Holidays

Cover of Holidays, Moment Report No. 06

Moment Report No. 06 · 17 pages · 17 sources

Do holidays really make us happier?

Yes, but briefly. A review of 13 studies found that wellbeing rose during holidays and had largely returned to normal by the first week back at work, and longer trips did not bring bigger benefits. Much of a holiday's pleasure comes before it, in anticipation, and after it, in memory.

What the report found

  1. The UAE's holiday year is built around a few peaks. Public holidays in spring, early summer and December bring short breaks, and employees are entitled to 30 days of annual leave after a year's service. Dubai International expected more than 3.6 million passengers in the 13 days around the return to school in August 2025.
  2. Gulf travel is a large market. One consultancy estimated GCC outbound travel spending at 76 billion dollars in 2023, with about 60 per cent of trips staying within the Gulf.
  3. Much of the pleasure comes before the trip. In a study of 1,530 Dutch adults, people about to go on holiday were happier than those who were not. Waiting for an experience is more pleasant than waiting for a possession.
  4. The benefits are real but short. A review of 13 studies found that wellbeing rose during holidays, and that by the first week back at work the gain had largely gone. Longer trips did not give bigger benefits.
  5. Memory decides whether people go again. Students' memories of a spring break, not how they felt at the time, predicted whether they wanted to repeat it. People tend to remember trips more fondly than they felt them.

What is inside

  1. The holiday year
  2. Before: the pleasure of waiting
  3. During: rest and recovery
  4. After: the fade and the memory
  5. What lasts

Plus the UAE's holiday calendar, Gulf travel spending, a chart of how the holiday lift fades and a graded list of claims.

Who it is for

For employers, airlines, hotels and travel brands in the UAE and the Gulf, and anyone saving their leave for one long summer.

How we work

Moment Reports look at how people think and decide at particular points in the year, starting with the UAE and then the wider Gulf. Every claim is graded Established, Emerging or Untested. Where researchers disagree, as they do on whether holidays are worth what they cost, both sides are set out before we say where we stand.

Cite this report

The Why We Project (2026) Holidays: Rest, travel and the break from routine. Moment Report No. 06. Dubai: Why We Tech Ltd. Available at: thewhyweproject.com