The 3 best ways to spend your holiday, according to science

We all love going away on holiday, sometimes with the intention to relax, or to go on a road trip, or a hike. But new research reveals that there are three main things you need to do on your holiday to get the maximum amount of psychological benefits from them as possible. And they are really easy to do. So what are they? (Picture: Getty)

A meta analysis, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, looked at more than 32 studies from nine countries. They found that when it comes to getting benefits, researchers recommend that you do something active, switch off as much as possible from work and perhaps coming back a little earlier. But no matter where you go, your holiday will give you more of a wellbeing boost than scientists previously thought – as a wellbeing boost from your trip is still detectable weeks after coming home (Picture: Getty)

Lead author and PhD student Ryan Grant said: ‘The theme of the paper is that vacations create longer-lasting benefits than previously thought. Job demands and job stress are on the rise. But people think that they can’t take time off because they don’t want to look bad or lose out on an opportunity for promotion. We think working more is better, but we actually perform better by taking care of ourselves. We need to break up these intense periods of work with intense periods of rest and recuperation’ (Picture: Getty)

1. Disengaging from work

So, what about the three key benefits? The researchers say they found that those who  psychologically disengaged from work on their vacations saw the most improvement in their well-being. So, turning off any slack notifications or emails will do you a world of good. Mr Grant said: ‘If you’re not at work but you’re thinking about work on vacation, you might as well be at the office. Vacations are one of the few opportunities we get to fully just disconnect from work’ (Picture: Getty)

2. Staying active

The researchers also found that people who were more engaged in physical activities while on vacation experienced higher levels of well-being and restoration. This means anything that gets your heart rate up, not necessarily running a marathon. Mr Grant said: '‘Plus, 'A lot of physical activities you’re doing on vacation, like snorkeling for example, are physical. So they’re giving you the physiological and mental health benefits. But they’re also unique opportunities for these really positive experiences that you probably don’t get in your everyday life’ (Picture: Getty)

3. Give yourself time to prepare and decompress

The paper reveals that although longer holidays could be more beneficial, those getting back from extended trips can also experience a steeper decline in their well-being once they’re back to reality. So, the researchers recommend giving yourself some time to pack and plan your trip ahead of time to reduce stress. But also come back a little sooner, so you reacclimate when you get home to ease the transition back into work mode (Picture: Getty)

The British Psychological Society says this study could help provide practical guidance for both employers and employees, as the study suggests that employers should ‘provide employees with as much vacation time as feasible… and create an environment where there are no perceived penalties for taking time off.’ And then employees can maximise the benefits of their holiday by trying to fully disconnect from work and engaging in physical activity while off (Picture: Getty)