There's a scientific reason why 2-week vacations are actually a waste (Kahneman, remembering/experiencing self)
If you want to maximize the happiness of your experiencing self, plan a lengthy vacation. An extra week of sipping cocktails in the sun will almost certainly keep your stress levels lower than hunching over your keyboard at work.
But if you want to maximize the happiness of your remembering self –
mind you, a self that lasts far longer than the fleeting experiencing
self – a lengthy vacation makes far less sense.
You can switch up the vacation dramatically halfway through, so you
create new memories for your remembering self. Or you can spend half the
time doing something less expensive, like staying at home and avoiding
hotel and rental car fees – because in the long run, chances are the
money isn’t buying much anyway.
Additionally: https://www.businessinsider.nl/perfect-vacation-according-to-science-2017-7/?international=true&r=US
- Plan far ahead to build anticipation
- Limit yourself to few options to minimize regret
- One week instead of two
- Take a few days to unwind before the vacation starts
- Experiences instead of stuff
- Explore at the beginning
- Most exciting should be middle and end
- Talk about the trip at home to make the memories more permanent