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Travel experiences vs physical objects

A new infographic by the UK’s third largest holiday operator Jet2holidays reveals the reasons why people value travel experiences more highly than physical objects.

With the traditional annual surge in holiday bookings during January, the UK holiday operator Jet2holidays has created an infographic that draws on decades of research on why experiences are so prized. The Cornell University psychology professor, Dr Thomas Gilovich, spent 20 years studying the subject and he has made several interesting conclusions.

Dr Gilovich states that because material objects are easier to compare and are often revised or upgraded, they only offer short-term happiness compared to the longer lasting pleasure of experiences.

The infographic also shows that experiences become part of who you are and sharing them helps to connect you with others. In terms of self development, because a travel experience is unique to you, it’s far less likely you’d measure and compare it to those of others.

As a further point, a study by Amit Kumar et al published in the Psychological Science journal found that people self-report greater feelings of happiness, excitement and pleasantness with experiential purchases compared to material ones.

The findings shown in the infographic back up the current trend of millennials to prioritise experiences over other spending. This is evidenced in the huge growth of British festivals and music events, visited by 27.7 billion people in 2016.

Such a strong appetite for choosing experiences points towards the growth of a new culture, described as ‘experientialism’ by The Guardian journalist and author of Stuffocation, James Wallman. He states that there’s now a community of people looking for happiness, identity and status in experiences rather than material objects. Wallman also argues such an approach will help us all lead lives that are more sustainable whilst causing far less damage to the planet.

In summary, the Jet2holidays infographic identified that travel experiences are more highly valued than physical objects because experiences:

  • Become part of who are
  • Connect you more to other people
  • Are less easily compared with others
  • Create a sense of anticipatory pleasure
  • Enhance ‘flow’ as a state of mind

News Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Posts

Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.

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