Like many people, I am preparing to head off on vacation later this week.  My husband, two daughters,  and I are going close by to a rental house on Cape Cod, so it is only about a two hour drive from our home. It always puzzles my eight year old that Cape Cod is such a different world, yet the cars still have Massachusetts plates. And we pay in dollars!

As I keep five separate to-do lists going (Sarah's packing list, Katie's packing list, our family packing list, food/linen list, and work-to-do-before-I-leave list), I find myself wondering if it is worth it. Does the stress of preparing to go away, and the stress of catching up when I return, outweigh the benefits of beach time?

The answer, according to research, is overwhelmingly yes. Vacations are good for our mental health. And the reason is probably not just the benefits one receives from being in a different venue with hopefully fewer tasks and responsibilities, but perhaps more so the distinct pleasure one gets anticipating the break. Research on happiness shows that anticipating a pleasurable event is a huge positive contributor to the benefit of that event.  Being surprised by a vacation in the very near future does not give you nearly the pleasure of anticipating it for some time.

So if it is truly the anticipation of a pleasurable event which provides so much happiness, what does that mean for the millions of Americans who are unable to go away this summer due to financial limitations? My guess is that it might be less the act of going away, per se, which makes us want to go on vacation and benefit from the trip, but instead the fact that our responsibilities are fewer or at least different, that we will experience new things, and either be with people we don’t see on a day to day basis or meet new people.

Thus, whether you are going away this summer or experiencing a 'staycation,' your main goal should be to plan it in such a way as to maximize the salivating factor. Think carefully about what makes you laugh, what gives you peace of mind, what thrills you, and what makes you drool.  Then carefully plan your time off to give you as much of that as possible. I have had many at-home weekends where I had more fun than a week away. You need to be creative, bold, and adventurous. Enjoy!