Why the wait matters
A Dutch study of 1,530 adults (Nawijn and colleagues, 2010) found that people with a holiday coming up reported more happiness than people without one. After coming home, most were no happier than those who had stayed at home. The waiting gave more lift than the memory.
Another study (Kumar, Killingsworth and Gilovich, 2014) found that waiting for an experience, like a trip or a concert, tends to feel better than waiting for a thing you have bought. People described it as more pleasant and more exciting.
So the wait is not dead time. It is part of the trip, if you give it some attention.
1. Make the place concrete
Excitement grows when you can picture it. Look at the actual street, not a brochure.
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Take a virtual walk down a street
Use an online street view to walk the road your accommodation is on. Find the nearest cafe and the way to the closest green space.
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Set a phone wallpaper of the place
Pick a photo of a street or view you will actually see. Every time you unlock your phone, you get a small reminder of what is coming.
2. Taste it and hear it
Food and sound carry a place better than photos. They also make an ordinary weeknight feel different.
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Cook one dish from where you're going
Find a recipe locals actually make at home, not the tourist version. Shop for it, cook it slowly and eat it with music from the place.
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Cook to a local radio station
Find a radio station from your destination online and leave it on while you make dinner. Ads, weather and chatter included, it is the sound of everyday life there.
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Start a trip playlist
Add three songs from or about where you're going, then one more every few days. By departure it will be the soundtrack of the waiting.
3. Learn a little
A few words and customs turn you from a visitor into a guest. Small, steady learning keeps the trip on your mind.
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Learn five phrases in the local language
Hello, please, thank you, excuse me and "this is delicious" cover a surprising amount. Say each one out loud until it stops feeling strange.
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Learn three local customs
Find out how people greet each other, how tipping works and one thing visitors often get wrong. Small courtesies open a lot of doors.
4. Space it out
One idea a week beats ten in one weekend. Spreading things out gives you something to look forward to all the way there. Gladsoon does this pacing for you, matched to the days you have left.
5. Share it
Talking about a trip doubles the fun of waiting for it. Plan the nice part with the people you travel with.
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Spread out a map and dream together
Print or open a big map, pour something nice and trace where you will be. Take turns pointing at places that sound intriguing.
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Host a snack night from the region
Gather a few snacks, cheeses, sweets or drinks from where you are going and share them with friends. Tell them what you are most excited about.
6. Save something for the end
A small ritual for the last days gives the countdown a finish line, and the first hour there a shape.
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Write three hopes for the trip
Not plans, hopes: how you want to feel, something you want to notice, someone you want to be there. Keep the note and reread it on the way home.
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Plan your first-hour ritual on arrival
Decide what you will do in the first hour: a coffee on a corner, a walk to the water, a toast. A small ritual turns arriving into a moment.
When the wait feels long
Wishing the weeks away is natural, but it is the opposite of enjoying them. Try these instead.
- Give each week a small marker, such as a film night from the place every Friday.
- Keep the practical list separate, with dates, so it does not crowd out the fun.
- Look at how many weekends are left, not days. Weekends are what you can actually plan.
- Book one small treat for the halfway point, like dinner at a restaurant from the region.
Questions people ask
Is it normal to be more excited before a trip than during it?
Yes, and research backs it up. In the Dutch study by Nawijn and colleagues, 2010, happiness before a holiday was higher than after it for most people.
How do I get excited if planning the trip stresses me out?
Split the two. Put the practical tasks on a list with a date for each, so they stop circling in your head. Then keep a separate, short list of nice things to do that have nothing to do with bookings.
How can I make time go faster before a vacation?
Fill the weeks with small markers instead of counting days. A weekly ritual, one evening a week tied to the place, makes the wait feel full rather than empty.
Does this work for things other than trips?
Yes. The same ideas work for a wedding, a big birthday or a concert. Gladsoon has ideas for each.
More guides
- Vacation countdown ideas for grown-ups.Small things to do while you count down to a trip: a playlist, a dish to cook, five phrases, a first-hour ritual. Sorted by how long you have left.
- Things to look forward to, from this week to next year.Ideas for things to look forward to, small and big, plus simple ways to make any plan more fun to wait for. No spending required for most of them.
- Things to do before a trip: a calm checklist by week.A short checklist of things to do before a trip abroad, sorted by when to do them, with extra steps if you fly, drive or travel with children.