considerations. In this case, we are flying in and out of London and since we were last there in 1989 when our son was less than a year old, we felt that a follow-up trip was definitely in order.

Planning a trip is half the fun and, according to some sources, the greater source of happiness since the actual event may be fraught with issues like traffic and/or weather delays, lost luggage, and other unanticipated problems. Planning is filled with idealized visions of famous sites to be seen; shops and restaurants to check-out; experiences to pursue; and, companionable people to engage with - only the best of the best!

An article this morning in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution entitled "Planning a Trip is Half the Fun" by New York Time writer, Stephanie Rosenbloom, describes the psychology behind this phenomena.

"Social scientists have been saying for years that we get an extra happiness boost if we consciously delay any type of pleasure ... Doing this allows us to build up positive expectations, to relish how enjoyable the experience might be.

Scottish church - see pinterest link above

While in Scotland, our group will be staying in Winton Cottage - part of a larger estate about half an hour from Edinburgh link to website. It looks wonderful!

We LOVE to travel and I must agree that the planning and anticipation are a particularly pleasurable element of the experience. I usually start intensive planning for international travel a year or more out and that includes some of the things mentioned in the article; reading books about the locale; talking with fellow travelers/friends about their experiences and recommendations; collecting photos and images (via pinterest) to help me envision the location and identify "must sees"; and, reviewing apartment and bed and breakfast options for our trip. In our division of labor, I am responsible for our accommodations and my husband is responsible for the transportation - usually airline and car rentals.  He is also the first to clip articles and buy travel books.

I hope to have some great photos to post here soon! I am already planning next year's big trip - a whole month in Paris, France. Ah .... that anticipation!!

Street in Edinburgh - see pinterest link above