Travel provides a unique experience that is truly yours to cherish
My dear friend has a license plate on her cute gold BMW convertible that reads: MAX UTLS. I love her inside scoop about how this describes the economist’s way of measuring happiness. Utility is what economists use to measure the success of a venture or policy, so maximizing utils (the measuring unit of utility) means having greatest satisfaction. Definitely the outcome of riding around in her sporty, fun car with the top down!
Carrying this idea further, what could be better than driving that car on a vacation? It might seem counter-intuitive that spending time and money on a vacation when there are so many other pressing needs is the best utility for satisfaction. Isn’t a vacation a fleeting experience that doesn’t last like a material good? But we’re talking about the psychological here, not the physical. And it turns out that in our minds and hearts, the vacation experience is cherished, revisited, and often indelibly written in personal memory. You value the vacation experience more than a material good, partly because it is truly yours. Economists posit that this is due to the endowment effect. Unlike a car or house that lends itself to comparison and competition with others, only you had that particular experience on your vacation. No one can take it away from you and no one else has it.
So, take a break, even for a long weekend, and buy some long-lasting happiness. You don’t really need any more stuff, do you?
Here are some of my favorite vacation places to change your life:
What’s your favorite vacation experience so far? What’s on your “bucket list” of places to visit soon? I’d love to hear from you. I need more ideas for my list, too! 
