How Do We Feel on Vacation? A Closer Look at How Emotions Change over the Course of a Trip

Jeroen Nawijn, Ondrej Mitas, Yeqiang Lin, Deborah Kerstetter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

203 Scopus citations

Abstract

The emotions of 39 American and Dutch vacationers were investigated. Their emotions were tracked daily during their vacation using a diary. Findings indicated that fluctuations in emotions are related to length of vacation. Vacationers on an 8- to 13-day trip experienced significant changes in the balance of their emotions over the course of their trip. In general, they felt good; but this feeling began to decline at the end of the vacation. The findings demonstrate that there is no clear peak in holiday happiness, which presents challenges to tourism suppliers. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)265-274
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Travel Research
Volume52
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2013

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Transportation
  • Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management

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