The surprising but simple secrets to making the most of your vacation that will stop you feeling as if you’ve wasted it

An expert has revealed the surprising but simple secrets to help you make the most of your holiday without feeling like you’ve wasted it.

Going on vacation should be a time when you can relax and take a break from the busy daily routine of work and home duties.

However, many travelers make the mistake of cramming way too much into their trip in an attempt to make the most of it and ultimately miss out on the rest and relaxation that a vacation should provide.

Jeff Galak, a consumer behavior and marketing researcher, has spent the past twenty years studying what makes people happy with what they consume, and shared his research with the Wall Street Journal.

Galak suggests his findings can be applied to vacation experiences to help travelers find the joy of their time off — and he admits his advice may be surprising.

First of all, Galak advises that you simply ‘do less’.

If you enjoy hiking, you may feel obliged to walk as much as possible during your trip. The same goes for going to the beach or visiting museums.

Rather than “making the most of your vacation time” by filling your itinerary to the brim with your favorite activities, it’s more valuable to do the things you don’t enjoy so much so you appreciate them more—and still have time to rest and relax.

Galak says one of the main reasons vacations fail is that the fun diminishes over time. So packing up the time you spend on your “favorite activities” can actually become less fun and less of a chore.

He says this idea can be applied to anything we enjoy as humans. For example, with chocolate cake, the first bite is incredible, but the last bite is just yummy and probably makes your stomach hurt.

Lying on the beach and sunbathing feels wonderful at first, but soon you get bored, overheated and covered in sand.

Consumer behavior and marketing researcher Jeff Galak has spent the past two decades studying what makes people happy with what they consume

To counteract the inevitable decline in pleasure from “joyful” activities, Galak suggests you simply do less.

He says you can achieve ‘doing less’ in three ways: quantity, variety and timing.

In terms of quantity, it’s important to leave on a high note rather than ending it when the activity has already started on a downward spiral towards unpleasantness. This way you will only have positive memories of your experiences.

For variety when organizing the itinerary for your trip, it is best not to stick to one thing, but to choose a different option and try a range of different activities and experiences, even on the same day.

You can go for a walk in the morning and lie on the beach in the afternoon, or vice versa. This makes it less likely that your enjoyment of one activity will decrease.

With timing – Galak suggests that vacationers take breaks from activities – even if they are fun – to reset the fun.

He gives the example of a massage and recommends that you ask for a break halfway through your massage because even though you will have a few minutes less massage time, the overall experience will generally be more enjoyable.

Galak advises that you simply ‘do less’. If you enjoy hiking, you may feel obliged to walk as much as possible during your trip. The same can be applied to going to the beach or visiting museums (photo: a hiking trail in Boulder, Colorado)

Another piece of advice Galak offers travelers is to limit your choices.

He says that to avoid the stress of “choice overload” when planning, once you’ve found a good option for a hotel or flight, simply book it before you become overwhelmed by the many different choices.

The expert also advises travelers not to do something uncomfortable during their vacation, as it will be an unforgettable unique experience, as opposed to choosing the simple and safe option.

Instead of hopping in a taxi, navigate by public transportation — or leave your phone at the hotel while you explore the city to really get to know it without the security of mapping apps and search engines.

Overall, Galak says a vacation will be more fun if you plan less, do less of what you enjoy, take breaks to enjoy, and actively choose to do things that make you uncomfortable – even if they are already these things counterintuitive.