Mom Says 2 Weeks Is Too Much For A Vacation And The Internet Agrees

Aug 26, 2022 by apost team

Holidays are not only a joy but necessary to relieve stress, rest and recharge before going back to the daily grind of work and everyday life. They give us respite from alarm clocks and deadlines and afford us quality time to spend with our loved ones doing exciting new things or enjoyable and familiar pastimes. While most people will rarely argue against vacations, debate still surrounds exactly how much time is enough time to be on holiday before it becomes, well, not a holiday anymore.

One mom has given her final answer on the perfect number of days to be on vacation and was surprised by the responses she received. On Aug. 16, 2022, she took to mumsnet.com to post about how she had come to her conclusion and why.

She explained that whenever she is on a long vacation at a real holiday destination, she will enjoy it for 10 days before the feeling begins to fade.

“Every single time we go on a European sun/beach/villa/complex type holiday, we book it for 14 days and every single time I get to about day 10 and am fed up and want to be at home,” she wrote.

She explained that having a few days at the end of a holiday at home would serve as a perfect buffer before having to return to the office.

“I’ve nothing to complain about except the bed is a bit uncomfortable and I should enjoy my last 3 days of sun and relaxing – but all I can think about is that if I’d bloody remembered and booked 10 days, we’d be flying home tomorrow and I could have had a few days at home in my own bed before going back to work,” she wrote.

She ended her post by saying she “never feels like this on far-flung holidays with a packed itinerary etc and holidays are always a few years between so I obviously forget and get all giddy with the booking.”

Surprisingly, many commenters agreed with her, saying a buffer period between vacations and going back to work is absolutely necessary.

“I was having this very conversation just today. 10 days away but two weeks off work so you don’t have that horrible jolt back into work the minute you get home! Lovely!” one reader wrote.

“I’m ALWAYS like this! This year we booked to stay in two different places over the 2 weeks though and it was much better,” another comment read.

“I agree. Just done 7 days and needed 3 more. 14 is too much,” another user wrote.

Meanwhile, research suggested the ideal number of vacation days is eight days, according to a study in the “Journal of Happiness Studies.” Researchers found that the feeling of joy for holiday-goers will progressively increase as they discover new places and food as well as settle into vacation mode. 

“It takes some time to wind down after a stressful work period and acclimatize to vacation,” the study noted.

However, this feeling would usually peak on the eighth day, at which point feelings of happiness will start to taper. The study also found that it takes only about a week at the office for the feelings of relaxation from a vacation to disappear as people quickly shift back into work mode. Despite this, the researchers said taking time off should still be accepted as a necessity.

“Asking why we should keep going on vacations is … comparable to asking why we should go to sleep considering the fact that we get tired again.”

apost.com

What do you think about a 10-day vacation and a four-day buffer period? What’s your ideal number of days off for a holiday? Let us know, and do send this on to all your friends and family you think are dreaming about a vacation right now.