Getting Away for a 3-day Weekend Could Make You Happier Than a Long Vacation

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Next time you’re planning a vacation you may want to think small. As in three-day weekend small.

According to Jonathan Alpert, a Manhattan-based psychotherapist and well-being expert, taking just one Friday or Monday off of work can do just as much for your mental health as taking off an entire week.

“Clients often tell me they want to go as far away as possible for as long as possible,” he recently told NBC. “But then it takes a day to get to their destination, they run into issues accessing their email in a remote place, and inevitably, they get so stressed planning it, that they aren’t able to truly disconnect.”

Though past research suggested that eight days is the optimal time length for a vacation, that amount of time off a year can be unreasonable for many people. Especially when you consider the average American receives just 10 paid vacation days a year.

And, as Alpert additionally explained, using that much time off is akin to trying to “binge sleep” on the weekends to catch up on your rest. This, he said, will do little for your health, just like a long vacation won’t fix all your woes in eight days. Instead, it’s best to opt for several short vacations to help you feel more restored all year long.

It appears people are already unintentionally heeding this excellent advice. In a 2017 survey by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 85 percent of Americans said they were planning to take a three-day trip in 2018, NBC reported. Almost half of the respondents cited “reducing stress” as to why they wanted a three-day escape.

Indeed, a three-day vacation can make you feel less stressed because they can be far less stressful to plan, cheaper than a long getaway, easier to execute, and will give you more vacations to look forward to.

But, where should you go on a three-day journey? Check out our guide to everything three-day weekend related, including where to go, where to stay, and what to do to maximize those 72 hours of bliss.