The Vacation Preparation: Time and Enjoyment per Personality Trait

The excitement of an impending vacation can be both thrilling and, at times, overwhelming. The promise of new experiences and a break from the daily grind offers something to look forward to, yet the anticipation, planning, and preparation time required can sometimes overshadow the enjoyment we derive from the actual vacation. Interestingly, how we navigate these preparations and the overall enjoyment of our vacations is significantly influenced by our personality traits.

Vacation Preparation: A Necessary Evil?

Preparing for a vacation involves a multitude of tasks, from booking flights and accommodations to planning itineraries and packing. Research suggests that the time invested in preparing for a vacation can influence the overall vacation experience (1). A study by Jeroen Nawijn found that the “vacation anticipation” stage can increase happiness for up to eight weeks before the vacation (2). However, this phase can also be quite stressful, with the bulk of the pressure often falling in the few weeks leading up to the vacation.

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The Paradox of Preparation and Enjoyment

The paradox lies in the fact that post-vacation happiness doesn’t necessarily correlate with the vacation’s length or the amount of time spent planning it, as shown in a study in the Journal of Happiness Studies (3). Moreover, sometimes the vacation might not live up to the expectations set during the planning phase, leading to disappointment. This phenomenon, known as the “contrast effect,” demonstrates that when reality doesn’t meet our expectations, our satisfaction levels drop (4).

The Role of Personality Differences

Our personality traits significantly influence how we approach vacation planning and how much we enjoy our time off. The Big Five model of personality traits – Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism – provides an excellent framework to understand this better (5).

Openness: Individuals high in openness may enjoy the unpredictability and novelty of spontaneous trips and may spend less time on preparation, seeking out unique and offbeat experiences that deviate from traditional tourism (6).

Conscientiousness: Those high in conscientiousness might spend more time preparing to ensure everything is organized and planned meticulously, potentially reducing stress during the trip, but also possibly reducing the opportunity for spontaneous enjoyment (7).

Extraversion: Extraverts might derive more pleasure from social holidays involving friends or large group activities. They might also take more trips, as travel is a social activity that provides opportunities for engagement with others (8).

Agreeableness: People high in agreeableness might find enjoyment in vacations that involve close family and friends, focusing more on creating shared memories and bonding experiences.

Neuroticism: Individuals with high neuroticism might spend more time worrying about potential issues that could arise during the vacation, leading to more exhaustive preparation. However, they might also experience more stress during the vacation and have their enjoyment marred by worry (9).

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Time Management for Vacation Bliss: A Personality-based Approach

Given these personality nuances, individuals can tailor their preparation efforts and expectations better to align with their personality traits, thereby enhancing their vacation experience.

1. Start Early: Early planning can reduce stress, particularly for conscientious and neurotic individuals who prefer to have everything organized in advance.
2. Involve Everyone: If traveling with family or friends, involve everyone in the planning process. This can create shared responsibility and anticipation, particularly beneficial for agreeable and extraverted individuals (10).
3. Maintain Flexibility: For individuals high in openness, keeping the itinerary flexible can allow for spontaneous exploration and enhance enjoyment.
4. Manage Expectations: Building happiness around the idea of a “perfect vacation” can lead to disappointment. By managing expectations, individuals, particularly those high in neuroticism, can reduce potential stress and increase satisfaction.

Related Article: Travel Styles: Are you a Light Packager or Heavy Packager?

In conclusion, understanding the interplay between vacation preparation time, actual enjoyment, and our personality traits can lead to more satisfying vacation experiences. Knowing ourselves and our travel companions a little better might be the key to unlocking stress-free and enjoyable vacations.

References

1. Gilbert, D., & Abdullah, J. (2004). Holidaytaking and the sense of well-being. Annals of Tourism Research, 31(1), 103-121.
2. Nawijn, J. (2010). The holiday happiness curve: a preliminary investigation into mood during a holiday abroad. International Journal of Tourism Research, 12(3), 281-290.
3. Nawijn, J., Marchand, M., Veenhoven, R., & Vingerhoets, A. (2010). Vacationers happier, but most not happier after a holiday. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 5(1), 35-47.
4. Tversky, A., & Griffin, D. (1991). Endowment and contrast in judgments of well-being. In Strategy and Choice (pp. 297-318). MIT Press.
5. John, O. P., & Srivastava, S. (1999). The Big Five trait taxonomy: History, measurement, and theoretical perspectives. Handbook of personality: Theory and research, 2(1999), 102-138.
6. Jovanovic, V., & Gavrilov-Jerkovic, V. (2016). More than a (negative) feeling: Validity of the neuroticism scale of the IPIP-50 in Serbia. Psihologija, 49(1), 71-92.
7. Gountas, J., & Gountas, S. (2007). Personality orientations, emotional states, customer satisfaction, and intention to repurchase. Journal of Business Research, 60(1), 72-75.
8. Pizam, A., Jeong, G. H., Reichel, A., van Boemmel, H., Lusson, J. M., Steynberg, L., … & Montmany, N. (2004). The relationship between risk-taking, sensation-seeking, and the tourist behavior of young adults: A cross-cultural study. Journal of Travel Research, 42(3), 251-260.
9. Swickert, R. J., Rosentreter, C. J., Hittner, J. B., & Mushrush, J. E. (2002). Extraversion, social support processes, and stress. Personality and Individual Differences, 32(5), 877-891.
10. Decrop, A. (1999). Tourists’ decision-making and behavior processes. In Consumer Behavior in Travel and Tourism (pp. 103-133). The Haworth Press, Inc.

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