Why do I feel so good after vacation?

Vacations are novel [and] your brain is on an endorphin rush … unless you lead a life that's balanced to begin with, the endorphins will wear off. How well you live your life before you get away will affect how much of a vacation come down you experience, DeCunha says.



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Neuroscientists have found that chronic exposure to stress can alter your brain structure and bring on anxiety and depression. When you take a vacation, feelings of calm arise and relieve stress, which allows the body and mind to heal in ways that it couldn't if it were still under pressure.

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Improved mental health
Neuroscientists have found that chronic exposure to stress can alter your brain structure and bring on anxiety and depression. When you take a vacation, feelings of calm arise and relieve stress, which allows the body and mind to heal in ways that it couldn't if it were still under pressure.

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Vacation weight gain is often largely water
Celebrations and vacations can involve eating foods higher in carbs and salt than your normal diet, and both of these lead to water retention, she said.

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It manifests as apathy toward travel activities that usually excite you, and a lack of motivation enjoy local culture and cuisine. Like other types of burnout, travel fatigue is a feeling of deep weariness and disengagement.

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However, most studies agree that at least two vacations a year can do wonders for your mental and physical health. Two vacations a year might seem like a lot to some and not enough to others, but that's truly the minimum number of vacations we're talking about here.

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First, a trip frees the mind from dulling routine and sharp worry. Second, it throws newness at us: new kinds of people with new food, music, art, landscape, wildlife, customs, rituals, stories, values, beliefs.

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A positive, well-managed vacation can make you happier and less stressed, and you can return with more energy at work and with more meaning in your life. Positive vacations have a significant effect upon energy and stress. In our study, 94 percent had as much or more energy after coming back after a good trip.

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One reason people feel post-vacation fatigue is that they push themselves too hard when they're back home. If someone's effort to take care of as many home tasks as possible before leaving fell a little short, there can be an overwhelming feeling of “I need to catch up to get back on track”.

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The first measurements were taken one week prior to vacation, then again one week and six weeks post-vacation. The study found that 61 percent of the participants gained weight while on vacation, with an average gain of 0.7 pounds, and that the weight gained throughout the entire study averaged 0.9 pounds.

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The study found that 61 percent of the participants gained weight while on vacation, with an average gain of 0.7 pounds, and that the weight gained throughout the entire study averaged 0.9 pounds. There was a large variation, however, with some participants losing weight and some gaining as much as 7 pounds.

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It's a great stress buster.
And what better way to do so than to pack your bags and cross wanderlust-worthy destinations off your bucket list? Traveling promotes happiness and helps you take your mind off stressful situations. This leads to lower cortisol levels, making you feel more calm and content.

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Think burnout only happens to backpackers on months-long trips? Nope, not at all. Even if you're only traveling for a few days, you can easily get burned out if you pack too much into your time frame or you have a bad mindset or have a difficult experience.

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