Almost half (49 per cent) of people say a holiday brings them more happiness than their wedding day, while over half (51 per cent) prefer travelling over going on a date with their partner, according to a new study.

Global research commissioned by Booking.com, a global leader in booking hotel and other accommodations online, has revealed that travel gives us such an emotional boost, we consider planning and going away on holiday more vital for our happiness than other big life occasions - such as our own wedding day (49 per cent), going on a date with your partner (51 per cent), landing a new job (50 per cent), getting engaged (45 per cent), and even having a baby (29 per cent).  Furthermore, 77 per cent say they book a holiday just when they're in need of a happiness boost.

The research, which questioned 17,000 people from 17 countries, revealed that for the majority, travel experiences, anything from backpacking, to boutique B&B breaks, family villa holidays, or even exotic and remote retreats, brings more lasting happiness than material things (70 per cent).

The emotional lift that travel brings hits at each stage of the travel process from planning, through booking to actually going on holiday. And it’s the planning stages that give the most immediate boosts in happiness, with nearly three quarters of people (72 per cent) saying they get a kick of excitement just from researching where to go on holiday. Over half (56 per cent) agree they then feel happiest when booking their holiday, underlining the importance of instant booking when it comes to securing an ideal stay.

Shawn Achor, BA, MA, Harvard, one of the world’s leading experts on happiness, NY Times bestselling author and speaker known for his advocacy of positive psychology, explained: "Study after study has indicated that there is a huge boost to happiness in the "anticipatory phase" which occurs while planning and visualising a trip. This new Booking.com research shows how significant this boost really is--on par or better than getting engaged.

“Based on a decade of research, the greatest competitive advantage in the modern world is a positive and engaged brain. In fact, I recently found that people who take all of their vacation days are not only happier, they are 34 per cent more likely to receive a bonus over the next three years. Happy travel pays."

David Mau, director of product, Booking.com said: “With people booking over 1.1 million room nights every day on Booking.com, we know just how important travel and enjoying that perfect stay is to people’s overall happiness. We also understand that exactly what makes each us of really happy when we travel is different, which is why we focus so much energy on helping people find the perfect place to stay and travel experience to suit them, whatever their budget, interests and needs. A rustic treehouse in the Swedish countryside may be your idea of Nirvana, while for someone else it might be a posh apartment in downtown Tokyo. Whichever it is, we have it.

“The research reveals the excitement people feel when they can easily research potential places to go and types of places to stay. With over 1 million properties worldwide that have more than 23 million bookable rooms in over 30 types of accommodation in over 94,000 destinations around the world, people can boost their happiness in a few simple clicks on Booking.com.” - TradeArabia News Service